Property
Constitutional bar on foreign land ownership, with condominium units permitted
Only Filipino citizens and corporations at least 60 percent Filipino-owned may own land. Foreigners may own condominium units where foreign ownership in the project stays within 40 percent, and may lease land long-term.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Land Registration Authority and Registries of Deeds maintain Torrens titles. The Department of Agrarian Reform controls transfers of agricultural land.
Governing law
- 1987 Constitution (art. XII, secs. 2-3 and 7)
- Republic Act 4726Condominium Act, 1966
- Republic Act 7652Investors' Lease Act, 1993
In practice
Foreigners may acquire land only by hereditary succession, and former natural-born Filipinos may acquire limited areas for residence or business. Investors may lease private land for fifty years renewable by twenty-five under the Investors' Lease Act. Because title fraud and double titling are real risks, a certified true copy of the title from the Registry of Deeds plus a tax declaration and tax clearance check are standard. Agrarian reform imposes retention limits and requires DAR clearance for conversion of agricultural land, which frequently delays development projects. Estate and donor's taxes were flattened to 6 percent by the TRAIN Act, simplifying family transfers considerably.