South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania: what local status gives a foreigner

Three of the continent's more accessible markets for a foreign resident, with three different answers to the ownership question.

South Africa

• Ownership: foreigners may own property outright, including land, with no special permission. Among the most open regimes anywhere.
• Status: a range of temporary residence visas — business, critical skills, retired person on evidenced income, and relatives' visas. Permanent residence after qualifying periods or directly in defined categories.
• Citizenship after qualifying permanent residence; dual citizenship requires prior permission for South Africans acquiring another nationality, which is a trap for existing citizens rather than for arrivals.
• The practical caveats: exchange control on moving money out, a high crime environment that varies enormously by area, and an electricity supply situation that shapes daily life and property specification.

Kenya

• Ownership: foreigners may hold land on leasehold only, with a constitutional cap on the term. Freehold and agricultural land are restricted to citizens. Apartments are commonly held on long leases within that framework.
• Status: work permits by class, an investor class requiring a minimum investment in an enterprise, and a retirement class on evidenced income.
• Permanent residence after long lawful residence or through marriage; citizenship is difficult and dual citizenship is permitted.
• Nairobi is a genuine regional hub with a functioning services economy, which is the reason most foreign residents are there.

Tanzania

• Ownership: all land is vested in the state. Foreigners access it through derivative rights for investment purposes, typically via the investment centre, or through long leases in designated developments. Zanzibar operates its own regime with dedicated schemes that carry residence.
• Status: residence permits by class tied to employment or investment; the Zanzibar property route carries a residence permit for the buyer and family.
• Citizenship is difficult and dual citizenship is not generally permitted.

The common instruction

In all three, establish what the title document will say before discussing price — freehold, leasehold with how many years remaining, or a derivative right — and instruct your own lawyer rather than the seller's. In markets where land tenure is constitutional rather than commercial, that is the entire diligence.