Buying with a mortgage in Almería: how IGIC changes your purchase costs

Anyone comparing notes with a friend who bought a flat in Almería or anywhere on the mainland will notice the figures do not match. That is because the Canary Islands sit outside the mainland VAT system. Instead of the national VAT applied to new-build homes elsewhere, properties in Almería are taxed under IGIC, the islands' own indirect tax, administered locally rather than by the national tax agency.

For a non-resident buyer arranging a mortgage from the United Kingdom, this matters because the bank will want to see that you have budgeted correctly for completion day. Getting the tax treatment wrong at the planning stage can leave a gap between what you expected to pay in cash and what the notary actually asks for.

Almería province lies along Spain's southeastern coast, drier and less built-up than many other Mediterranean areas, with resort towns such as Mojácar and Vera alongside a rugged, semi-desert interior. It tends to attract buyers looking for a quieter, less crowded coastal setting.

Almería airport provides direct international connections, though schedules are lighter than at larger Spanish airports. The coast is popular in summer but sees a steady flow of visitors year-round, and housing is mostly low-rise apartments, townhouses and villas within golf or resort developments.

This section brings together dated, sourced data on Almería (province): who lives there, what properties are asking for, how the area connects to the rest of Spain, and its climate. Reading them first should give you a clearer, realistic sense of Almería (province) before you size a mortgage budget.

Almería province, taken as a whole rather than just its capital, counted 770,554 registered residents on 1 January 2025 in the INE census. The number reflects the full territory, large and small municipalities alike, that makes up the province. The province of Almería registers 178,512 residents of foreign nationality, about 23 out of every 100 people. That share is notable yet far from dominant, and it varies widely between towns within the province.

INE's register shows 15,397 British nationals living in the province of Almería as of 1 January 2025, making it one of the province's largest foreign communities. That points to a community that is firmly rooted across the province. That community has shrunk over time: there were 17,122 registered in 2021. Numbers like this tend to fall as people move away or simply stop renewing their registration. The table below lists the largest foreign nationalities registered in Almería (province) on 1 January 2025, among those INE publishes for every municipality.

This second table covers nationalities the census does not itemise separately, such as Germans, Italians, Dutch, Belgians or Scandinavians, across Almería province. The data come from 1 January 2022, the latest INE edition with full nationality detail, a year different from the table above.

Across the province of Almería, 4,692 homes currently listed carry a median price of €1,660/m² and a median ticket of €169,000. These figures fall below the €3,135/m² median we see across the 130 towns we track nationwide, placing the province among the more affordable ones we follow. Prices vary considerably from one listing to the next, though the bulk of the market, its middle half, falls between €1,060 and €2,400 per square metre.

In Almería (province), the regional transfer tax rate of 7 % applied to the median asking price of €169,000 gives a tax bill of about €11,800, plus roughly €2,000 for notary, registry and gestoría charges. That puts the total near €13,900, money the mortgage will not cover. The figures reflect asking prices in listings live on 2026-11-01, rather than prices actually paid. Final amounts are agreed through negotiation and vary with the state, location and orientation of each property.

To illustrate how varied property markets can be within a single province, this table compares the towns we monitor in Almería by population, foreign residents per 100 inhabitants and median price per square metre.

In 05/2026, INE's experimental estimate based on platform listings counted just 7,092 tourist homes in Almería (province), with 33,749 bed places, roughly 9 per 1,000 residents. This low figure fits a market that is predominantly residential.

As Almería is served by only one commercial airport, Aeropuerto de Almería (LEI), buyers near the provincial border should also weigh up whether an airport just across the boundary might be more convenient. The climate figures below were recorded in or near Almería, the provincial capital, and conditions elsewhere in the province, inland, at altitude or on other islands, can differ noticeably. Winters here are mild: the January mean is 12.6 °C, with an average daily minimum of 8.3 °C, while August averages 26.7 °C with a daily maximum around 31.0 °C. Outdoor life stays comfortable through most of the colder months. The climate here is dry, with around 200 mm of rain annually falling on about 25 days. The area records about 2,994 hours of sunshine a year. All figures are AEMET's official 1981-2010 normals for the Almería Aeropuerto station, about 5 km away; expect small local variations, especially further inland or at higher elevation.

INE recorded 17,195 home sales in Almería (province) in the year to 07/2026. That level of activity typically gives buyers more comparables to judge a fair price and a broader pool of properties to choose from. Bear in mind that these numbers reflect the province of Almería overall; they shift a great deal between towns and between individual properties. Let us know what you have in mind so we can look at your case.

The transfer tax on a resale home is set by each Spanish region. In Almería the general rate is 7 %, and on top of it come notary, land registry and gestoría (roughly one more percent). On a new build you pay 10 % VAT plus stamp duty instead of the transfer tax. This money is not lent by the bank.

The first question your gestoría will ask is whether the home in Almería is a new build sold directly by a developer or a resale changing hands between private owners. For a new build, IGIC is charged instead of mainland VAT, together with a stamp duty element. For a resale, the buyer pays ITP, the regional transfer tax, calculated on the declared value of the property and set by the Canary Islands government rather than by Madrid.

Either way, the tax is paid on completion, on top of the agreed price, and it needs to be covered with your own funds rather than through the mortgage, since Spanish banks finance the purchase price, not the taxes around it.

Beyond the headline tax, the rest of the cost structure in Almería looks much like anywhere else in Spain. You will still need to budget for notary fees, land registry inscription, gestoría charges and the bank's own valuation of the property, since the mortgage lender needs an independent figure to decide how much it is prepared to lend.

Spanish banks usually ask non-residents for a larger deposit than residents, and the exact share depends on the bank, your country and your profile, so it is worth getting a written estimate from more than one lender before you commit to a purchase date.

Spanish lenders assess a non-resident file by looking at income and existing debt back in the United Kingdom, usually translated by a sworn translator and sometimes apostilled. Preparing this early avoids delays once you have found a property in Almería you want to secure with a mortgage offer.

Because the United Kingdom is no longer an EU member state, British citizens can stay in Spain for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa; longer stays, for example while completing renovation works or settling in, require a visa or residence permit arranged separately from the mortgage.

Spain is a relatively short flight away from most UK airports, making regular visits to a Spanish property straightforward for owners based in Britain. Many British buyers are drawn to Spain for its climate, coastal lifestyle and established expatriate communities. One practical point to bear in mind is that Spanish inheritance law differs from UK rules, so it is worth taking specific advice on how it may affect the property and one's estate. Currency movements between sterling and the euro can also affect the overall cost of purchase and ongoing expenses.

Spain and the United Kingdom have a double taxation agreement in place, and a local tax adviser should confirm how rental income or gains from Spanish property must be declared and reported to HMRC.

As the United Kingdom is no longer an EU member state, British citizens may stay in Spain for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, and must apply for a visa or residence permit for longer stays.

Since the United Kingdom uses the pound sterling (GBP) rather than the euro, buyers should factor in exchange-rate movements and currency conversion costs when paying for a property or transferring funds to Spain.