Private islands for sale: where a foreigner can actually buy one

An island with a price tag is the most photographed lot in real estate. After going through the country articles in this series, one point repeats: in most places the headline is not "an island for sale" but "an island listed, with conditions". This page groups what we found by what a foreigner can actually hold. Everything below is a report of what was published, with source and date. None of these islands is offered through us, listings go stale quickly, and asking prices are not sale prices.

Where a title can exist, with conditions

In these countries the reported examples are islands with a private owner and a price. The conditions decide what the title is worth.

• Italy: Viscontea, a small islet on Lake Como, was reported at about 1.5 million euros (idealista, February 2026). Crevan, in the Venice lagoon, has a fort that began as an 1806 redoubt and local planning rules that allow the existing outbuildings to be consolidated (ANSA, 25 August 2026). See Italy.
• France: Île de Riec'h in Morbihan, about six hectares with two houses, was listed at 2,494,800 euros (Kretz, reported by The Local in June 2026). A French article adds that it sits in a protected area where new building is not possible. See France.
• United Kingdom: Ynys Gifftan in a Welsh estuary had a guide price of 350,000 pounds (Carter Jonas, February 2026). It is tidal and has no mains electricity, and one agent page showed it as sold, so it may be gone. See United Kingdom.
• Spain: a small island in a Galician natural park was offered at 300,000 euros (Olive Press, 9 December 2024), with no building allowed. Non-EU buyers may need Defence Ministry authorisation in some zones. See Spain.
• Greece: Argyronisos at 35 million euros (Greek Reporter, July 2026) and the islet Stroggilo at 2.5 million dollars (Greek Reporter, February 2026) are listings, and the same article says private island sales are rare. Makri is a state auction with a starting bid of 247,000 euros planned for November 2026 (Euronews, May 2026), but it is forest land in the Natura 2000 network. See Greece.
• United States and Brazil: Pumpkin Key in the Florida Keys was reported at 75 million dollars (Scripps News), and an island off Rio de Janeiro at 100 million dollars asking (Elite Agent, 2 July 2026), with no sale reported. In Brazil an island's ownership turns on a clean chain of title, and a federal coastal strip applies. See USA and Brazil.

Leasehold, concessions, or no island title at all

• Thailand: foreigners cannot own land in their own name. The usual lawful routes are a registered lease of up to 30 years or a condo unit within the 49 percent foreign share, and many islands are national park or state land. See Thailand.
• Indonesia: listings for several islands appeared on a Canada-based site in June 2025, and the fisheries ministry said, according to Antara, that foreigners cannot own islands. An island in Banten was sealed after an advert offered it for 65 billion rupiah (RRI, 16 April 2026). See Indonesia.
• Maldives: you do not buy an island, you win a lease, usually for 50 years. Fifteen sites were offered in August 2026 with minimum prices of about 24.6 million dollars in total (Resortlife, 22 August 2026). Those are floor prices, and ten of the sites are lagoon plots needing reclamation. See Maldives.
• Cambodia: reports from 2008 to 2017 describe state island land leased to companies on long terms. The listing we found was a small resort business on a lease that runs to 2033, not an island. We found no 2025 or 2026 status. See Cambodia.

Islands that are not for sale, or only look like it

• Montenegro: Mamula is a state parcel leased for 49 years from 23 February 2015, and the current status is unconfirmed. We could not confirm who owns Sveti Stefan or on what terms. See Montenegro.
• Switzerland: the famous islands, Ufenau and the Brissago Islands, are in public or church hands, not on the market. See Switzerland.
• Estonia: Viirelaid was advertised in 2020 at 1,919,968 euros, but Estonian World reported on 3 June 2020 that it was a publicity stunt and most of it belongs to the state. According to an undated contact-point page, people from outside the EEA are barred from buying on sea islands other than a few large ones unless the Government authorises it. See Estonia.
• Turkey: Karaca Island was reported cut from 210 to 145 million lira (Daily Sabah, December 2019). That is history, not a guide, and military and protection rules may apply. See Turkey.
• Austria, Cyprus, Georgia and Portugal: we found no island for sale, and we do not present an example we cannot source.

Developer islands and hospitality islands

• Bahrain: the islands are developer projects on reclaimed land. Non-GCC buyers can hold freehold only in designated zones, according to Trowers (April 2026). See Bahrain.
• UAE: a villa on Amali Island in The World archipelago was reported at 220 million dirhams, a figure the developer gives for a sale completed in March 2026 (Gulf News). What a foreigner may own there we could not establish. See UAE.
• Saudi Arabia: Sindalah, in NEOM, is a hospitality island. We found no source saying its villas are sold to individuals. See Saudi Arabia.

What an island purchase really requires

The country articles agree on a few things that the price does not show:

• The right to own is not the right to build. Makri is forest land and Natura 2000, and the Galician island and the French Breton island both sit in protected areas.
• You do not own the sea. In France the waters belong to the state, and building is generally banned within 100 metres of the shore outside built-up areas, with an open strip along the coast.
• Access and utilities are yours to solve. One island has no mains electricity, and houses on the Breton island carry the weakest energy rating.
• Approvals can come from several bodies: the municipality, the navy, defence or heritage authorities. A cheaper starting bid reflects what you may not build.

For the general picture, see island real estate and islands and island homes abroad.

What an ordinary buyer should take from it

• Read "island for sale" as "island listed". Ask for the land-registry extract and the legal status before anything else.
• Check the type of right: freehold title, lease, concession or a share in a project are very different assets.
• Ask a local lawyer about foreigner restrictions, coastal rules, protected status and military clearance for the exact parcel.
• Price the plan, not the island: building rights, boats, power, water and maintenance cost more than the listing.
• An island is hard to finance, insure and resell. Plan the exit as carefully as the purchase.

If you are weighing an island or another unusual object, an independent buyer-side adviser such as D.H. Realting, based in Warsaw, can help line up local lawyers and agents who have been checked first.