Buying land in Florida from outside the United States is not complicated — but it is specific. There are tax identification requirements, entity structure decisions, wire transfer protocols, and a federal withholding law that applies when you eventually sell. None of these are obstacles. They are steps. This guide walks through each one so you know exactly what to prepare before you make your first offer.
Why Florida vacant land — not a condo, not a house
Latin American investors who have purchased residential property in Florida before are familiar with the condo and single-family home process. Vacant land is structurally different in ways that favor international buyers specifically.
There are no tenants to manage, no HOA with foreign ownership restrictions, no property management dependency, and no maintenance obligations during the holding period. The carrying cost is low — essentially annual property taxes and any financing payments. And entry prices in Florida’s rural and secondary markets remain accessible compared to coastal residential inventory.
For an investor managing capital from Bogotá, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, or Miami, a vacant land parcel in Florida is one of the lowest-friction U.S. real estate assets to hold over a multi-year investment horizon.
Note: Land By Owner sells exclusively to entity buyers — LLCs, corporations, and qualifying business entities — for verified investment and commercial purposes. This structure is what makes seller financing available and positions every transaction as a business-purpose acquisition from the start.
The four structural decisions
Step 1 — Decide your entity structure before anything else
This is the decision that determines everything else: your tax identification number, your financing options, your privacy level, and your estate planning exposure. Make it before you contact a seller or submit an offer.
| Structure | Summary | Recommended? |
| U.S. LLC | Liability protection, entity-level ownership, access to seller financing, privacy in public records, pass-through tax treatment, simpler estate transfer via membership interest | ✓ Yes — for most investors |
| Personal name (foreign individual) | Simpler initially, but exposes personal assets, limits financing options, creates estate complications, does not qualify for seller financing on Land By Owner | ✗ Not recommended |
| Foreign corporation | Possible but adds complexity — foreign entity must register in Florida, additional filing requirements, banking and closing complications | ✗ Avoid unless existing structure requires it |
| Wyoming or Delaware LLC | Clean and commonly used for privacy. Must register as foreign LLC in Florida via sunbiz.org before taking title — one additional step, worth it for the privacy benefit | ✓ Yes, with Florida registration |
Wyoming LLC note: If you are using a Wyoming LLC for privacy, the entity must still be registered to do business in Florida before it can take title to Florida real estate. Filed at sunbiz.org. Straightforward but non-negotiable.
Step 2 — Get the right tax identification number
Your tax ID requirement depends directly on the entity structure you chose in Step 1.
ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number)
- For foreign individuals who need to comply with U.S. tax requirements
- Required if you hold property in your personal name and it generates income
- Also needed for FIRPTA withholding filings at the time of eventual sale
- Apply via IRS Form W-7 — processing takes 7 to 11 weeks
- Does not authorize work in the U.S. — tax compliance only
EIN (Employer Identification Number)
- For LLCs and other business entities — this is what you need if buying through an LLC
- Required to open a U.S. business bank account in the LLC’s name
- Required by most title companies at closing when the buyer is an entity
- Apply at irs.gov — international applicants call the IRS directly; processing is same-day by phone
- No U.S. address or Social Security Number required for a foreign-owned LLC
For most Latin American investors using an LLC structure, the EIN is the primary requirement. The ITIN becomes relevant if the LLC distributes income to you personally and you need to file a U.S. individual return.
Step 3 — Understand FIRPTA before you buy, not when you sell
FIRPTA — the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act — is the federal law most international buyers either misunderstand or ignore until it affects them at closing. The time to understand it is before the purchase.
| What it is | A federal withholding mechanism that applies when a foreign person sells U.S. real property |
| When it applies | At the time of sale — not at purchase |
| Standard withholding rate | 15% of the gross sale price — not net profit |
| Who withholds | The buyer or the title company at closing — it is their legal obligation |
| What happens to withheld funds | Remitted to the IRS — recoverable via U.S. tax return if actual tax liability is lower |
| LLC consideration | A U.S. LLC with a foreign member may still trigger FIRPTA — ownership structure matters |
| How to minimize impact | Work with a U.S. tax attorney before selling — a withholding certificate can reduce the amount withheld if actual gain is less than 15% of gross price |
Practical example: If you buy a parcel for $35,000 and sell it for $60,000, FIRPTA withholding at the standard rate is applied to $60,000 — not to the $25,000 gain. That is $9,000 held by the IRS pending your tax filing, not $3,750. Plan for this in your exit model before you acquire.
Step 4 — Set up the wire transfer correctly
Most international land purchases close via wire transfer. Errors here are costly — misdirected wires can take weeks to recover and can delay or kill a closing.
| Item | What to do | Common mistake |
| Wire instructions | Request directly from the title company via verified contact — not from an unsolicited email | Acting on instructions received via email you did not initiate (wire fraud is prevalent in real estate) |
| Currency | Convert to USD before initiating — U.S. title companies receive in dollars only | Sending local currency and assuming conversion will occur |
| Transfer fees | Confirm net amount to arrive — factor in your bank’s fee AND the receiving bank’s fee | Sending the exact closing amount without accounting for fees, creating a shortfall |
| Processing time | International wires take 2–5 business days — initiate early | Wiring the day before closing and missing the funding window |
| Documentation | Keep the wire confirmation and proof of transfer — required for tax compliance and source of funds | No documentation, which creates complications at closing and in future tax filings |
Wire fraud warning: Always verify wire instructions by calling the title company directly using a number you sourced independently — not the number in the email containing the instructions.
The closing timeline for an international buyer
International buyers frequently ask whether they need to travel to Florida to close. In most cases, no. Florida allows remote closings with electronic signatures and remote online notarization.
| Phase | Timeline | What happens |
| Purchase agreement executed | Days 1–3 | Signed electronically. Confirm entity name, EIN, and financing terms are correct |
| Earnest money deposited | Days 3–10 | Wired to title company escrow. Confirm wire instructions directly. Keep confirmation |
| Due diligence and title search | Days 5–15 | Title company conducts search. Review title commitment for liens, easements, encumbrances |
| Closing documents reviewed | Days 15– 25 | Review every line item — prorated taxes, recording fees, note terms if seller financing applies |
| Final wire and document execution | Days 25–30 | Wire remaining balance. Sign via remote online notarization or e-signature platform |
| Deed recorded | Days 30–35 | Title company records deed. County property appraiser updates to reflect new owner (your LLC) within 4–8 weeks |
Pre-offer checklist for international buyers
Before submitting an offer on any Florida land parcel, confirm the following are in place:
[__] LLC formed and registered to do business in Florida (sunbiz.org) — or formation in process with confirmed timeline
[__] EIN obtained from the IRS for the LLC — required for banking and closing
[__] U.S. business bank account opened in the LLC’s name — or title company confirmed to receive international wires directly
[__] Operating agreement signed and dated — demonstrates the LLC is an operating entity
[__] Wire transfer capability confirmed with your bank — including estimated fees and processing time
[__] U.S. tax professional identified for FIRPTA planning at exit
[__] Property appraiser record pulled for the target parcel — ownership, Just Value, tax status, DOR code verified
[__] Investment purpose documented — intended use and planned exit strategy
Items 1–4 should be complete before any offer is submitted.
The process is manageable — the preparation is what makes it clean
Latin American investors who close on Florida land without complications are not lucky. They are prepared. The LLC is formed before the offer. The EIN is in hand before the wire. The FIRPTA implications are modeled before the exit. None of these steps is complex — but each one needs to happen in the right sequence.
At Land By Owner, sellers transact directly with entity buyers. There is no listing agent intermediary, no institutional lender approval process, and seller financing is available for qualified LLC buyers who come to the table with the right structure. If you are a Latin American investor evaluating Florida land as a business acquisition, the platform and the process are built for exactly this transaction type.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. FIRPTA regulations, LLC formation requirements, and IRS procedures are subject to change. Consult a qualified U.S. attorney and tax advisor before structuring any international real estate transaction.