How International Investors Qualify to Invest in U.S. Real Estate
Non-U.S. citizens can invest in U.S. private real estate through Aurea Equity if they qualify as accredited investors, set up a U.S. business entity with a tax ID and bank account, and pass independent third-party verification. The financial thresholds are the same ones U.S. investors meet, converted to dollars.
Most people assume that investing in American real estate is a closed club, open only to citizens with a Social Security number and a local bank branch down the street. That assumption keeps a lot of serious international investors on the sidelines, and it is wrong. You do not need a U.S. passport to own a piece of a U.S. deal. You need to qualify, and you need to do a little more paperwork than a domestic investor does.
I want to be honest about that last part. The path for a non-U.S. citizen has more steps, and some of them require a licensed attorney or accountant that we cannot be for you. But the door is genuinely open, and once you are through it, you invest on the same terms as everyone else.
Can a non-U.S. citizen actually invest in American real estate?
Yes. We welcome investors who are not U.S. citizens, and we have looked closely at the rules across more than two hundred countries to understand what participation requires. There is no citizenship test for owning an interest in a U.S. private real estate deal. What matters is whether you meet the same accredited investor standard a domestic investor meets, and whether you can hold your investment through a structure that U.S. securities law recognizes.
The catch is not your nationality. It is the extra scaffolding you have to build before your first investment, because the U.S. tax and banking system was not designed with a foreign individual in mind. That scaffolding is a one-time setup. After it is in place, you are simply an accredited investor choosing deals.
What are the four steps to get started from outside the U.S.?
The process breaks into four steps. None of them is complicated on its own, but two of them involve professionals we are not permitted to be for you.
Step one, create your account
Sign up on the Aurea Equity platform. Only the account holder, using their full legal name, may invest through the account. This is not a formality. The name on the account has to match the name that gets verified and the entity that holds the investment, so use your legal name from the start.
Step two, establish a U.S. entity
As a non-U.S. investor, you will generally hold your investment through a U.S. business entity, most commonly a C Corporation, with its own Employer or Tax Identification Number and a U.S. bank account. Setting this up correctly requires a U.S.-licensed attorney or CPA. We do not provide legal, tax, or entity-formation services, and you should not rely on us for them. This is the step where good professional advice pays for itself.
Step three, verify your accredited status
Accredited investor status is confirmed through an independent third-party verification service, not by us and not by you self-certifying. You provide the documentation, the third party reviews it, and they issue the verification. Keeping this independent protects you as much as it protects everyone else in the deal.
Step four, begin investing
Once your entity is formed and your accredited status is verified, you can participate in Aurea Equity opportunities. Our model is deal-by-deal syndication, which means you review specific opportunities and choose the ones you want to be in, rather than handing money to a blind pool.
How do I qualify as an accredited investor?
Accreditation is the real gate, and it is the same gate for U.S. and non-U.S. investors. You need to meet at least one of the following, with foreign figures converted to U.S. dollars. Meeting a single one is enough.
- Individual income over $200,000 in each of the past two years, with a reasonable expectation of the same this year.
- Combined income with a spouse over $300,000 in each of the past two years, with the same expectation going forward.
- Net worth over $1,000,000, alone or with a spouse, excluding the value of your primary residence.
- An entity holding more than $5,000,000 in assets, or one in which every equity owner is an accredited investor.
Notice what is not on this list. There is no requirement to be wealthy beyond these lines, and there is no penalty for being foreign. The dollar thresholds are fixed points, and where you earned or hold the money does not change them.
What documents prove I qualify?
The independent verifier needs evidence, not a promise. What counts as acceptable proof depends on whether you are documenting income or net worth, and country-specific equivalents are fine.
| What you are proving | Documents that work |
|---|---|
| Income | W-2s, Schedule K-1s, 1099s, or the equivalent income statements from your own country's tax system |
| Net worth | Bank statements, letters from a financial institution, property deeds, or vehicle titles with a professional valuation |
| Creditworthiness | A credit report current within the last ninety days, or its local equivalent |
| Third-party confirmation | A letter from a licensed attorney, CPA, registered broker, or SEC-registered investment adviser |
| Entity assets | A formal valuation from a qualified professional |
One practical note that trips people up. If any of your evidence is not in English, provide the verifier with a translated version of the relevant sections. You do not need to translate an entire bank statement, only the parts that establish the fact being verified.
Whose responsibility is it to follow my home country's laws?
Yours. If you live outside the United States, it is your responsibility to comply fully with the laws of your own country and any relevant jurisdiction regarding the purchase of investment interests abroad. Some countries restrict or tax outbound investment, and we cannot advise you on them. This is another reason the attorney or accountant you engage for your entity is worth having on your side.
I would rather say this plainly than let you assume the U.S. process is the whole picture. Getting accredited and forming a U.S. entity clears the American side. The rules where you actually live are a separate matter, and they are on you.
How does Aurea Equity decide which deals are worth your money?
Once you are in, the question stops being about paperwork and starts being about deals. We invest in private real estate across Florida, Texas, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Arizona, and we are expanding. To decide where to look and what to underwrite, we use the Áurea Intelligence Engine, our AI system that scores markets and specific opportunities. Then people make the call. Technology supports judgment, it does not replace it.
For an international investor, that matters, because you are often further from the ground than a domestic investor is. You want a process that combines a wide, data-driven view of the market with human beings who have actually stood on the property.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be a U.S. citizen or resident to invest?
No. Aurea Equity welcomes non-U.S. citizens. You do not need citizenship or U.S. residency. You need to qualify as an accredited investor, hold your investment through a U.S. entity such as a C Corporation with a tax ID and U.S. bank account, and pass independent third-party accreditation verification.
Why do I have to form a U.S. entity instead of investing as an individual?
A U.S. entity with its own tax identification number and bank account gives you a recognized structure to hold the investment and handle U.S. tax reporting. Forming it correctly requires a U.S.-licensed attorney or CPA. We do not provide legal, tax, or entity-formation services, so you engage those professionals directly.
How are the income and net worth thresholds calculated for foreign investors?
They are the same thresholds U.S. investors meet, simply converted to U.S. dollars. You qualify with income over $200,000 individually or $300,000 with a spouse for the past two years, or net worth over $1,000,000 excluding your primary residence, or an entity holding more than $5,000,000 in assets.
Who verifies my accredited status?
An independent third-party verification service, not Aurea Equity and not you. You submit documentation such as income statements, bank letters, property deeds, or a confirmation letter from a licensed attorney or CPA, and the third party reviews it and confirms your status. Any evidence not in English needs the relevant sections translated.
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