This is one of the biggest changes the Algerian property market has ever seen. Since 2025, you can no longer pay for a property in cash. Here is what this rule changes in practice, whether you are buying or selling.
What the new rule says
Cash payment is now banned for property transactions. Every purchase must go through a traceable method: bank transfer or certified cheque. More importantly still, the National Chamber of Notaries has instructed notaries to stop drawing up a deed of sale if payment is made outside the banking system. In other words, without a traceable payment, no signing is possible.
Why this change
The aim is to clean up a sector long dominated by cash and informality: improve traceability, tackle undeclared money, and bring real estate into the formal economy. This is a deep reform, not a minor tweak.
What it changes for the buyer
You now need to prepare your financing in advance: have a bank account, arrange a transfer or certified cheque, and declare everything. The "off-the-books price", where part of the price was quietly paid in cash, no longer has any place. It is more demanding, but far safer, especially if you are buying from abroad.
What it changes for the seller
The real price must be declared and received through the bank. This has a tax impact to plan for, but it also protects the seller: a traced payment is proof, and it ends disputes over sums handed over by hand.
The effect on the market
In the short term, the reform has slowed transactions, particularly in the resale market where cash was king. While habits change, some sales go through more slowly. But over time, a more transparent and reliable market is taking shape, which is excellent news for serious buyers and for the diaspora, long the most exposed to opaque practices.
Planning to buy or sell in Algiers?
I guide you in line with the new rules, from financing to signing at the notary.
Cet article est fourni à titre informatif et ne constitue pas un conseil juridique ou fiscal. La réglementation évolue ; confirmez les modalités en vigueur auprès d'un notaire ou de votre banque avant toute transaction.