International Companies and Investors
Expanding to British Columbia?
Start with the industrial property question.
I’m Samuel Brahem, an industrial real estate broker with NAI Commercial Vancouver. I help companies and investors based outside Canada lease, buy and develop warehouse, distribution, manufacturing and industrial land in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, from the first market briefing to possession.
This page sets out the rules an overseas company actually runs into, with the official sources linked, the current market figures from the major brokerage reports, and how I work with a team that is not on the ground. If you would rather talk, the number below reaches me directly.
NAI COMMERCIAL
VANCOUVER
Industrial Sales and Leasing
Can an international company lease or buy industrial property in British Columbia?
Yes. British Columbia places no foreign ownership restriction on industrial or other commercial property. Canada's prohibition on non-Canadians buying residential property and BC's 20% additional property transfer tax apply to residential property only. An overseas company leases or buys industrial space in BC by registering extraprovincially within two months of carrying on business here, paying the general property transfer tax of 1% to 3% on a purchase, and filing an Investment Canada Act notification where it establishes or acquires a Canadian business.
Updated November 3, 2026
Who this is for
Occupiers and investors arriving from outside Canada.
Manufacturers
Setting up a Canadian plant, assembly line or food processing facility and needing power, clear height, floor loads and the right zoning.
Distributors and 3PLs
Opening a Western Canada distribution centre near the port, the airport or the US border crossings in Surrey and Delta.
Investors
Acquiring stabilised or value-add industrial buildings, sale-leasebacks or industrial land, directly or through a Canadian entity.
Specialist operators
Cold chain, aerospace, life sciences, clean technology and e-commerce fulfilment with facility requirements that general listings do not capture.
The rules, with sources
What a foreign company needs to know before signing in BC.
Each point below links to the government source in the list at the end of the page. These are the rules as published on November 3, 2026; confirm the detail for your transaction with Canadian legal and tax counsel.
Foreign ownership of industrial property
No restriction. The federal Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act and BC's 20% additional property transfer tax both apply to residential property only. A non-Canadian company can lease or buy industrial buildings and industrial land in BC.
Property transfer tax on a purchase
1% of fair market value up to $200,000, 2% from $200,000 to $2,000,000 and 3% above $2,000,000, paid by the buyer at closing. The further 2% above $3,000,000 applies to residential value only. Leases do not attract this tax.
Registering the company in BC
A company incorporated outside BC must register as an extraprovincial company within two months of beginning to carry on business in the province. Having a warehouse, office or place of business in BC is itself deemed to be carrying on business.
Investment Canada Act
Establishing a new Canadian business or acquiring control of an existing one requires at least a notification. A net benefit review applies above the 2026 thresholds: $1.452 billion in enterprise value for private WTO investors, $2.179 billion for trade agreement investors and $578 million in asset value for state-owned enterprises. National security review can apply at any size.
Corporate income tax
The federal general rate is 15% after the abatement and general rate reduction, and BC's general rate is 12%, for a combined 27% on general active business income earned in BC.
Sales taxes on equipment and rent
BC's provincial sales tax is generally 7% on goods. Production machinery and equipment used primarily and directly in manufacturing may qualify for exemption under Bulletin PST 110, subject to its tests. Federal GST applies to commercial rent and purchases and is generally recoverable by GST registrants.
The BC Conservative platform from the October 2026 election proposes a PST exemption on machinery, equipment and software. Nothing has been legislated yet. I track the detail in what the platform says for industrial owners and occupiers.
Why Metro Vancouver
Canada’s Pacific gateway, with the trade agreements to match.
The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest port. It handled a record 170.4 million tonnes of cargo in 2025 and connects Canada to more than 170 international markets. Canada has 15 free trade agreements in force covering 51 countries, including CUSMA with the United States and Mexico, the CPTPP across the Asia-Pacific and CETA with the European Union.
For an occupier, that translates into submarkets built around the port terminals in Delta and Vancouver, the airport in Richmond, Class 1 rail in Port Coquitlam and Surrey, and the truck crossings to Washington State south of Surrey and Langley. The right submarket depends on where your freight moves, and that is the first question I ask.
Metro Vancouver industrial, Q2 2026, range across reporting firms
| Vacancy | 3.1% to 5.0% | 6 firms |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | 4.4% to 6.7% | 6 firms |
| Average net rent | $18.86 to $19.44 per sf per year | 6 firms, excludes additional rent |
| Average sale price | $450 to $527 per sf | 3 firms |
| Under construction | 2.3M sf to 3.6M sf | 7 firms |
| Total inventory | 225.7M sf to 261.5M sf | 6 firms, definitions differ |
Ranges rather than a single number because each firm defines its survey area and vacancy differently. Definitions, per-firm figures and submarket detail are in the market report.
How I work with overseas teams
From first briefing to possession, run locally.
01
Market entry briefing
A written read on the submarkets that fit your operation, current rents and sale prices with sources, what is actually available in your size band and what a realistic timeline looks like.
02
Requirement definition
Size, clear height, loading, power, yard, zoning, labour catchment, proximity to the port, airport, rail or the US border, and whether leasing, buying or building makes more sense for your entity.
03
Site search, on and off market
Listed availability plus direct outreach to owners and developers across Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Delta, Surrey, the Tri-Cities, Langley and Abbotsford. Video tours and recorded walk-throughs for teams working across time zones.
04
Negotiation
Offer to lease or purchase, rent and price, inducements, landlord's work, due diligence periods, options and expansion rights, structured for a tenant or buyer that is new to the market.
05
Closing and set-up
Coordination with your Canadian legal, tax, customs and immigration advisors through due diligence, registration and possession. I am a real estate broker and do not give legal or tax advice, so those advisors stay on the file.
Built for distance
Written briefings, video tours and recorded walk-throughs so a board in another time zone can decide without a flight for every step.
Sources on everything
Every rent, price and rule I give you is tied to a published report or a government page, so your own advisors can check it.
One local point of contact
I stay on the file personally from the first call to possession, with the NAI Commercial Vancouver team and the NAI Global network behind it when a requirement crosses asset classes or borders.
Frequently asked questions
Entering British Columbia, answered.
Can a foreign company buy industrial property in British Columbia?
Yes. There is no restriction on non-Canadian companies buying or leasing industrial buildings or industrial land in British Columbia. The federal prohibition on non-Canadians buying residential property, in force until January 1, 2027, and BC's 20% additional property transfer tax both apply to residential property only. A buyer of industrial property pays the general property transfer tax of 1% to 3% of fair market value, registers the company extraprovincially within two months of carrying on business in BC, and files an Investment Canada Act notification where the purchase involves establishing or acquiring control of a Canadian business.
Should an international company lease or buy industrial space when entering BC?
Most first entries lease, because a lease preserves capital, avoids property transfer tax and can be sized to a forecast that is still uncertain. Buying suits companies with a long operating horizon, specialised fit-out, or a strategy of holding real estate on the balance sheet, and Metro Vancouver industrial has historically been supply-constrained. The right answer depends on your entity structure, tax position and growth plan, which is why I run both scenarios with your tax advisor before you commit.
How long does it take to secure industrial space in Metro Vancouver?
For existing space, a realistic window from defined requirement to possession is typically three to six months, longer when the space needs landlord's work or the size band is tight. A build-to-suit or a new development pre-lease usually runs twelve to eighteen months or more from commitment to occupancy. Registration, GST and PST set-up and import permits run in parallel and are usually not the critical path.
Why do international companies choose Metro Vancouver for distribution and manufacturing?
The Port of Vancouver is Canada's largest port, handled a record 170.4 million tonnes of cargo in 2025 and connects to more than 170 international markets. Canada has 15 free trade agreements covering 51 countries, including CUSMA with the United States and Mexico, the CPTPP with Asia-Pacific economies and CETA with the European Union. The region also offers an international airport, Class 1 rail and road access to the US border, which is why logistics, food, manufacturing and aerospace occupiers cluster here.
What are current industrial lease rates and vacancy in Metro Vancouver?
For Q2 2026, the major brokerage reports put Metro Vancouver industrial vacancy between 3.1% and 5.0%, availability between 4.4% and 6.7%, and average asking net rent between $18.86 and $19.44 per square foot per year. Net rent excludes additional rent (property taxes, insurance and common area costs), which is charged on top. Figures differ by firm because each defines its survey area and vacancy differently; the market report explains the differences.
Does Samuel Brahem work with companies outside Canada?
Yes. I am a licensed commercial real estate broker with NAI Commercial Vancouver focused on industrial sales and leasing in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, and I work in English and Arabic. For companies based abroad, I run the search and negotiation locally, provide video tours and written briefings for decision-makers who are not on the ground, and coordinate with the NAI Global network, which reports 325 offices and 5,800 professionals, when a requirement starts in another market.
What government help is available to companies investing in BC?
Trade and Invest BC is the provincial agency that facilitates foreign investment and helps companies establish a presence in the province, with information on location and site selection, taxes, programs and incentives, key sectors, talent and trade agreements. Invest in Canada and the Trade Commissioner Service are the federal equivalents. Programs change, so I link to the agencies rather than listing incentives that may have moved.
Next step
If your company is planning a move into British Columbia.
- Request a market entry briefingTell me the operation, the size band and the timeline. You get a written read within a few business days.
- Metro Vancouver industrial market reportPer-firm figures, definitions and submarket detail.
- Industrial zoning in BCWhich zones permit which uses, city by city, from the bylaws.
- Lease vs buy frameworkHow to weigh the two for a new entity.
- Site selectionHow a search is run across the twelve submarkets.
Sources
- Property transfer tax: general rates · Government of British Columbia · Nov 3, 2026
- Additional property transfer tax for foreign entities (residential) · Government of British Columbia · Nov 3, 2026
- Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act, extension to January 1, 2027 · CBC News · Feb 4, 2024
- Business Corporations Act, Part 11, extraprovincial companies (s. 375) · BC Laws · Nov 3, 2026
- Investment Canada Act: thresholds for review, 2026 · Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada · Nov 3, 2026
- Corporation tax rates · Canada Revenue Agency · Nov 3, 2026
- Corporate income tax rates, British Columbia · Government of British Columbia · Nov 3, 2026
- Provincial sales tax (PST) · Government of British Columbia · Nov 3, 2026
- Bulletin PST 110, Production Machinery and Equipment Exemption · Government of British Columbia · Nov 3, 2026
- Port of Vancouver moves record cargo in 2025 · AJOT, reporting the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority release · Mar 11, 2026
- Canada's free trade agreements · Trade Commissioner Service, Government of Canada · Nov 3, 2026
- Trade and Invest BC · Government of British Columbia · Nov 3, 2026
- Metro Vancouver Industrial Market Report, Q2 2026 consensus · Samuel Brahem, compiled from CBRE, Colliers, Cushman & Wakefield, Avison Young, JLL, Lee & Associates and Altus Group · Oct 19, 2026
Figures checked against these sources on Nov 3, 2026. Market figures are as published by the named firms and are not a valuation or a projection for any specific property.