If you live in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö or anywhere else in Sweden and you want to own a plot or a house back home, the hard part is rarely finding something to buy. It is everything around the purchase: getting kronor to The Gambia without losing track of them, signing papers in Sweden that will actually be accepted in Banjul, and knowing when a trip home is worth making.
This guide walks through those three things in order. It is written for Gambians in Sweden, but most of it applies anywhere in Scandinavia.
Start with the money trail, not the money
Before you send a single krona, decide how every payment will be recorded. In a Gambian property purchase, your proof of payment is often the only thing that connects you to the deal if something goes wrong later. Cash handed to a relative at the airport, or a transfer to someone’s personal account with no reference, leaves you with nothing to show a lawyer or a court.
Use a bank or a licensed transfer service
Send money through your Swedish bank or through a licensed money transfer service that pays out to a named bank account in The Gambia. The Central Bank of The Gambia has long warned against unlicensed street foreign exchange dealing, so avoid informal routes where kronor are swapped for dalasi with no paperwork.
Expect your Swedish bank to ask questions. Under the Swedish Anti Money Laundering Act (penningtvättslagen), banks are expected to understand who you are, where your money comes from and why you are making a transaction. For a property purchase, that is a good thing. Have these ready:
- A copy of the sale agreement or a lawyer’s letter describing the purchase
- The name of the account holder you are paying, and why that person or business is the right recipient
- Evidence of where your own funds came from, such as salary slips or savings statements
- A clear payment reference, for example the plot or lease number
Pay the right person
The account you pay should belong to the registered owner of the property, the owner’s lawyer, or a client account held by a Gambian law firm. It should not be the personal account of an agent, a cousin or a middleman who says he will pass it on. If the name on the account does not match the name on the title documents, stop and ask why before you pay.
Never send a deposit before a title search has confirmed who owns the land. We cover the most common ways buyers lose money in our guide to property scams in The Gambia.
Keep a file for both countries
Save every transfer confirmation, receipt and exchange record in one place. You will want them in The Gambia to prove what you paid, and you may want them in Sweden too. If you are taxed in Sweden on your worldwide income, Skatteverket says a surplus from renting out a home abroad is taxable in Sweden, and the sale of a foreign home must be reported in your Swedish tax return, converted into kronor. Buying the home does not need to be reported. These rules have detail that depends on your situation, so check with Skatteverket or a Swedish tax adviser.
Power of attorney: signing in Sweden for use in The Gambia
Most buyers in Sweden cannot fly home for every signature. A power of attorney lets someone you trust in The Gambia sign documents, attend the Lands Registry or collect papers on your behalf. It is also the document most often misused, so treat it with care.
Draft it narrowly
Ask a Gambian lawyer to draft the power of attorney, rather than using a generic template. A safe one is specific: it names the property by its lease or plot number, lists exactly what the attorney may do (for example, sign the deed of assignment and lodge it for registration), and ends on a date or when the transaction completes. A general power of attorney that lets someone “deal with all my property” gives away far more than you need to.
Get it witnessed and authenticated in Sweden
In Sweden, a notary public (notarius publicus) can witness your signature. According to the Hague Conference on Private International Law, Sweden has designated all notaries public as the authorities that issue apostilles, so the same office can usually attach the apostille as well.
The position on the Gambian side is changing. In June 2026 the National Assembly ratified the Hague Apostille Convention, which is meant to replace the slower process of consular legalisation with a single apostille certificate. At the time of writing, we have not seen an official date from which apostilles are accepted in The Gambia. Until your Gambian lawyer confirms the current rule, ask whether your document also needs legalising through the Gambian mission that covers Sweden.
Register it in The Gambia
The Deeds Registry at the Registrar General’s Department in the Ministry of Justice registers powers of attorney, alongside leases, assignments and caveats. The Ministry lists a registration fee for powers of attorney (D1,000 at the time of writing), but check the current fee before you rely on it. A registered power of attorney is easier for your attorney to use and easier for you to revoke if you need to.
When the purchase is done, revoke it formally. Do not leave a live power of attorney sitting in a drawer in Banjul.
Getting there: flights from Sweden to Banjul
Most trips from Sweden to Banjul International Airport involve at least one change. Common routes connect through Brussels, which has nonstop flights to Banjul, or through hubs such as Lisbon, Casablanca or Istanbul. Schedules and seasonal routes change, so compare a few options before you book, and check the connection time if you are travelling with documents you cannot afford to lose in a missed transfer.
Plan a trip home around specific tasks, not a general visit. A useful buying trip usually includes:
- Viewing the plot or house in person and checking the boundary pillars against the site plan
- Meeting your Gambian lawyer to go through the title search results and the contract
- Visiting the Department of Lands and Surveys or Physical Planning if there are questions about the plot or permitted use
- Signing documents yourself, which avoids the need for a power of attorney for that step
- Opening or checking the Gambian bank account you will use for any staged payments
Timing your visit around the rainy season
The Gambia’s rainy season runs from roughly June to October, and the dry season from about November to May. That matters for buyers in two ways.
First, the rains show you things the dry season hides. A plot in Brufut, Bijilo or further inland in the Kombos can look perfect in February and sit under water in August. If you can, see the land during or just after the rains, or ask for dated photos and video taken in that period.
Second, the dry season is easier for getting things done on the ground. Roads are more passable, surveyors can walk boundaries, and building work moves faster. It often makes sense to view and check the land late in the rains, then complete paperwork and start any building in the dry months.
Swedish holiday patterns help here. A trip in the autumn, or during the Christmas and New Year break, lines up with the end of the rains and the start of the dry season.
A checklist before you send money from Sweden
- Get a title search done at the Lands Registry in Banjul and read the result with a Gambian lawyer
- Confirm the seller’s identity and that the name on the title matches the account you will pay
- Have the contract checked, with payments tied to clear stages, not dates alone
- Ask your Gambian lawyer to draft a narrow power of attorney if you will not be there to sign
- Have it witnessed by a notarius publicus in Sweden and confirm with your lawyer whether an apostille alone is enough or legalisation is also needed
- Register the power of attorney at the Registrar General’s Department
- Send money only through your bank or a licensed transfer service, with a reference on every payment
- Keep every receipt and confirmation in one folder you can share with your lawyer
- Check your Swedish tax position with Skatteverket or an adviser if you plan to rent or later sell
- Track the transfer through to registration, and revoke the power of attorney when you are finished
Where we fit
BuildSoWell sits between you in Sweden and the purchase in The Gambia. We arrange the title search, film the viewing so you can see the plot and the boundaries yourself, have the contract checked, and track the transfer until it is registered in your name. You can see how that works on our services page, or read our wider guide to buying property in The Gambia from abroad.
This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Laws, rates and procedures change, so confirm the details for your purchase with a qualified Gambian lawyer.