The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched a new online portal to streamline reporting of transactions involving U.S. agricultural land by foreign persons, including overseas businesses and governments, under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA).
The new online portal is part of a broader effort to strengthen enforcement and protect American farmland as the USDA continues its implementation of the National Farm Security Action Plan.
“President Trump is putting America First, and this includes increasing transparency and scrutiny of one of our most valuable national assets, American farmland. We are working to improve the reporting of foreign-owned land in the United States. This move to streamline the reporting portal will increase compliance and assist our efforts to effectively enforce accurate reporting of interests held by foreign adversaries in U.S. farmland,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins.
The new online portal is available at afida.landmark.usda.gov. Users can access the portal with Login.gov, a sign-in service that provides secure online access to participate in certain government programs and reporting requirements.
The new digital portal will gather the same information found on the current form FSA-153 and those subject to filing may still file using the current FSA-153 hard copy form if desired. However, filers should not duplicate filings by using both submission options.
One of the key tenets of USDA’s National Farm Security Action Plan is strengthening processes around the disclosure of foreign persons who have an interest in U.S. farmland. This historic plan, announced in July 2025, calls for aggressive implementation of reforms to the AFIDA process, including improved verification and monitoring of collected AFIDA data. In addition to the new portal, USDA published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for AFIDA in December 2025.
In 2025, legislators in Ohio were debating a bill that would forbid foreign nationals and some green card holders from buying land in sizable areas of the state. US green cardholders may be prohibited from buying land and owning properties in some parts of Ohio.
This legislation proposes limiting foreign entities’ purchases of certain properties, notably agricultural land and land within 25 miles of military sites and essential infrastructure facilities. The bill is part of a larger national effort to address concerns about foreign land ownership and national security.
A green card or the Permanent Resident Card is proof of your permanent resident status in the United States. It also serves as a valid identification document and proof that you are eligible to live and work in the United States.
In November 2025, a federal appeals court declined to preliminarily stop Florida’s discriminatory housing law, which prohibits many immigrants from China and six other nations from buying properties in the state.
The court determined that none of the plaintiffs had “standing” to contest the limitations on real estate acquisitions imposed by SB 264. Importantly, though, the court made it clear that those Chinese immigrants who live in Florida and plan to stay there permanently are exempt from these limits.
SB 264 prohibits non-U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a “domicile” in China from owning property in Florida. The only exception is severely limited: those with non-tourist visas or who have been granted refuge may buy one home property under two acres that is not within five miles of any “military installation.” A similar but less stringent rule applies to many immigrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Syria.