Buying a house in France as a UK citizen: the process, the costs and the loan

Who can buy a house in France

Anyone can. French law places no restriction on foreign buyers, and you do not need to live in France or hold a visa to buy. UK citizens buy on the same legal terms as French buyers, before a notaire, the public official who drafts the deed, checks the sale is lawful and collects the taxes.

You can buy in your own name, jointly, or through a French property company (société civile immobilière, or SCI), which has its own rules for lending and tax; the SCI guide covers the financing side. You do not need to be in France for every step either. The notaire can prepare a power of attorney (procuration) so that someone signs the deed on your behalf.

The notaire must also check where your money comes from, under anti-money-laundering rules, so keep a paper trail for the deposit from the start.

Owning a home and the 90-day rule

Buying a house does not change your immigration position. As a UK citizen you can spend up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area without a visa, and days spent in other Schengen countries count towards the same 90. Owning a house in France does not give you a right to stay longer.

To spend more than 90 days in 180 in France, you need a French long-stay visa. Which one depends on how long you want to stay and whether France becomes your main home, so check the current rules before you plan your year around the house.

The EU's Entry/Exit System, now being rolled out at Schengen borders, records your entries and exits electronically. The UK government also advises that second-home owners may need to show evidence of ownership at the border, such as a tax or utility bill.

The process, from offer to completion

The steps and deadlines are set by French law and are the same in every region. With a mortgage, expect about three months from accepted offer to completion.

• Offer. You make a written offer, usually through the agent. Once the seller accepts it, both sides are committed in principle, so check your budget with a broker before you make it.
• Preliminary contract. Within a few weeks you sign a compromis de vente or promesse de vente, drafted by a notaire or the agent. The seller must attach the technical reports (diagnostics): the energy rating, natural and technological risks and, where they apply, asbestos, lead, termites, gas and electrics. You usually pay a deposit of 5–10% of the price, held by the notaire.
• Ten-day cooling-off. As a private buyer of a home, you can withdraw for any reason within 10 days, counted from the day after the signed contract is first presented to you, and your deposit is returned. The seller has no such right.
• Loan condition. If you borrow, the contract must make the sale conditional on your loan for at least one month. From abroad, ask for at least 60 days, since a non-resident file usually takes six to ten weeks to reach a loan offer.
• The town's right to buy. In many towns the commune holds a pre-emption right (droit de préemption urbain). The notaire notifies the town hall, which has two months to respond, and silence counts as a waiver.
• Loan offer. The bank's written offer is valid for at least 30 days, and you cannot accept it before the 11th day after you receive it.
• Completion. You sign the deed of sale (acte authentique) before the notaire, in person or through a power of attorney. The notaire registers the sale and the bank's guarantee, and you get the keys the same day.

The buying timeline sets out each step week by week, with what to check in the loan condition.

What it costs

The price is only part of the bill. These are the costs to budget for at purchase and every year after.

Ask the notaire for an estimate of purchase costs before you sign, and for a flat, ask for the service charges and the minutes of recent owners' meetings. French Notaires can put you in touch with an English-speaking notaire.

Paying for it

You can buy with cash, with a French mortgage, by borrowing against your UK home, or with a mix. UK high-street lenders rarely lend against French property, so a loan secured on the French home itself comes from a French bank or a private bank. The UK or French mortgage comparison sets the options side by side.

French banks lending to UK residents typically finance 70–80% of the price on a strong file. All your loan repayments, including borrower insurance and your UK mortgage, must stay within 35% of net household income, and the term is 25 years at most. Purchase costs come from your own funds, and many lenders set a minimum loan for non-residents, commonly €100,000–250,000. French banks do not use credit scores; they read your documents. The non-resident mortgage guide covers rates, insurance and guarantees.

Speak to a broker before you make an offer. Knowing your ceiling and how long the loan will take lets you set the right deadline in the loan condition. The calculator gives a first idea of the monthly repayment.

Tax points to check with an adviser

Owning in France brings French taxes, and some UK ones. These are general points, not advice. Raise them with an adviser before you sign; French Tax Online works with non-resident owners.

• Local taxes. Budget for property tax and second-home council tax every year. Owners must also declare how the property is occupied on impots.gouv.fr, in the Gérer mes biens immobiliers (manage my property) section, before 1 July when it has not been declared or its use has changed.
• Letting. Rent from a French property is taxed in France and declared in the UK, with credit for the French tax under the treaty between the two countries. Since 20 May 2026, every furnished tourist let must be registered through a national online service, and towns can restrict them further. The buy-to-let guide has more.
• Wealth tax on property (IFI). It applies when your French property is worth more than €1.3 million net. Debts taken out to buy it can be deducted, within limits.
• Selling. A gain is taxed in France with social charges, reduced for each year you have owned the property. As a UK resident you will usually need an accredited fiscal representative for a sale above €150,000. See selling from abroad.
• Inheritance. How the property passes on death depends on French and UK rules and on how you buy it, so settle whose names go on the deed with the notaire before you sign. The UK buyers guide explains the choice of English law in a will.

Checklist for buying from the UK

Print this list and tick it off as you go.

• Ask a broker what French banks would lend you before you make an offer
• Keep 7–8.5% of the price in your own funds for purchase costs on an existing home
• Gather your income, tax and bank documents, using the document checklist
• Plan your stays within 90 days in any 180, or look into a long-stay visa
• Choose your own English-speaking notaire; the regulated fee is shared, so it costs no more
• Check in the listing who pays the agency fee
• Read the diagnostics, especially the energy rating, before you sign
• For a flat, ask for the service charges and recent owners' meeting minutes
• Check the loan condition: amount, maximum rate, term and a deadline of at least 60 days
• Keep every loan refusal letter, since the notaire needs them to return your deposit
• Open the French bank account the lender asks for
• Fix the exchange rate for the deposit and the completion funds
• Arrange a power of attorney if you will not attend completion
• Insure the home from the day you take the keys
• Declare the property's occupancy on impots.gouv.fr
• Have the tax points reviewed by an adviser

When you are ready, the eligibility check takes five minutes and puts you in touch with one English-speaking broker who places UK files with French banks.

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