A French purchase with a mortgage takes about three months from accepted offer to completion. The sale contract (the compromis) gives you a 10-day cooling-off period and must include a loan condition of at least one month. Once the bank issues its offer, you wait 10 days before you can accept it. If the loan is refused on the terms in the condition, your deposit comes back to you.
The sequence, with typical timings
- Week 0
Your offer is accepted
A written offer accepted by the seller already binds both sides in principle under French law. Speak to a broker before you make it, so you know your price ceiling and how long to ask for in the loan condition.
- Weeks 1 to 4
Sign the compromis or promesse de vente
The preliminary contract is drafted by a notaire or the agent. You usually pay a deposit of 5–10% of the price, held by the notaire, not the seller. Check the loan condition before signing: it should state the loan amount, the maximum rate, the term and a deadline that gives you real time, at least 60 days if you live abroad.
- 10 days after signing
Cooling-off period
As a non-professional buyer of a home, you can withdraw without giving a reason within 10 days, counted from the day after the signed compromis is first presented to you by registered letter or handed to you, and your deposit is returned. The seller has no equivalent right.
- Weeks 1 to 8
Apply for the loan
Your broker sends a complete file to the banks most likely to accept it. The bank checks your income and debts, values the property and refers the file to its credit committee. Borrower insurance is underwritten in parallel; health questions, where they apply, often set the pace.
- Weeks 6 to 10
The loan offer arrives
The bank sends a formal offer with the standardised European information sheet. It must hold these terms for at least 30 days.
- 10 days after receipt
Reflection period, then acceptance
You cannot accept the offer before the 11th day after receiving it. Acceptance given earlier is void. You then return it signed, by post or electronically depending on the bank.
- A week before completion
Funds go to the notaire
The bank releases the loan to the notaire, and you transfer your own funds for the balance of the price and purchase costs. If you are converting currency, fix the rate in advance so the amount arrives on time and in full.
- Around month 3
Completion: the acte authentique
The notaire reads and signs the deed with you, or with your representative under power of attorney, and registers the bank's guarantee. You get the keys the same day.
The loan condition clause
French consumer law protects a buyer who finances a purchase with a loan. The compromis must say whether you are borrowing; if you are, the sale is conditional on getting the loan, for at least one month. To rely on it if the loan falls through, you need to show you applied for a loan that matched the clause and were refused.
- Amount. Put the loan you actually need, not a lower figure.
- Maximum rate. Set a rate a non-resident can realistically obtain this quarter. A rate copied from a barometer for French residents may leave you exposed if banks quote higher.
- Term. State the term you are applying for.
- Deadline. One month is the legal minimum. From abroad, ask for at least 60 days.
If you buy without a loan, you must say so in your own handwriting in the contract, and you lose this protection. Paying cash for now and borrowing later is possible but harder to arrange.
What usually slows things down
- Incomplete income documents, especially for self-employed buyers
- Insurance underwriting for borrowers over 60 or with a medical history
- Proof of where the deposit comes from, needed by both the bank and the notaire
- Opening the French bank account the lender requires
- A power of attorney that has to be signed and certified abroad; the notaire can tell you which formalities apply in your country
If the loan is refused
If you applied in line with the loan condition and banks refused before the deadline, send the refusals to the notaire. The sale lapses and your deposit is returned. If you need more time, the seller can agree in writing to extend the deadline. Ask your broker for an extension early rather than on the last day.
Questions
How long does a French property purchase take with a mortgage?
About three months from accepted offer to completion. The loan itself typically takes six to ten weeks from a complete application to an accepted offer, including the 10-day reflection period.
Can I lose my deposit if the bank says no?
Not if the compromis includes a loan condition and you applied for a loan that matched it within the deadline. Keep every refusal letter and pass them to the notaire.
Who chooses the notaire?
Each side may have their own notaire at no extra cost, since they share the regulated fee. An English-speaking notaire on your side is worth having; French Notaires can match you with one.
Next step
Before you sign the compromis, check what a bank is likely to lend you and for how long the loan condition should run. Start with the eligibility check.