Guides for buying in France with a mortgage
Plain-English guides written for people who earn and live outside France. Each one ends with what to do next.
The essentials
How to get a mortgage in France as a non-resident
Who lends, how much they will finance, what they check, and how long it takes. The rules as they stand in November 2026.
Read the guide
Buying a French property with a mortgage, step by step
From accepted offer to keys, with the legal deadlines that protect you and the points where the loan and the sale meet.
Read the guideThe document checklist for a non-resident French mortgage
Every document French banks ask non-resident borrowers for, by situation. Read it here or get the printable PDF.
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Buying a house in France as a UK citizen: the process, the costs and the loan
Anyone can buy in France, and the steps are set by law. What a UK buyer needs to know about the 90-day rule, each stage of the sale, the full costs and the loan.
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UK mortgage or French mortgage to buy in France
UK high-street banks rarely lend against French homes. The real choice is between borrowing on your UK home, a French mortgage or both, and the currency of the debt matters.
Read the guideFind an English-speaking mortgage broker in France
One registered French credit broker who works in English, places files from your country and knows the region you are buying in. Introduced within two working days.
OpenThe questions buyers ask first
Can foreigners get a mortgage in France?
Yes. French law has no nationality rule for buying or borrowing. Where you live and earn decides how much a bank lends and which banks will look at your file.
Read the guideHow long does it take to get a mortgage in France?
Four to six weeks for a French resident, longer from abroad. The law adds fixed waiting periods on top, so plan the dates in your compromis around them.
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Do you need a French bank account for a French mortgage?
Usually, in practice: many lenders collect repayments from a French euro account, often with them. Moving your salary there is a matter for negotiation, not an obligation.
Read the guideDeposit, notaire funds and repayments from abroad
Your loan and your purchase are in euros. Your income may not be.
Paying for a French property from abroad
The deposit, the balance and the purchase costs all go to the notaire by bank transfer, from an account in your name, and they must have arrived before you sign.
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Fixing the exchange rate before completion
A forward contract fixes today's rate for a transfer on a later date, so you know what the purchase will cost in your currency. It also commits you to the transfer.
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Repaying a euro mortgage with income in pounds or dollars
Your French loan is in euros for its whole term. What it costs you each month in your own currency moves with the exchange rate.
Read the guideWhere you live changes the answer
Deposits, documents and the list of willing banks depend on your country of residence and, for Americans, on citizenship.
Getting a mortgage in France from the UK
Brexit did not close French lending to British buyers. Here is what banks ask for when your income is in sterling and your home is in the UK.
Read the guideFrench mortgages for Americans
US citizens can borrow in France, but FATCA narrows the list of willing banks. What to expect and how to prepare a file that gets read.
Read the guide
French mortgages for Australian residents
French banks lend to buyers living in Australia, with larger deposits than Europeans need. What they ask for when you earn in Australian dollars.
Read the guideFrench mortgages for Canadian residents
Buyers living in Canada can borrow in France, with a larger deposit than Europeans need. How banks read Canadian dollar income and Canadian tax documents.
Read the guideFrench mortgages for UAE residents
Living in Dubai or Abu Dhabi and buying in France. How French banks read a tax-free salary, an expatriate contract and income in dirhams.
Read the guideFrench mortgages for Swiss residents
French banks often treat Swiss residents almost like EU borrowers. What they ask for when you earn in francs, and the cross-border cases near Geneva and Basel.
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French mortgages for Irish residents
Living in Ireland and earning in euros puts you among the borrowers French banks find easiest to assess. What they ask for and who lends.
Read the guideFrench mortgages for Belgian residents
Euro income and EU residence make Belgian files straightforward for French banks. The documents they want, and why a specialist broker still helps.
Read the guideFrench mortgages for Dutch residents
Euro income and EU residence work in your favour with French banks. The loans themselves work differently from a Dutch mortgage.
Read the guideFrench mortgages for German residents
Living in Germany and earning in euros makes for a straightforward file. What French banks ask for, and why your SCHUFA score stays at home.
Read the guideFrench mortgages for residents of Singapore and Hong Kong
French banks lend to buyers based in Asia, with larger deposits than Europeans need. What they ask for when you earn in Singapore or Hong Kong dollars.
Read the guideRetired, self-employed, investing or selling
French mortgages for retirees
French banks lend on pension income. Age shortens the term and raises the cost of insurance, so the file needs planning from the start.
Read the guideFrench mortgages for the self-employed and company owners
French banks lend to the self-employed when the income is proven over several years. How they read your accounts, dividends and tax returns.
Read the guideFinancing a new build in France (VEFA)
Buying off-plan in France means paying in stages as the building goes up. How the loan follows the construction, and what it costs.
Read the guideBuy-to-let mortgages in France for non-residents
French banks lend on rental property, counting part of the expected rent. How the type of letting, local rules and energy ratings shape the loan.
Read the guideRemortgaging or releasing equity from a French property
Refinancing a French loan or borrowing against a French home you own from abroad. When it pays, what it costs and who lends.
Read the guideSelling a French property with a mortgage from abroad
What happens to your French loan when you sell, the tax a non-resident pays, and how to bring the proceeds home without losing on the exchange rate.
Read the guideFinancing a French property bought through an SCI
How banks lend to a French property company, what they ask of its partners, and why the structure decision comes before the loan.
Read the guideWhere you are buying
Local prices, what lenders accept there and a bilingual notaire nearby. All regions
The French words in your loan offer, in plain English
Taux d'usure explained: the legal cap on French mortgage rates
The taux d'usure is the highest all-in rate a French bank may charge. Why it matters more to non-residents, and how to keep a loan under it.
Read the guideTAEG explained: the all-in rate on a French mortgage
The TAEG shows what a French loan really costs each year. What goes into it, what stays out, and how to use it to compare offers.
Read the guideOffre de prêt explained: the French loan offer and its deadlines
The offre de prêt is the bank's binding written offer. What it contains, the 10 days you must wait before accepting, and how it ties in with the compromis.
Read the guideApport personnel explained: the deposit for a French mortgage
The apport personnel is the money you put in yourself. How much non-residents need, why purchase costs come from your own funds and how to prove where the money comes from.
Read the guideCondition suspensive de prêt explained: the loan clause in a French compromis
The loan condition lets you walk away from a French purchase and recover your deposit if the bank says no. What to write in it when you live abroad.
Read the guideAssurance emprunteur explained: borrower insurance on a French mortgage
French banks require life and disability cover on a mortgage. What it must cover, your right to choose and change insurer, and why it costs more after 60.
Read the guidePrêt in fine explained: interest-only loans for French property
With a prêt in fine you pay only interest and repay the capital in one go at the end. Who offers it, what it costs and who it suits.
Read the guideCaution or hypothèque explained: how a French bank secures your loan
Every French mortgage needs security: a guarantee company's caution or a charge on the property. How they differ, what they cost and what non-residents usually get.
Read the guideTableau d'amortissement explained: reading a French loan schedule
The tableau d'amortissement shows, instalment by instalment, how much of each payment is interest, capital and insurance, and what you still owe.
Read the guideIndemnités de remboursement anticipé explained: early repayment charges in France
French banks may charge a fee when you repay a mortgage early. The legal cap, the cases where nothing is due and what to negotiate before you sign.
Read the guideRates, terms and figures
French mortgage rates, November 2026
Averages, broker quotes, usury caps and what non-residents pay on top.
See the ratesFrench mortgage glossary
The French terms in your loan offer and compromis, explained.
Open the glossaryMortgage calculator
Repayments, purchase costs, borrowing capacity and the legal rate cap.
Open the calculatorNotary fees calculator
Transfer taxes, the notary's fee and the own funds a bank expects, item by item.
Open the calculatorPrefer to talk it through with figures?
Send your situation once. One broker who works with non-resident buyers will reply within two working days.