French banks usually take four to six weeks from a complete file to the loan offer for a French resident. Non-resident files take longer: brokers report six to ten weeks when a specialist broker handles the file, and three to five months when you apply to banks directly. The law then adds fixed steps. You can only accept the offer after a 10-day reflection period, and the sale usually completes about three months after the compromis is signed.
The steps and how long each takes
| Step | Typical time | What sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal period after the compromis | 10 days | The law, counted from the day after the signed compromis is first presented to you |
| Bank analysis and agreement in principle | 2 to 3 weeks for a resident | The bank |
| Guarantee decision | About 48 hours for a complete file | The guarantor, such as Crédit Logement |
| Formal loan offer | 2 to 4 weeks after the agreement in principle | The bank |
| Reflection period | 10 days: an offer received on 1 February can be accepted from 12 February | The law, cannot be shortened |
| Signature of the deed and release of funds | Usually about 3 months after the compromis | The date agreed in the compromis |
Bank timings from Crédit Agricole, CIC and Crédit Logement, for French residents. Legal periods from the Code de la construction et de l'habitation (L271-1) and the Code de la consommation (L313-34).
Why non-resident files take longer
A file from abroad has more to check and fewer banks to send it to. Foreign tax returns and payslips may need translating, income in pounds or dollars is converted and tested against exchange-rate swings, and the bank may want savings placed with it before it commits. Published estimates for non-residents run from six to ten weeks through a specialist broker to twelve to twenty weeks when applying directly.
The fastest files are complete on day one. Use the document checklist before you make an offer, not after.
Set the right deadline in the compromis
When you buy with a loan, the compromis must include a loan condition (condition suspensive de prêt). By law it lasts at least one month (Code de la consommation, L313-41), and 45 to 60 days is usual. If the loan is refused within that period, everything you paid in advance must be returned in full.
For a non-resident file, ask for at least 60 days and ideally 75. Only a firm offer satisfies the condition: an agreement in principle does not count. The guide to the loan condition explains how to word it.
Once the offer arrives
The bank must keep the terms of its offer open for at least 30 days from the day you receive it, and you can only accept it ten days after receiving it (L313-34). An offer received on 1 February can be accepted from 12 February. Once accepted, the loan falls away if the sale is not signed within four months, unless you and the bank agree a longer period.
The buying timeline puts these steps alongside the rest of the purchase.
Questions
Can the 10-day reflection period be shortened?
No. You can only accept a French loan offer ten days after receiving it, and you cannot waive this period.
How long is a French mortgage offer valid?
At least 30 days from the day you receive it. After you accept it, the sale has to be signed within four months unless you and the bank agree a longer period.
What if my loan is not ready by the deadline in the compromis?
Ask the seller, through the notaire or agent, to extend the loan condition before it expires. If the loan is refused within the period, the sums you paid in advance must be returned in full.
How long from compromis to keys?
Usually about three months for an existing home. New builds bought off-plan take longer, because funds are released in stages as the work progresses.