Yes, you can get a mortgage in France without living there, whatever your nationality. Expect to fund 20–30% of the price yourself if you live in the UK, Ireland, the EU or Switzerland, 30–50% if you live elsewhere, plus purchase costs of 7–8.5% on an existing home. Banks apply the same 35% debt-to-income ceiling and 25-year maximum term as for French residents, and they check foreign income closely. Choosing the right bank is most of the work.
Who lends to non-residents
Few banks outside France lend against French property, so your home bank in London or New York is unlikely to finance the purchase. Lenders that accept non-residents fall into three groups.
- Retail banks with international desks. Several of the large French networks run English-speaking teams for buyers who live abroad. Crédit Agricole Normandie's Britline service, for example, has worked with UK and Irish residents for more than 25 years.
- Regional banks. Regional caisses of the mutualist groups decide on their own credit appetite. One region may welcome second-home buyers while the next declines them, which is why a broker's view of who is lending this quarter matters.
- Private banks. For larger loans, often above €1 million, private banks lend in exchange for assets you place with them. They are the main source of interest-only and variable-rate structures.
Appetite changes. A bank that took non-resident files in spring may pause them by autumn when it nears its internal quotas, which is one reason brokers handle a large share of these loans.
How much you can borrow
Two numbers decide the amount: the share of the price the bank will finance and the repayment your income supports.
| Where you live | Typical financing | Deposit on €500,000 |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom, Ireland, EU, Switzerland | 70–80% | €100,000–150,000 |
| United States, Canada, Gulf, Asia, Australia | 50–70% | €150,000–250,000 |
Purchase costs of about €36,000–40,000 on a €500,000 existing property come on top. French banks rarely finance them for non-residents.
The repayment test follows the rules set by France's financial stability council (HCSF), which every bank must apply:
- 35% of net income. All your loan repayments, including borrower insurance and any mortgage you already have at home, may not exceed 35% of your net household income.
- 25 years maximum. Up to 27 years for a new build, or an existing home with works of at least 10% of the total cost, where repayments start after a deferral of up to two years.
- A small exception margin. Banks may exceed these limits on up to 20% of their quarterly lending, and most of that margin is reserved for main homes. Second homes bought from abroad are rarely the priority for it.
Rental income from the French property is usually counted only in part, often 70%, and only if the bank believes it. A furnished holiday let with patchy history counts for little.
Loan sizes and property types
Many banks set a minimum for non-resident loans, commonly between €100,000 and €250,000 depending on the bank and where you live. Very small loans are hard to place because fixed fees push the all-in rate towards the legal cap.
Some properties are harder to finance: houses needing heavy renovation unless the works are quoted and included in the plan, leisure residences sold with a commercial lease to an operator, and isolated rural properties a bank thinks would be slow to resell.
What rate to expect
Loans granted in September 2026 averaged 3.40% across all terms, and broker barometers for October quote about 3.55–3.66% for 20 years to French residents. Non-resident files usually price above these figures, by an amount that depends on the financing level, your income currency and how much business you bring the bank. See the rates page for this month's figures and the quarterly legal caps.
Most French loans are fixed for their whole term. That suits buyers who earn in another currency, because at least the euro amount of each repayment never moves.
Earning in another currency
A loan in euros repaid from pounds, dollars or francs carries exchange risk, and French banks build it into their decision. In practice they may:
- count your income after a margin, so that a fall in your currency does not break the 35% ceiling;
- ask for a larger deposit, or for savings held with them;
- prefer borrowers who also have some euro income, such as rent from the property.
The deposit is where exchange rates hurt most, because it is one large transfer on a fixed date. A forward contract lets you fix today's rate for a transfer on completion day: see fixing the exchange rate, paying the notaire from abroad and repaying a euro loan.
Borrower insurance
French banks require insurance covering death and disability in practice, and the cost counts in both the 35% ceiling and the all-in rate. You can choose an insurer other than the bank's as long as the cover is equivalent, and you can switch insurer at any time during the loan.
Since 2022, no medical questionnaire may be asked when the amount insured is €200,000 or less per person and the loan ends before your 60th birthday. Above those limits, expect health questions and possibly a medical. If you are over 60 or have a health history, raise it early: insurance is a frequent reason files stall.
Guarantees
For non-residents the bank nearly always takes a charge on the property, registered by the notaire. Two forms are used:
- Hypothèque conventionnelle, a standard mortgage charge, used when the loan also funds works or when the property is already owned.
- Hypothèque légale spéciale du prêteur de deniers, the lender's charge on a purchase, known before 2022 as the privilège de prêteur de deniers. It costs less because it avoids the land registration tax.
Budget around 1–2% of the loan for the guarantee. The guarantee companies used by French residents, where you pay a fee instead of a charge, often do not accept non-residents.
Documents banks ask for
French banks do not use credit scores. They read your documents, so a complete and well-ordered file is faster than a strong but messy one.
- Passport for each borrower and proof of address under three months old
- Employed: last three payslips, employment contract or employer letter, last year-end pay summary
- Self-employed or company owner: two to three years of accounts and tax returns
- Last two tax returns or tax assessments from your country of residence
- Three to six months of statements for every current account, showing salary and loan repayments
- Statements for any loan or mortgage you already have
- Proof of savings and of where the deposit comes from, which the bank and the notaire both need for anti-money-laundering checks
- The signed compromis, or the property details if you have not signed yet
Documents in English are generally accepted. Banks may ask for certified translations of documents in other languages.
How long it takes
Count six to ten weeks from a complete application to a signed loan offer for a non-resident file. The loan condition in your compromis must give you at least one month to obtain financing; 60 days is a sensible minimum when you live abroad. Once the offer arrives, the law makes you wait 10 days before accepting it. The full sequence is in the buying timeline.
What it costs on top of the price
| Cost | Typical amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase costs (frais de notaire) | 7–8.5% on an existing property, 2–3% on a new build | The notaire, mostly passed on as taxes |
| Guarantee | About 1–2% of the loan | Notaire and land registry |
| Arrangement fee | Several hundred to a few thousand euros, sometimes a percentage at private banks | The bank |
| Broker fee, if any | Agreed in writing before work starts; nothing payable before the loan is obtained | The broker |
| Borrower insurance | Depends on age, health and amount insured | The insurer |
Run your own figures in the calculator. For an exact purchase-cost quote, a notaire through French Notaires can provide one.
Why non-resident files get refused
- The 35% ceiling is broken once the bank counts the mortgage you already pay at home.
- The buyer has not kept enough of their own funds for purchase costs.
- Insurance is refused or so expensive that the all-in rate exceeds the legal cap.
- Self-employed income cannot be shown over two or three full years.
- A US citizen applies to a bank that does not take US persons.
- The compromis gives too little time to obtain the loan, so the buyer has to apply in a rush to banks that are not a fit.
Repaying early or selling
You can repay a French mortgage early at any time. The bank may charge an early repayment indemnity, capped by law at six months' interest on the amount repaid and at 3% of the capital outstanding. Many offers waive it, and it is not due in certain cases such as a sale following a work-related move. When you sell as a non-resident, a fiscal representative may be needed for capital gains tax; French Tax Online handles that.
Questions
Can foreigners get a mortgage in France?
Yes. French banks lend to buyers of any nationality, resident or not. What changes the answer is where you live and earn: UK, Irish, EU and Swiss residents are often financed at 70–80% of the price, residents elsewhere at 50–70%.
Can I get a mortgage in France as a non-resident?
Yes, on the same legal terms as residents: repayments within 35% of net income and a term of up to 25 years. Expect a larger deposit, a minimum loan with some banks, and closer checks on foreign income.
Do I need a French bank account?
Usually, in practice. Most lenders ask non-resident borrowers to open an account with them to collect the repayments, and some ask that savings or several months of repayments sit there. French law does not let a bank force you to move your income to it, so anything beyond the account is a point to negotiate.
Can I borrow if I am retired?
Yes, on pension income, but the term usually shrinks with age and insurance costs rise. Many banks want the loan repaid by 75, and some lend until 80 or 85.
Will a French bank count my rental income?
Usually in part, often 70% of the expected rent, and only if the projection is credible. A long-term let with a lease counts more than seasonal holiday income.
Can I get an agreement in principle before I find a property?
French banks rarely commit before a compromis is signed, and their agreement in principle is not binding the way a UK one is, but a broker can review your file and tell you which lenders will take it and for how much. That lets you make offers with confidence.
Is the bank's insurance compulsory?
Insurance is required in practice, the bank's own policy is not. You may choose an external insurer with equivalent cover, at the start or at any time during the loan.
How we can help
Send us your situation through the eligibility check. We introduce you to one English-speaking broker who works with non-resident buyers from your country, and we can bring in a notaire, a tax adviser and a currency specialist if you want them. Matching costs you nothing.