The offre de prêt is the bank's formal written loan offer, sent free of charge with the European standardised information sheet. The bank must hold its terms for at least 30 days from the day you receive it. You cannot accept it before the 11th day after receipt, and an earlier acceptance is void. Once accepted, the loan depends on the purchase going ahead, normally within four months.
What the offre de prêt is
The offre de prêt (loan offer) is the bank's binding written proposal. It comes once the credit committee has approved your file and the insurance is in place, usually six to ten weeks after a complete non-resident application. The bank must send it free of charge, on paper or another durable medium, to you and to anyone guaranteeing the loan, together with the European standardised information sheet (FISE).
Until you have validly accepted it, the bank may not release any money to you or on your behalf.
What the offer must contain
- The lender's name and the identity of each borrower and any guarantor
- The type and purpose of the loan, and the date the funds are available
- The amount, the interest rate and the TAEG
- The guarantees required, such as a mortgage charge or a caution
- A statement that you may take borrower insurance from an insurer of your choice
- The conditions for transferring the loan to another person
- For a fixed rate, the amortisation schedule, splitting each instalment between capital and interest
A variable-rate offer adds a simulation of how rate changes would affect the repayments, the term and the total cost. Read the clauses on early repayment charges and on any requirement to have your income paid into the bank. Both can be negotiated before you accept, not after.
The 30-day validity and the 10-day wait
Two deadlines run from the day you receive the offer. The bank must hold its terms for at least 30 days. You must wait 10 days before accepting: the period starts the day after receipt, Sundays and public holidays count, and it cannot be shortened. An acceptance given before the 11th day is void.
You accept by returning the signed and dated offer, by post or through the bank's electronic signature process where it offers one. Once you have accepted, there is no withdrawal period.
Worked example: the dates on a real timetable
Assumptions: you sign the compromis on 15 September 2026 with a 60-day loan condition, so the deadline to obtain the loan is 14 November. The offer for a €300,000 loan reaches you on Tuesday 3 November.
- 4 to 13 November: the 10-day reflection period. You cannot accept yet.
- Saturday 14 November: the 11th day after receipt, the first day you can accept.
- Monday 16 November: you send your acceptance. The purchase now has to complete by 16 March 2027, four months later, unless the offer allows longer.
- 3 December: 30 days after receipt, the end of the period during which the bank must hold its terms.
The loan condition in the compromis is met by a firm offer matching its terms, here received on 3 November, inside the deadline. An agreement in principle would not have been enough. If the sale then fell through for another reason, the loan would lapse after four months and the bank could charge study fees of up to 0.75% of the loan, capped at €150. On €300,000, 0.75% would be €2,250, so the €150 cap applies.
How the offer links to the compromis
The loan and the purchase depend on each other. In the compromis, the loan condition makes the purchase depend on getting the loan. In the offer, the loan depends on the purchase completing within four months of your acceptance.
That makes timing the main risk from abroad. Ask for at least 60 days in the loan condition, apply as soon as the compromis is signed, and tell the broker the deadline on day one. If the offer is running late, ask the seller for a written extension before the deadline passes. The full sequence is in the buying timeline.
Next step
Have the offer explained to you in English, clause by clause, before you sign it. Start with the eligibility check, and the broker we introduce you to will handle the application and go through the offer with you when it arrives.
Questions
How long is a French mortgage offer valid?
The bank must hold its terms for at least 30 days from the day you receive the offer. Check the offer for the exact date.
When can I accept a French loan offer?
From the 11th day after you receive it. The 10-day reflection period starts the day after receipt, counts Sundays and public holidays, and cannot be shortened.
Can I sign a French loan offer electronically?
Yes, where the bank offers electronic signature. Otherwise you return the signed and dated offer by post.
What happens to the loan offer if the purchase falls through?
The loan lapses if the purchase is not completed within four months of your acceptance, unless a longer period was agreed. The bank can then charge study fees of up to 0.75% of the loan, capped at €150.