Introduction
Are you living in London, Singapore, or New York and dreaming of investing in French real estate? You are not alone. Every year, thousands of French expats embark on this wealth-building adventure. However, obtaining a mortgage from abroad often resembles an obstacle course: cautious banks, oversized down payments, and complex files.
Yet, this project is entirely achievable with proper preparation and the right partners. French banks do lend to non-residents, but under specific criteria that you need to understand. This guide reveals the real conditions for obtaining a mortgage, strategies to optimize your file, and how to turn your expat status into an advantage rather than a hurdle. From personal contributions to required guarantees, you'll know exactly what's ahead and how to secure your financing from abroad.
Why are banks wary of expats?
Geographical distance worries the banks. A borrower 5000 kilometers away represents a risk that banks evaluate differently than a French resident. This perception is explained by three concrete factors.
First factor: the difficulty of recovery. In case of non-payment, seizing a property or recovering funds internationally requires lengthy and expensive legal procedures. Banks cannot easily access your foreign accounts or verify your real financial situation. This relative opaqueness mechanically increases their level of requirement.
Second factor: the perceived instability of your situation. Your employment contract depends on foreign legislation, your income is sometimes in fluctuating currencies, and your professional project may return you to France or send you elsewhere. Banks hate uncertainty. According to market data, default rates are slightly higher for non-residents, justifying their increased caution.
Third factor: administrative complexity. Analyzing American pay slips, British tax returns, or Singaporean contracts requires specific expertise. Not all banks have developed this competence. Many prefer to simply refuse rather than invest in training their teams. Documents must be translated, certified, and sometimes apostilled depending on your country of residence.
💡 Key takeaway: This mistrust is not inevitable. Some banks have specialized in expat files and accept profiles that others automatically refuse. Choosing your banking partner thus becomes strategic.
Eligibility conditions: what banks really assess
Your country of residence is the first criterion analyzed. Banks classify countries according to their economic and political stability. An expat in Switzerland, Luxembourg, or the United Kingdom gets financing more easily than a resident in Lebanon, Algeria, or Iraq. Some institutions categorically refuse to lend to French nationals residing in these high-risk zones.
The United States is a special case. The FATCA agreement (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) imposes strict reporting obligations between French and American banks. This fiscal transparency reassures institutions, facilitating access to mortgages for American expatriates. Conversely, money transfers from certain North African countries remain complicated, if not impossible.
Your employment contract determines your eligibility. Banks massively favor permanent contracts with at least two years of seniority in the current company. A local contract with a recognizable multinational (Google, Total, LVMH) reassures more than a job in a local SME unknown in France. Expatriate independent workers face even stricter requirements, generally needing three years of positive financial statements.
The debt-to-income ratio must not exceed 35%. According to Service-Public.fr, this rule applies to all borrowers, resident or not. This rate includes all your mortgage, auto, and consumer loan charges divided by your net monthly income. Note: annual bonuses are generally not included in your regular income, even if they represent a significant part of your compensation.
Your income must be stable and verifiable. Banks require bank statements for the last minimum six months for all your accounts, both French and foreign. If your income is in foreign currency, they apply a cautious exchange rate and may require an additional safety margin. A salary of 8000 dollars is not exactly worth 7300 euros in the eyes of a French bank that anticipates currency fluctuations over 20 years.
Special cases: specific situations to know
Mixed couples face additional obstacles. If your spouse is not French, some banks do not include their income in calculating your borrowing capacity, even with an official marriage. This discrimination unfairly penalizes many solid files. Prefer international banks (HSBC, BNP International Buyers) that more easily accept these family configurations.
Cross-border workers benefit from a hybrid status. If you live in France but work in Switzerland, Luxembourg, or Germany, you are technically a French tax resident despite having foreign income. Banks generally treat you as residents, greatly facilitating your access to mortgages. Simply provide your French residence proof and your cross-border employer certificate.
Retired expatriates must prove the sustainability of their income. Your French pension gives you considerable advantage: stable, predictable income, and in euros. Banks accept retirees up to 75 years old at the end of the mortgage, sometimes 80 years with an appropriate senior insurance. Prefer short borrowing terms (10-15 years) to optimize your rate and reduce insurance costs.
Tax havens remain prohibitive. Residing in the Cayman Islands, Bahamas, or Monaco systematically blocks your access to French real estate mortgages. Banks consider these locations as aggressive tax optimization strategies, incompatible with granting a mortgage. No negotiation possible on this point.
⚠️ Warning: Even with an excellent file, some retail banks systematically refuse non-residents. Do not waste time with non-specialized institutions that simply do not have a process suited to your profile.
Which banks truly lend to expats?
Not all banks accept expat files. This reality automatically eliminates 70% of French banking institutions. Focus your efforts on banks that have developed specific expertise and services dedicated to non-residents.
Banks traditionally open to expats
National banks with international services:
BNP Paribas: Dedicated service for foreign investors, full remote management
Crédit Agricole: Expatriate specialized advisors, good knowledge of fiscal specifics
Société Générale: Accepts most OECD countries, durations up to 25 years possible
CCF: International expertise, facilitates complex files with multi-currency income
Selective regional banks:
Caisse d'Épargne: Accepts based on agency and region, variable policy
LCL: Open to euro zone expatriates and OECD countries
Banque Populaire: Some regional branches finance non-residents
Private banks (patrimony 500k€+):
Rothschild & Co: Tailored solutions, premium conditions
Neuflize OBC: Personalized support, unique contact person
Pictet: Multi-jurisdictional expertise
Institutions to avoid (systematic refusals)
Online banks and neobanks:
Boursorama Banque
ING Direct
Hello Bank
Fortuneo
These establishments do not have the teams or processes to handle non-resident files. Their business model relies on automation, incompatible with the complexity of expat files.
Some local mutual banks also refuse non-residents in principle, favoring their local clientele. Always inquire before wasting time on a doomed-to-fail file.
💡 Key takeaway: A specialized broker like Invexa saves you weeks by directly targeting the 10-15 banks truly active in the expat market. We know their precise criteria and submit your file simultaneously to our partners.
Personal contributions and required guarantees
Personal contributions represent the main financial obstacle. Traditional banks generally require between 30% and 40% of the purchase price for non-residents, against 10% to 20% for a French resident. This considerable difference blocks many legitimate expat projects despite comfortable income.
Good news: not all institutions apply these criteria. Thanks to Invexa's network of specialized banking partners, you can get conditions comparable to French residents: only between 10% and 20% contribution. This 20-point difference can represent 40,000 to 80,000 euros savings on a 200,000 euro property. Our banking partners fully understand expat files and accept reduced contributions by compensating with other guarantees.
📊 Concrete example:
"I live in Singapore and earned well, but traditional banks demanded 35% contribution for an apartment in Lyon priced at 280,000 euros, or 98,000 euros. Invexa negotiated 15% with one of their partner banks, reducing my contribution to 42,000 euros. Without them, I would have abandoned my project." — Thomas, 38 years old, Singapore
This contribution must cover notary fees (around 7-8% for old properties, 2-3% for new) and part of the purchase price. On a 250,000-euro property in the old, count about 17,500 euros for notary fees. With 20% contribution, you provide 50,000 euros and finance 217,500 euros. With 30%, you need to mobilize 75,000 euros.
The origin of your contribution must be justified. Banks require bank statements showing the progressive accumulation of your savings. If your contribution comes from a family donation, you must provide the Cerfa form for manual gift declaration registered with the tax authorities. A fund repatriation from abroad also requires complete documentation to comply with anti-money laundering rules.
Real guarantees are systematically imposed. Two main options exist:
Conventional mortgage: The bank can seize and sell your property in case of non-payment. Cost: about 1.5% to 2% of the loan amount.
IPPD (Privilège of Ready Money Registration): Cheaper alternative (0.5% to 1%), it offers the same rights to the bank while reducing your initial fees.
Pledging French investments often completes the file. Pledging a life insurance, a PEA, or a securities account domiciled in France reassures the bank without permanently blocking these funds. You usually retain interest and dividends during the loan term. Some banks also require pledging a percentage of the loan (10% to 20%) on a blocked account.
✅ Good to know: Banks frequently require the opening of a current account in France with domiciliation of your income or automatic monthly transfers. This requirement facilitates the collection of installments and strengthens your French banking roots.
💼 Want to know if your contribution is sufficient?
Our Invexa experts analyze your file for free and tell you exactly what conditions you can obtain with our network of banking partners. Save time and maximize your chances of acceptance.
→ Request an analysis of my file
Interest rates and actual cost of expat mortgage
Rates for non-residents display a markup. Expect between +0.2% and +0.5% compared to resident rates, depending on your profile and country of residence. For a 200,000-euro loan over 20 years, a 0.3% markup represents about 7200 euros in total additional cost. This extra charge reflects the perceived risk and the specific administrative constraints of your file.
Current rates range between 3.5% and 4.5% for expats in 2026, after the gradual decreases initiated by the European Central Bank in spring. The context is improving compared to the peaks of 2023-2024. The strongest profiles (permanent contract with multinational, OECD country, 25%+ contribution) get the lowest rates, around 3.5%.
The maximum duration is generally limited to 20 years compared to 25 years for residents. This restriction mechanically increases your monthly payments. For 200,000 euros at 4%: you pay 1212 euros/month over 20 years versus 1056 euros over 25 years. The difference of 156 euros monthly can impact your debt-to-income ratio and reduce your total borrowing capacity.
Some banks offer 25-year terms to expats with an exceptional file: income over 10,000 euros monthly, 30%+ contribution, significant assets in France. Do not consider the 20-year limit as absolute, but be prepared to negotiate it hard or turn to specialized partners.
Additional fees weigh on the total cost. Beyond interest, you pay:
Application fees: 500 to 1500 euros (sometimes negotiable)
Guarantee fees (mortgage or IPPD): 1% to 2% of the principal
Borrower insurance: 0.30% to 0.60% of the loan per year depending on your age and country of residence
On 200,000 euros, these fees easily add 5000 to 8000 euros initially, plus 600 to 1200 euros annually in insurance. The TAEG (Annual Effective Global Rate) integrates all these costs and allows you to truly compare offers.
The minimum financed amount is generally 150,000 euros. Below this threshold, banks consider the administrative cost/return ratio not interesting for a non-resident file. If you target a 120,000-euro property, you will likely have to self-finance it or find a very specialized broker.
💡 Key takeaway: The rate difference between banks can reach 0.5% to 1% for the same expat profile. Comparing several offers via a specialized broker saves you several thousand euros over the total loan duration.
Building a robust file: documents and optimization
The quality of your file determines the outcome of your request. An incomplete or poorly presented file justifies an immediate refusal, even with an excellent profile. Banks assess your seriousness through the rigor of your documentation. Methodically assemble your file by anticipating all required documents.
Required identity and residency documents:
Valid passport and ID card
Proof of residence in the expatriation country (lease, energy bill)
Work visa or residence permit of the residence country
Certificate of non-French tax residency (if applicable)
Indispensable professional documents:
Work contract translated into French by a sworn translator
Last three pay slips (six for sensitive profiles)
Employer certificate confirming your seniority and contract sustainability
For independents: last three certified financial statements
Financial documents to provide:
Bank statements for the last six months (all French and foreign accounts)
Last French tax return if you have real estate income in France
Tax return or equivalent fiscal document from the residence country
Justifications of savings and source of funds for the contribution
Statements of current credits (mortgage, auto, consumer) worldwide
Documents related to the real estate project:
Signed sales agreement
Detailed property description (area, energy performance, co-ownership)
Works estimate if renovation planned
Rental value estimation for an investment
Translations must be certified. Some banks accept documents in English, but most require a French translation by a sworn translator. Count 50 to 150 euros per document depending on its length. Anticipate this cost and these timelines (generally one to two weeks).
Optimize your file with these strategies:
Present a synthesis table: Create an Excel document summarizing your income, expenses, assets. Bankers appreciate this clarity which facilitates their analysis.
Highlight your French ties: Maintained bank accounts in France, close family, existing property, return plans. You reduce the perception of risk.
Document your rental project: If you invest, provide a local market study, rent estimates, profitability calculation. You demonstrate your seriousness and expertise.
Solicit a letter of recommendation: Your foreign bank can attest to your good financial management. This complementary document reassures French institutions.
📊 Testimonial:
"My English bank refused my file in two minutes. I then turned to a specialized broker who completely restructured my presentation: clear tables, anticipated translations, recommendation letter from my employer. Three banks made me offers in three weeks." — Marie, 42 years old, London
⚠️ Warning: Banks systematically verify the coherence between your statements and the provided documents. A single inconsistency (date, amount, contradictory information) is sufficient to reject your file. Carefully review before submission.
Borrower insurance: the expat challenge
Borrower insurance is mandatory in practice. No bank accepts to finance without this guarantee, even though French law does not formally impose it. For expats, this insurance becomes a real challenge with surcharges that can reach 40% to 60% compared to residents.
You have the right to insurance delegation. Banks cannot impose their group contract on you. The law allows you to freely choose your insurer, provided the guarantees are at least equivalent to those required by the bank. This fundamental right allows you to save significantly: individual contracts often cost 30% to 50% less than bank insurance.
Your country of residence determines your pricing. Insurers classify countries according to their health and security risk levels. An expat in Switzerland or Canada gets rates close to French residents. However, residence in India, Brazil, or South Africa triggers significant surcharges or geographical exclusions.
Geographical exclusions complicate coverage. Some contracts completely exclude claims occurring in your country of residence. If you experience a work accident in Dubai and your contract excludes the United Arab Emirates, the insurer will not compensate you. Read territoriality clauses carefully before signing.
Minimum guarantees required by banks:
Death: Repayment of remaining loan balance
PTIA (Total and Irreversible Loss of Autonomy): Total disability requiring permanent assistance
ITT (Temporary Incapacity to Work): Often optional but recommended
IPT (Total Permanent Disability): Disability over 66%
Employment loss guarantee remains complicated. French contracts generally cover unemployment only if you contribute to Pôle Emploi in France. This guarantee becomes useless for most expats under local contract. Check the precise conditions or relinquish this option to reduce your premium.
The Lemoine law allows you to terminate anytime. Since 2022, you can change borrower insurance whenever you want, without waiting for the contract anniversary date. This total freedom is crucial: if you find an offer 40% cheaper six months after signing, you change immediately. According to Cardif, the savings achieved reach up to 40% of the premium depending on your profile.
The medical questionnaire varies according to amounts. For insured capital below 200,000 euros and under 45 years old, many insurers accept a simple health declaration without medical examination. Beyond that, expect additional exams and longer review times.
Specialized solutions for expats:
International insurance (April, MSH, Allianz Worldwide)
Specialized expat insurance brokers (Santexpat, Chapka, Valorama)
Group contracts negotiated by certain property brokers
💡 Key takeaway: Never sign the bank's group insurance without comparing at least three delegation offers. Price disparities justify the few hours invested in this research. Exercise your right to delegation from the start.
For further insight into this complex subject and to discover the best coverage strategies according to your situation, consult our detailed guide: Borrower Insurance for Expats: Complete Guide 2025.
🎯 Need help optimizing your borrower insurance?
Invexa experts support you in selecting and negotiating your borrower insurance. We know the insurers accepting expat profiles and negotiate the best conditions for your geographical situation.
→ Be supported by an Invexa expert
Practical steps to obtain your loan
Step 1: Assess your real borrowing capacity. Calculate your current debt-to-income ratio including all your existing credits. With 6000 euros net monthly income and 800 euros in credit charges, you can borrow up to 1300 euros/month additional (35% of 6000 = 2100, minus 800 existing charges). At 4% over 20 years, this represents about 265,000 euros of borrowable principal.
Step 2: Identify banks accepting your country of residence. Not all lend to expats from all countries. BNP Paribas International Buyers, HSBC Expat, Crédit Agricole, and some private banks have specialized. A broker like Invexa saves you weeks by directly targeting the right institutions. Do not waste time with classic retail banks that will systematically refuse.
Step 3: Methodically gather your file. Create a digital file organized by category (identity, income, assets, real estate project). Translate all necessary documents before even contacting banks. This anticipation significantly accelerates the process, which generally takes two to four months for an expat compared to one to two months for a resident.
Step 4: Search for your property in parallel. Do not seek financing before identifying a concrete property. Banks require a sales agreement to seriously study your request. Work with a real estate agent who understands expat constraints and accepts remote processes. Plan for a long suspensive clause (minimum 90 days) to obtain your financing.
Step 5: Submit your request simultaneously to several banks. Processing times vary significantly (15 days to 6 weeks), multiplying requests secures your schedule. A specialized broker submits for you within its network of partners and spares you from managing five different contacts.
Step 6: Negotiate terms beyond the rate. The interest rate is just one parameter among others. Also negotiate:
Application fees (often waived during competition periods)
Required contribution amount
Loan duration (try to get 25 instead of 20 years)
Early repayment penalties
Required banking products (minimize them as much as possible)
Step 7: Sign the loan offer after a reflection period. French law imposes an 11-day reflection period that cannot be reduced between receiving the offer and signing it. Use it to have your offer reviewed by an expert or lawyer. Pay special attention to insurance clauses, early repayment, and required guarantees.
Step 8: Organize the notarial signing remotely. You generally do not need to be physically present in France. Two legal solutions exist:
Option 1: The notarized proxy
You designate a trusted person (family, friend, or the notary themselves) to sign on your behalf
Establish this proxy at the French consulate of your residence country or with a local notary (with apostille)
Cost: 200 to 400 euros depending on the country
Timeline: 2 to 4 weeks to obtain and transmit the document
Option 2: The electronic signature
Since 2020, French notaries can organize signatures via secure videoconference
You electronically sign the authentic deed, with the same legal effect as a physical signature
Cost: generally equivalent to a classic signature
Advantage: no travel, real-time signing
Not all notaries offer this service yet, check in advance
📊 Testimonial:
"I was on assignment in Singapore for three months at the time of signing. My notary in Toulouse organized a secure videoconference. I signed electronically from my office, everything was perfectly legal and secure. A real time saver." — Julien, 35 years old, Singapore
✅ Good to know: Some notaries specialize in transactions with expats. Explicitly request this expertise when choosing your notary to avoid surprises and benefit from support adapted to your situation.
Alternative solutions and professional support
The specialized expat broker makes the difference. Faced with systematic refusals from classic banks, an expert broker in international files becomes essential. They know the 10 to 15 banks truly active in this market, their precise criteria, and the arguments that work. Their experience saves you six to twelve months of futile searches.
Invexa is positioned as your preferred partner. Our specialization in financing French expatriates' real estate allows us to negotiate exceptional conditions. Thanks to our network of partner banks, we obtain reduced contributions at 10-20% where other general brokers remain stuck at 30-40%. Our multilingual team understands your constraints and communicates effectively with banking institutions.
Our comprehensive support includes:
Free eligibility analysis in 48 hours
Optimized constitution of your file with comprehensive document list
Simultaneous submission to our specialized banking partners
Negotiation of conditions (rate, contribution, duration, guarantees)
Coordination with your notary and full administrative management
Support up to the signature and even beyond
Private banks offer a high-end alternative. If you have significant assets (500,000 euros+), institutions like Rothschild, Neuflize OBC, or Pictet offer tailored financing to expats. Conditions are often better than in retail banks, with unique contacts understanding international issues. In return, you must domicile part of your assets with them.
The SCI is a structuring option. Creating a Société Civile Immobilière facilitates asset management from abroad, especially for a couple or family purchase. The SCI also simplifies future transmission and offers interesting tax optimizations. Inquire about this structure with a specialized expat asset management advisor. Our guide SCI for Expats details all opportunities.
Rental investment changes your borrower profile. A principal residence project at a distance worries banks: why buy a property you will not occupy? Conversely, a well-prepared rental investment with profitability study demonstrates your economic rationality. Future rents are sometimes even considered in your repayment capacity. Consult our guide Expatriate Rental Management to maximize your chances.
Alternative financing solutions are emerging. Although marginal, some options exist for atypical profiles rejected by banks:
Real estate crowdfunding: Platforms regulated by the ACPR allowing fund-raising from individuals
P2P lending: Sites like Younited Credit or October (ex-Lendix) offer participatory financing
Mortgage credit on existing property: If you already own a property in France, some Belgian or Luxembourgish banks refinance
Pitfalls to absolutely avoid:
Rushing to the first offer obtained without comparing
Underestimating additional costs (insurance, guarantees, translations)
Neglecting early repayment clauses (crucial if you return to France)
Forgetting tax implications in your country of residence
Accepting excessive pledging of your French investments
Our article Investing in France as an Expat: The 10 Fatal Errors allows you to anticipate all classic pitfalls and secure your investment.
💡 Key takeaway: Professional support quickly pays off. Between saved time, negotiated conditions, and avoided errors, you more than recoup the brokerage fees (typically 1% to 1.5% of the borrowed amount).
Conclusion
Obtaining a mortgage as a French expat requires rigorous preparation but remains entirely accessible. Specialized banks and expert brokers enable overcoming obstacles faced by non-resident profiles. Your contribution can be limited to 10-20% with the right partners, your rates remain competitive if you present a solid file, and solutions exist for every situation.
Remember these two essential points: First, do not waste time with generalist institutions that will systematically refuse your profile. Then, invest in an impeccable and comprehensive file right from the first submission. Banks that lend to expats receive hundreds of requests and quickly eliminate incomplete files.
Your real estate project in France deserves support that matches your ambitions. Invexa experts master every step of your financing from abroad and secure you the best market conditions.
Make your real estate project in France a reality
Submit your file online and receive a preliminary response within 48 hours. Our experts analyze your eligibility for free and propose the most suitable financing solutions for your expat situation.
