How long does it take to buy real estate in France from abroad in 2026?

In 2026, you should generally expect it to take two to three months between signing the preliminary sales agreement and the final signing at the notary’s office for a standard real estate purchase in France, but the total timeframe may be longer when the buyer resides abroad, particularly in cases involving bank financing, documents from multiple countries, or a power of attorney for the signing.

Your offer just got accepted, and your French agent says “trois mois environ” before you get the keys. Is that a real estimate or just something people say? For a standard resale property, the stretch between signing the compromis de vente and the final signature runs two to three months, according to Crédit Agricole, and that window is shaped more by fixed legal deadlines than by how fast you or your bank move.

This guide explains how long it actually takes to buy a property in France from abroad in 2026, what the essential steps are, what deadlines are required by law, and, most importantly, how to anticipate any procedures that might slow down your purchase.

Key Points to Remember

A 10-day delay is fixed by law and cannot be shortened: your right to walk away from the compromis de vente with no justification.
Banks are legally owed only 30 days to deliver a loan decision after the compromis is signed, but in practice ask for 45 to 60 days. Build your timeline around what the bank actually needs, not the legal minimum.
You do not need to fly to France for the signing. A notarized power of attorney lets you sign remotely, but it has to be arranged with your notary ahead of time, not the week of.

Buying property in France : here are the 8 steps

1. The feasibility study

A feasibility letter (attestation de faisabilité) is a free document issued by a bank or broker. It evaluates your borrowing capacity and the viability of your real estate project. This document serves to reassure a seller or real estate agency when you make an offer to purchase, and allows you to know early on your budget. It is not strictly necessary but will vastly improve your chances with the banks.

2. Putting together a file

You can start this as soon as you want, even before finding your dream property. Putting together a file can be quite lengthy and complex, especially if you're not used to all the requirements of the French administration. Files will typically include bank statements, tax returns, identification… A broker can help you put together your file, as they know the required documents and whether or not they should be translated, how far back some should date and other such information.

3. Signing the compromis de vente

It is a legally binding document that engages both you and the seller to carry out the sale. The compromis de vente will contain a “condition suspensive d’obtention de prêt”, giving you 45-60 days (legally cannot be less than a month) to find a loan. If you cannot finance the sale, it will be cancelled, so there’s no time to waste! This is also where the price of the property will appear, which the banks will use to calculate the amount of your loan, your maximum monthly repayments, the length of the loan, and the interest rate.

4. Mandatory reflection period

Once the compromis de vente is signed, a non-professional buyer gets a legal 10-day cooling-off period, counted from the day after you first receive notice of the signed agreement by registered letter. During those 10 days, you can withdraw for any reason, or no reason at all, with no penalty, under Article L.271-1 of the Code de la construction et de l’habitation. If you do withdraw, any deposit you’ve paid has to be returned within 21 days. This period cannot be waived or shortened, even if both parties would rather skip it.

5. Comparing different loans

This is where you determine the criteria of your loan, a step whose importance cannot be understated. You will need to compare loans within different banks, determining which criteria are the most important to you. There are less choices to make for non-residents than French tax residents: you will have higher rates (around 3.9%), shorter loan terms (15-20 years) and higher down payments (30%). A broker can be particularly useful in this step as they will do the work of comparing terms between banks, and already have the expertise of knowing which banks will grant which terms, and are favorable to certain nationalities.

6. Accord de principe from the bank + borrower insurance

This is the first victory towards obtaining a loan. It is not a definitive agreement from the bank, because other organizations must give their agreement first, such as the borrower insurance company. The insurance protects you, and you have a choice between your bank’s insurance policy, or an external one. Staying with your bank can simplify the procedure, but choosing an external insurance policy can be cheaper.

7. Receiving the official offer

Once you have sorted out the details of the conditions of your loan and asked all your questions (it is possible you will also have had to open a bank account with your loaning bank), you will receive the official loan offer. You can then contact the seller and notary to confirm the bill of sale’s signature date.

8. Accepting the offer

On the 11th day, you can sign the document, either by post or digitally, if the bank allows it.

9. Signing the acte de vente

The light at the end of the tunnel, this makes official your purchase before a notary. You must make sure to have the means necessary to pay for the upfront costs (notary costs, down payment). Congrats, you have a piece of real estate!

Signing without getting on a plane

You do not need to be physically present in France for the final signature. Your notary can prepare a procuration, a power of attorney, that lets someone else, often a clerk at the notary’s office, sign the acte authentique on your behalf once you’ve reviewed and approved the deed remotely. To execute the procuration itself, you typically sign it in front of a notary or a French consulate wherever you live, so no flights are strictly necessary at any stage.

Since May 2025, French notaries, rather than courts, have taken over issuing apostilles and legalizations for documents that need one, through 15 regional centers, per the official notarial body. Processing time through this new system varies by region, so this is worth confirming with your notary early rather than assuming it’ll be quick.

The one thing that will actually slow this down is arranging it the week before signing instead of when the compromis is first drafted.

What adds time depending on where you're buying from

The two-to-three-month window above is the baseline. Depending on your situation, a few things stretch it further, and they're worth reading up on separately since they deserve more than a paragraph each, you can find more information in our dedicated guides.

American buyers sometimes hit a wall before the mortgage process even starts: some French banks are reluctant to open the account most lenders require, because of the reporting obligations FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) places on them. It doesn't block your purchase, but it can run on its own timeline, separate from and sometimes longer than the mortgage itself. Our guide on financing as a US buyer covers this in detail. In addition, if their income is in USD, banks will often apply a 10-20% discount, reducing your borrowing capacity and making it potentially longer to find a loan.
British buyers with GBP income have the same issue as Americans, banks will often apply a 10-20% discount, reducing your borrowing capacity and making it potentially longer to find a loan. Our post-Brexit British guide expands upon this.
Non-euro zone buyers, for example Scandinavians with NOK, SEK or DKK income will also have this issue where banks will often apply a 10-20% discount, reducing your borrowing capacity and making it potentially longer to find a loan.

Financing your project without losing track of the calendar

Every delay above exists for a reason, most of them designed to protect you as the buyer, but stacked together they explain why "a few months" is the honest answer rather than a specific date.

At Opeongo Finance, we help non-residents and expatriates structure a financing file that's ready before the compromis is even signed, so the 45-to-60-day window banks actually need doesn't come as a surprise partway through.

Whether you're still house-hunting or already have a signed offer in hand, let's talk about your timeline, with no obligation.

Let's talk about your project

Is the two- to three-month timeframe guaranteed by law?

No, only the 10-day cooling-off period following the signing of the preliminary sales agreement is set by law and cannot be shortened. The rest depends on the parties involved: the bank’s response time, scheduling an appointment with the notary. Two to three months is a realistic average, not a guarantee.

What happens if my bank takes more than 60 days to respond?

The preliminary sales agreement typically includes a 45- to 60-day condition precedent for obtaining a loan. If this deadline is exceeded, you must negotiate with the seller before it expires. In practice, an extension of a few weeks is often accepted, but the seller is under no obligation to grant it.

Can I shorten the processing time if my loan application is already complete before I sign the preliminary sales agreement?

The 45- to 60-day period that banks need to approve a loan cannot be shortened as such. However, if your application (bank statements, identification documents, feasibility study) is already complete before you sign the preliminary agreement, you'll immediately begin that timeframe instead of wasting several weeks preparing it afterward. That's the whole point of getting a head start.

Why does the process often take longer for American or British buyers?

Banks generally apply a 10 to 20 percent discount to income earned in foreign currencies (USD, GBP), which reduces borrowing capacity and can prolong the search for a suitable loan. American buyers may also encounter reluctance from banks due to FATCA reporting requirements.

Updated on August 10, 2026, by Paul Desjardins, mortgage broker specializing in international clients (ORIAS No. 25 010 121).

Paul Desjardins assists expatriate buyers, non-residents, and international investors with their real estate financing projects in France. More than 60% of his clients live abroad: he advises them in French and English, from the initial review of their application through to the signing at the notary’s office. He writes practical guides for Opeongo Finance aimed at international clients who want to understand the rules of French mortgage lending and secure financing from abroad.