How can French expatriates get a mortgage in France in 2026?

French expatriates can obtain a mortgage in France in 2026 by submitting an application tailored to their status as non-residents, which generally requires a larger down payment and supporting documents that allow the bank to assess their income, expenses, and financial situation abroad.

Somewhere between renewing a passport at a consulate and digging up three months of payslips in a currency your French bank has no idea what to do with, buying property back home can start to feel like a project built for someone who never left. While French expats are citizens, they are not tax-residents. 

This guide provides practical information on how much you can borrow as a French expatriate, what down payment to expect, what documents the bank will require, and how to prepare your loan application remotely all the way through to signing the contract at the notary's office without having to book a flight for each step.

Key Points to Remember

• Expect a down payment of around 30%, a loan capped around 15 to 20 years instead of the 25 available to residents, and the same 35% debt-to-income ceiling every borrower in France faces, foreign income included.

• Banks will discount foreign-currency income by roughly 10 to 20% when calculating what you can borrow, and they want that income backed by translated payslips, tax returns, and bank statements gathered well before you apply.

• None of this requires relocating. A notarized power of attorney handles the signature, and a broker who already knows which banks actually want expat files can save you from applying to the ones that don't.

Nationality and tax-residency: what's the difference?

For a French bank, what matters isn't your passport, it's where your tax life is anchored.

Take a French national who's spent the last eight years working in Singapore, and a Canadian who's spent her whole career in Paris. Nationality doesn't decide who gets easier mortgage terms here, tax residency does: the Canadian is treated like any other French resident, and the French national is treated like any other non-resident, despite being a French citizen.

What defines an expatriate file here is income, tax residency, and daily life all sitting outside France, which is exactly what makes a French underwriter ask for more evidence than they would if they lived and worked in France.

What down payment and rate should you actually expect?

In September 2026, average mortgage rates for French residents ranged from 3.43% for a 15-year term to 3.61% for a 25-year term, according to Pretto’s monthly barometer. Expatriate and non-resident borrowers should expect rates slightly higher than this range—generally between the high 3% and 4% depending on the bank and the loan application—as well as shorter terms: the maximum loan term for non-residents is typically between 15 and 20 years, compared to 25 years for residents.

On the down payment, the expected apport personnel is roughly 30% of the purchase price for non-resident buyers, on top of notary fees and guarantee costs, which non-residents are typically expected to cover themselves rather than negotiate away. Buyers based in the EU or EEA tend to land toward the lower end of that range; buyers further afield, toward the higher end.

What do French banks look at in a non-resident application?

There are multiple aspects that French banks examine:

• Debt-to-income ratio: French lenders cap total monthly payments, including the new loan, at 35% of monthly net income. This rule, imposed by the High Council for Financial Stability (HCSF), applies to all borrowers, whether residents or non-residents. The wrinkle for expats is what counts as income going into that calculation: banks typically discount foreign-currency salary by 10 to 20% before running the math, a buffer against exchange-rate movement. If you’re an expat whose income is in euros, there won’t be a discount; if your salary is in a strong currency (GBP, USD…) it will be 10-20% and if it’s in a currency considered volatile (AED, THB…) it can be discounted over 30%.

• Income stability: Banks prioritize stable and verifiable income. The strongest applications combine a permanent employment contract (or its recognized foreign equivalent), at least 2 to 3 years of service with the same employer, and a salary paid in a major currency: EUR, USD, CAD, GBP, NOK, SEK… Are you self-employed? It’s possible to get a loan, but you’ll need to provide 2 to 3 years of certified financial statements to demonstrate income stability.

• Down Payment: why are banks asking for more? They generally require a 30% down payment from non-resident borrowers, compared to about 10% for residents. The maximum loan-to-value ratio is thus limited to 70% of the purchase price. This requirement stems from the increased risk perceived by financial institutions: foreign income that is more difficult to verify, different tax systems, currency risk, and complex debt collection. A high down payment allows the borrower to strengthen their application, demonstrate their ability to save, and reassure the bank in the event of a market downturn.

• Country of residence: an often-overlooked criterion. French banks apply anti-money laundering (AML) regulations to all non-resident borrowers. Applicants residing in countries subject to enhanced monitoring by the FATF may be required to provide additional documentation or may find fewer financial institutions willing to consider their applications. The complete list of these countries is available on the FATF website. 

• Banking Profile: What banks look at when there is no credit score. French banks cannot access foreign credit scores, but they will carefully analyze a borrower’s banking history, savings capacity, and existing credit obligations. A clean and well-documented credit history remains the best asset for a expatriate borrower.

Borrower’s insurance: the cost that’s easy to shop past

A mortgage in France isn’t valid without assurance emprunteur, borrower’s insurance covering death and total permanent incapacity at minimum. It's common for buyers to simply accept whatever policy their bank offers alongside the loan, but it's not required. While it requires some extra steps, using another insurance policy than your bank's might be more cost-efficient.

Under the Lemoine Act of February 2022, borrowers can switch to an outside insurer at any point during the loan, not just within the first year, with no fees for doing so, as long as the new policy offers equivalent coverage. Since some insurers price expat and foreign-income applicants higher than a standard resident file, getting an external quote is worth the half hour it takes, rather than defaulting to the bank’s in-house policy.

Why the broker relationship matters more for expat files specifically

Not every French bank works with expatriate applicants, and there's no public list of who does and doesn't; some decline foreign-income files as a matter of internal policy before an underwriter even looks at the numbers.

A broker who places these files daily already knows which lenders currently have appetite for an expat profile like yours, which ones will discount your income more or less aggressively, and which insurers are worth quoting against the bank’s default offer.

Applying cold to your own bank's French branch, if you still have one, tells you nothing about the dozens of other lenders you never approached.

Bringing your file home, without having to be there

Buying in France from abroad isn't so much harder as it's differently documented, and most of what trips people up is timing: starting the translation and account-opening process too late, or applying to a bank that was never going to say yes.

At Opeongo Finance, we support expatriates and non-residents at every stage of their financing process, helping them prepare a solid application tailored to the criteria of French banks. Our goal: to give them the best possible chance of securing financing under the most favorable terms, even from a distance.

Updated on August 24, 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.