Buy a house in Germany from Dubai or the UAE
Resident in Dubai or the UAE — and still a property owner in Germany? Since August 2025 the UAE has been removed from the EU risk list. That has clearly improved banks’ willingness to lend. A residence permit in Germany is one factor among several the bank weighs, not a blocker on its own.
In short
Non resident mortgage: can I buy a house in Germany while living in Dubai or the UAE?
Yes. Since the UAE was removed from the EU risk list in August 2025, banks’ willingness to lend has clearly improved. Income in AED or USD is accepted at specialist banks. Loan-to-value 60–100 %, depending on income type and creditworthiness — the country of residence decides which banks take the case, not the range; equity up to 40 % depending on the case, plus incidental costs.
Is financing possible despite tax-free UAE income?
Yes. What matters is the demonstrable level and stability of income and the security registered in the German land register — not whether the income is taxed in the UAE.
Do German banks finance non-residents living in Dubai?
Noticeably more so than three years ago, and for a concrete reason. Until August 2025 the United Arab Emirates sat on the EU list of high-risk third countries for money laundering.
Banks had to screen borrowers from there more intensively, and many declined as a blanket policy — not because of creditworthiness, but because of the extra effort involved. Since the UAE was removed from that list, willingness to lend has improved noticeably. It remains a specialist case regardless.
Income arrives in dirham and is therefore credited with a safety discount rather than in full. A high net income in Dubai does not automatically translate into a high income recognised in Germany, since the deductions a German lender applies in its household calculation are simply absent there.
Documentation looks different too: employment contracts and bank statements count for more than payslips. Which lenders actually handle this residence in practice remains the decisive factor.
UAE/Dubai residence at a glance (as of 2026)
Why the UAE is a different case today than in 2023
Until August 2025 the UAE was on the EU list for enhanced due diligence (anti-money-laundering monitoring). That meant banks had to scrutinise borrowers from the UAE more intensively — many declined across the board.
Since August 2025 the European Commission has removed the UAE from that list. That has clearly improved the situation for Germans resident in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. It remains a special situation — not every bank assesses a UAE residence — but the choice of banks is clearly larger today than it was in 2023.
What's typical with a UAE residence
- Income in AED or USD: both possible; USD is often accepted more easily (counts as a hard currency)
- Employer: corporate employment with a contract term ≥ 2 years is preferred — the self-employed have a narrower circle of banks
- Loan-to-value: 60–100 %, depending on income type and creditworthiness — the country of residence decides which banks take the case, not the range; equity up to 40 % depending on the case, plus incidental costs
- Tax-free income: banks assess it separately (employment contract, payslips and bank statements instead of a tax assessment) — which bank takes your case is settled in the conversation
- UAE official documents: Emirates ID, visa, tenancy agreement or proof of ownership in Dubai/AUH — accepted in the original English
- Notary appointment: travelling in person to Germany (visa-free entry with a German passport) or a power of attorney with apostille from a UAE notary
Financing from other countries
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