Mortgage application documents — the checklist for buying from abroad
The complete list of mortgage application documents — and the typical stumbling blocks. Everything visible here, nothing hidden behind a form. The fillable PDF and the personal financial statement come free of charge on top. Every paper a German bank asks for is listed in full below — nothing held back for a form.
Can I finance a German property while living abroad?
Yes. The loan is secured by a land charge on the German property itself. Four things have to come together: verifiable income, equity covering at least the purchase side costs, complete documents, and a bank that handles these cases. The usual grounds for rejection sit in the bank's process rather than with the buyer. Six recur: residence outside Germany, income in a foreign currency, no SCHUFA record after years abroad, a temporary residence permit, foreign documents without translation, and internal country or process limits. Each has a route around it. Without a SCHUFA history, creditworthiness is evidenced through income, account statements and assets. With foreign-currency income, what matters is how a given lender discounts it, not the currency itself. A refusal from the first bank therefore describes that bank's process. It says very little about your creditworthiness.
All 44 documents, by residence and scenario
This is the complete list — none of it sits behind a form. With a foreign nexus it is not creditworthiness that sets the pace but the document nobody thought of: the home-country credit report, the proof of country of residence, the conversion table for foreign-currency income.
Identification and residence
- ID card and passport, copies of all pages
- Residence permit with expiry, for non-EU citizens
- Current German registration certificate or proof of residence abroad
- Germans abroad: German de-registration certificate plus proof of residence abroad
- Employer letter if a visa extension is in prospect
Tax status
- Settled: limited (NRA) or unlimited tax liability? This single question decides half the document list
- For limited liability: proof of country of residence, e.g. a residence certificate
- Reference to the applicable double-taxation treaty, where relevant
Proof of income
- The last three payslips plus the prior-year December payslip
- Employment contract, complete including bonus arrangements
- Employer letter confirming unterminated employment
- Salary-account statements for the last six months, without gaps
- Tax assessments for the last two years — German and home-country
- Self-employed: balance sheets, BWA and tax assessments over two years
- For pension, parental or child benefit: the relevant award notice
Creditworthiness
- SCHUFA self-disclosure under Art. 15 GDPR, no more than one month old
- Home-country credit report, e.g. Equifax in the USA or Experian in the UK
Equity
- Proof of equity via account or portfolio statements
- Foreign holdings: translation and currency conversion
- Gift declaration where the equity comes from family
- KfW subsidy approval including repayment grant, if already issued
Income in a foreign currency
- The last twelve months of statements in the original currency
- Current conversion table used for recognition
- Hedging strategy, if the lender requires one
Residence in the USA or Canada
- W-2, 1099 and tax return for the last two years (USA)
- T4 and Notice of Assessment for the last two years (Canada)
- FATCA declaration for US persons
Residence in the United Kingdom
- P60 and P11D for the last two years
- HMRC tax return and SA302
Residence in Switzerland or Liechtenstein
- Salary certificate for the last two years
- Swiss tax return and withholding-tax certificate
Residence in the United Arab Emirates
- Employer salary certificate
- Residence visa and Emirates ID
For GmbH managing directors
- Shareholder list and commercial-register extract
- GmbH balance sheets for the last two years
- Director's service agreement
Once a property is selected
- Draft purchase contract — a draft is enough for the review
- Current land-register extract, no more than three months old
- Living-space calculation, energy certificate and current photos
- If let: the existing tenancy agreements
- Declaration of division, condominiums and multi-family houses only
- Building insurance policy for an existing property
- Building permit for new builds only, ground lease agreement for leasehold only
- Sales brochure or listing, if available
This list prepares a German mortgage with a foreign nexus. Whether a lender takes the case depends on the individual situation and varies widely between banks. Checklist as of August 2026. For questions on double-taxation treaties, limited tax liability or visa law, consult a tax advisor or lawyer.
Why the first bank rejects — and how it is solved
The most common reasons for rejection rarely lie with you, but in the bank's process. For each one there is a way through:
Residence abroad
Uncertainty about the applicable law and extra effort. Solution: approach banks with established procedures for non-resident borrowers.
Foreign-currency income
Francs, dollars, pounds trigger a blanket "no" at many houses. Solution: choose a bank with fair recognition of foreign currency.
No SCHUFA history
Anyone who has lived abroad for a long time often has no history. Solution: prove creditworthiness via income, bank statements and assets; the bank accepts this.
Temporary residence permit
A factor for some banks, not an exclusion. Solution: the right bank; established Blue-Card routes for skilled workers.
Incomplete documents
Foreign documents, missing translations. Solution: submit everything complete from the outset and, where necessary, translated.
Regulation & internal policies
Bank-internal country and process limits. Solution: deliberately select the bank whose policies fit the case.
Personal requirements
The requirements on the buyer's side, checked one by one:
- ✓ The property is located in Germany (secured by a land charge).
- ✓ Provable, ideally stable income — employed (preferably permanent) or self-employed with a proven earnings position.
- ✓ Clean creditworthiness; no burdensome open negative entries.
- ✓ Equity available — as a rule of thumb, at least the transaction costs.
- ✓ With a temporary residence permit: keep prospects and income in view (not an exclusion).
- ✓ For couples it often helps if one person brings adequate German-language skills or German citizenship.
Personal documents
- ✓ Valid passport or identity card (guide: still valid for at least 6 months).
- ✓ Proof of registration / proof of residence abroad.
- ✓ Residence permit / visa where applicable.
- ✓ For foreign documents: certified translations or explanations, if the bank requires them.
Income proofs
Employed:
- ✓ Employment contract.
- ✓ Recent payslips (usually for the last few months).
- ✓ Bank statements showing salary credits.
Self-employed:
- ✓ Annual accounts or income-surplus statements for the last two to three years.
- ✓ Current business analysis (BWA).
- ✓ Tax assessments.
With foreign-currency income, additionally: evidence showing the amount and stability of the income — banks sometimes count it with a safety discount.
Equity & property
Proof of equity:
- ✓ Bank/securities-account statements for the available equity.
- ✓ Proof of the origin of larger amounts (e.g. a sale, a gift).
Property documents:
- ✓ Listing (Exposé), recent photos.
- ✓ Floor plans and living/usable-area calculation.
- ✓ For freehold flats: declaration of division, minutes of the last owners' meetings, budget plan.
- ✓ For existing buildings: energy certificate; for tenanted property: tenancy agreements / rent schedule.
- ✓ For new builds: draft construction or purchase contract, building specification.
The exact list depends on country, type of income and bank. Transaction costs (property transfer tax, notary, land registry, estate agent where applicable) are added to the purchase price and should be paid from equity — estimate them with the transaction-cost calculator.
Country notes
- ✓ Switzerland: widest choice of banks with a permanent employment contract; the self-employed with higher equity. Residence in Switzerland →
- ✓ United Kingdom: residence in the UK, income in any currency; the self-employed with restrictions. Residence in the UK →
- ✓ USA/Canada & Asia: non-EU — the review depends more strongly on country and employer. Residence in the US, Canada and Asia →
- ✓ UAE/Dubai: provable income and equity are decisive. Residence in the UAE and Dubai →
- ✓ EU (e.g. Austria, Netherlands): a euro income makes things easier, but the residence abroad remains a factor for many banks. Residence elsewhere in the EU →
As a fillable PDF — free on top
This checklist also comes as a fillable PDF — free and without obligation by email, ideal for going into the initial call with structured documents. The self-disclosure form (DE/EN) is also available via a quick form.
Request the fillable PDFOpen the file directly — no form: Non-resident mortgage checklist (PDF, 8 pages)
Free · §34i GewO · not legal or tax advice · no financing commitment
Common questions about the checklist
Do I already need a specific property?
Do I have to submit everything at once?
Does the checklist apply to all countries?
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