Buy property in Germany – Buy property without travelling: what can you do from outside Germany?
The purchase deed is the one step German law does not let you skip. Everything around it — identification, documents, signatures — has routes that work from where you live.
Buy property without travelling: which step still needs a notary?
You can largely buy property without travelling: only the purchase deed always needs a notary (§ 311b Abs. 1 BGB). A properly drafted power of attorney lets a representative appear before the notary for you, and the bank's identification usually runs by video ident. The power of attorney normally has to be notarially certified.
The one step that always needs a notary
The purchase contract has to be notarised under § 311b Abs. 1 BGB, and that never falls away. A power of attorney only changes who stands in the notary's office for you.
- Can I buy without being in Germany? Yes, through a power of attorney. The purchase contract itself has to be notarised — that part never falls away (§ 311b Abs. 1 BGB).
- Who certifies my signature abroad? German missions abroad, within their remit. Whether the mission responsible for you performs the specific certification differs from country to country.
- What does the bank still need me for? Identification. It usually runs by video ident; the money laundering rules allow a procedure with an equivalent level of security (§ 13 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 GwG). Signing from abroad.
- Who arranges this? Perini Finance & Property — licensed under §34i GewO, 650+ banks compared. we know the lenders whose credit policy provides for a residence abroad, and we run the process from the power of attorney to the payout.
- Can I buy property in Germany without travelling there? For the most part, you can buy property without travelling — but not every step works that way. German law requires the purchase contract to be notarised, and that requirement never falls away.
What can fall away is your presence: a properly drafted power of attorney lets a representative appear before the notary for you.
The catch is the form.
The power of attorney normally has to be notarially certified, and a certification issued abroad only counts in Germany once it is legalised — by apostille under the Hague Convention, or by consular legalisation for states outside it.
That takes weeks in some countries, so it belongs at the start of the process, not at the end. The bank's own identification is a separate matter and usually runs by video ident.
What we do not offer as a route is having the purchase contract notarised abroad. It is contested, and we do not build a purchase on a contested foundation.
The purchase contract for land and buildings is void without notarisation. That is not bank practice; it is the civil code (§ 311b Abs. 1 BGB), and no power of attorney changes it. What a power of attorney changes is who stands in the notary's office.
Power of attorney beforehand, or approval afterwards
Either a representative signs with a notarially certified power of attorney in the form the German notary accepts, or signs without authority and you approve the contract afterwards with a certified approval (§ 177 Abs. 1 BGB).
The power of attorney: the form decides: Which form the German notary accepts is decided by that notary, before anything is signed. In practice it is a notarially certified power of attorney; ask the notary for the wording they expect rather than sending one you drafted.
Or: sign later, by approving: A representative can sign the deed without holding authority at that moment, and you approve the contract afterwards (§ 177 Abs. 1 BGB).
The approval is not bound to the form of the contract itself (§ 182 Abs. 2 BGB), but the land registry only enters what is publicly certified (§ 29 Abs. 1 GBO) — so the approval gets certified, at a German mission or by a local notary with an apostille.
This is the route to take when the appointment is set before the power of attorney is ready.
What does an online notary appointment not cover?
Notaries in Germany do run online procedures, and people reasonably ask whether one of them replaces the trip.
For a property purchase it does not: the Bundesnotarkammer states on its own page that the online procedures do not apply to buying a property. So the question is not online or in person — it is which of the two routes above you take.
Who certifies your signature where you live?
Your signature is certified at a German mission abroad or by a local notary; a local certification is enough only once it is legalised by apostille or consular legalisation.
Certification at a German mission abroad: German missions certify signatures within their remit. Whether the mission responsible for you performs the certification you need varies by country, and the appointment lead time varies with it. Check the country page of that mission first.
Apostille or consular legalisation: A certification by a local notary is enough only once it is legalised: apostille for states in the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, consular legalisation for the others. The second route runs through the German mission and takes considerably longer.
What does the bank need you for?
The bank identifies you separately from the notary. Video ident is the usual route; the law allows procedures with an equivalent level of security (§ 13 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 GwG). Whether your document is accepted is a technical question worth testing early. Which route which lender accepts is set out in the wiki: Signing from abroad.
What we do not offer: Having the purchase contract notarised abroad. It is contested, and a contested route is not a route for a purchase. Anyone offering it to you as the simple solution is moving the risk onto you.
What to start early, and why: The power of attorney and its legalisation are the two steps with an outside waiting time you cannot shorten: an appointment at a mission abroad, and an apostille from a foreign authority. Both are named on the official pages as varying by country. Everything the bank asks of you runs in parallel — the document list is in the non-resident checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Does the notary have to be in the city where the property is?
No. Any German notary can notarise the deed; in practice the notary is usually chosen near the property because the land registry and the local files sit there.
Can my spouse sign for me?
Only with a power of attorney in the form the notary requires. Being married does not create that authority.
How long does an apostille take?
It depends on the country, from days to several weeks. Start it before you have a completion date, not after.
Do I have to travel for the bank?
Usually not. Video ident is accepted by many German banks; some still insist on an appointment in Germany, which is part of choosing the bank. In full: Signing from abroad.
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Editorially responsible: Olga Nikushkina — owner, §34i GewO (German mortgage brokerage), adviser register D-W-132-ZUCB-95. Specialised in German property financing with an international dimension: non-residents, foreign-currency income, cross-border workers, expats. Siegfried Perini is entered in the German intermediary register under this licence as a person directly involved in brokerage and advice (§ 11a GewO), active in real estate since 1992. Not legal or tax advice.