Foreign currency mortgage: will a German bank count CHF, USD or GBP income?
Income in CHF, USD, GBP, SGD or another foreign currency — and still a German mortgage. How banks calculate and which discounts are typical. A mortgage for foreigners in Germany is entirely possible — the key is picking a bank that actually handles foreign income.
Is a foreign currency mortgage in Germany actually a euro loan?
Yes, it is a euro loan that counts your income after a safety discount. You do not need a foreign-currency loan but a euro loan that values your foreign-currency income correctly. Banks apply a safety discount of 10–50 % on the euro-converted income, depending on currency and type of income.
What does foreign-currency income mean for the bank?
For the bank it means a euro loan with a safety discount of 10–50% on your euro-converted income, depending on currency and type of income. The pool of banks is broadest for CHF and smaller for GBP and USD.
Can I get a German mortgage on a salary in CHF, USD or GBP? Yes. You do not need a foreign-currency loan but a euro loan that values your foreign-currency income correctly. Banks apply a safety discount of 10–50% on the euro-converted income, depending on currency and type of income.
Mortgage for expats: which currency has which pool of banks? CHF is the broadest (about 15–25% of banks), GBP 8–15%, USD 5–10%. The more exotic the currency, the smaller the circle of banks that actively finance it.
What is typical for equity?
Up to 40% equity depending on the case, plus incidental costs; loan-to-value is 60–100%, depending on income type and credit standing — the country of residence decides which banks take the case, not the range. A German notary is mandatory; bilingual English-German documents are possible. Calculate the closing costs.
Can I get a foreign currency mortgage in Germany with income in CHF, USD, GBP or SGD? Yes, a foreign currency mortgage in Germany is possible with income in CHF, USD, GBP, SGD or another foreign currency — but the bank calculates differently.
Because the exchange rate can move, it does not count foreign-currency income in full but applies a safety discount; how large that discount is depends on the currency, its stability and the type of income.
Stable, freely convertible currencies are accepted more readily than volatile ones.
What matters is not only the amount of income but its verifiability and regularity — and whether a given institution accepts foreign-currency income in its affordability calculation at all.
This is exactly where the choice of lender differs from pure euro income: not every bank underwrites such cases, and those that do require different documentation.
Which ones they are belongs in a conversation, not on the page. Not legal or tax advice.
If you want to take out a mortgage in Germany but your income flows in a currency other than the euro — typically CHF (Switzerland), USD (USA), GBP (UK), SGD (Singapore), AUD, JPY — special rules apply. The income currencies we place are listed on the non-resident page.
Banks have to assess the foreign-exchange risk: what happens if the exchange rate moves against you? Can you still pay the instalment? That is why banks apply a safety discount to the income converted into euros — 10–50 %, depending on currency and type of income.
Which currency has which choice of banks?
The choice of banks depends on the currency: CHF has around 15–25 % of banks active, USD 5–10 %, GBP 8–15 % and SGD/HKD around 3–5 %.
CHF (Swiss francs): an established large group, around 15–25 % of all banks active. Safer than most third currencies because of the close DE–CH economic area. USD (US dollars): a smaller pool of banks, 5–10 % of all banks.
FATCA matters where there is US tax liability. GBP (British pounds): better post-Brexit than in 2019, around 8–15 % of all banks. SGD / HKD (Singapore, Hong Kong): few banks, around 3–5 %. Corporate employment preferred.
AUD / CAD: similar to USD, a 5–8 % pool of banks. JPY (Japanese yen): very small, around 2–3 banks. CNY (Chinese yuan): a very small pool of banks — capital controls make proof of equity more involved.
EU currencies other than the euro (PLN, SEK, DKK, HUF): earners are usually resident there too — and credit policies read income currency and country of residence together. Some lenders do not accept this constellation — others do. The pool of banks is correspondingly small.
What is typical with a foreign currency?
Typical with foreign-currency income are an income discount of 10–50 %, equity of up to 40 % plus incidental costs, a loan-to-value of 60–100 % and, at some banks, a rate premium of +0.1–0.3 %.
Income discount: 10–50 % on the euro-converted value — the bank calculates more conservatively; Equity: up to 40 % depending on the case, plus incidental costs; Loan-to-value: 60–100 %, depending on income type and credit standing — the country of residence decides which banks take the case, not the range;
Rate premium: some banks add +0.1–0.3 %, others none; Notary & written form: English-German accompanying texts possible, a German notary is mandatory; Proof of equity: bank statements from the past 12 months from the foreign bank are accepted.
What do I actually do?
We do four things: a pre-enquiry on which banks are active for your currency, a shortlist of 6 to 10 institutions, the document package, and the coordination of the application including the contract review.
Pre-enquiry: we check in advance which banks are active for your currency & situation; Bank shortlist: 6 to 10 institutions with international experience; Document package: English-German preparation, all tax assessments and employer confirmations; Application coordination: we communicate with the bank and review the contract.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a German mortgage on a salary in CHF, USD or GBP?
Yes. You do not need a foreign-currency loan but a euro loan that values your foreign-currency income correctly. Banks apply a safety discount of 10–50% on the euro-converted income, depending on currency and type of income.
Mortgage for expats: which currency has which pool of banks?
CHF is the broadest (about 15–25% of banks), GBP 8–15%, USD 5–10%. The more exotic the currency, the smaller the circle of banks that actively finance it.
What is typical for equity?
Up to 40% equity depending on the case, plus incidental costs; loan-to-value is 60–100%, depending on income type and credit standing — the country of residence decides which banks take the case, not the range. A German notary is mandatory; bilingual English-German documents are possible.
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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.