Buying a property in Germany without travelling: what works, what does not
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.
In short
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).
Who arranges this?
Perini Finance & Property — licensed under §34i GewO, 650+ banks compared. I know the lenders whose credit policy provides for a residence abroad, and I run the process from the power of attorney to the payout.
Can I buy a property in Germany without travelling there?
For the most part, yes — but not for every step. 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 one step that always needs a notary
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
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 an online notary appointment does 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
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 the bank needs 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
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.
Buying without travelling — briefly answered
Does the notary have to be in the city where the property is?
Can my spouse sign for me?
How long does an apostille take?
Do I have to travel for the bank?
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