Germans living abroad: a loan for property finance in Germany
Buying property in Germany while living abroad: all countries of residence, equity, documentation and how the mortgage actually works. Whether you are browsing German property for sale from the UK or the US, the financing side decides what you can bid. Where the income carries it, up to 100 % of the lending value is within reach, foreign-currency salaries included. With a residence abroad, incidental purchase costs come from own funds.
Can I finance a property in Germany as a German living abroad?
Yes, as a German living abroad you can still finance a property in Germany, but the rules change. The loan-to-value runs from 60 to 100 % of the lending value, depending on income type and creditworthiness. Which bank takes your case depends heavily on your country of residence, the currency of your income and your tax status.
Germans living abroad: what decides which banks will take your case?
Germans living abroad can finance German property — the country of residence decides which banks take the case.
Which four points decide feasibility? Residence decides the bank selection, not your citizenship. Most rejections come down to four checkable points — source of funds, payment routes, currency and document form — not the country itself. The document checklist.
Where do I start?
With the loan-to-value and documents: non-residents typically get 60–100%, depending on income type and creditworthiness (the country of residence decides which banks take the case, not the range), evidenced with statements, tax assessments and an employer confirmation — in English, without transferring money to Germany first. Which German banks finance non-residents?.
- 60–100% typical loan-to-value
- §34i GewO authorisation
- €0 for your advice
- DE property & loan
What is decided by country of residence — and what is not?
Which bank will take on your case at all depends heavily on your country of residence. The country of residence determines the pool of banks, not the loan-to-value range of 60–100 %.
- 60–100 % usual loan-to-value ratio; Section 34i Trade Regulation Act (GewO) licence; €0 for your consultation; DE property & loan.
- Who provides financing despite residence abroad? We broker independently under Section 34i of the German Trade Regulation Act (GewO) to the banks that actively accept this situation — what counts for the bank is not the German passport but tax residence.
- How much is lent? 60–100 %, depending on the type of income and credit rating — the country of residence determines the pool of banks, not the range; the choice of banks is narrower than for residents.
- Does foreign-currency income count? With some banks, yes, with a discount — which bank accepts which currency varies greatly by country of residence.
There are three reasons for a ‘no’: creditworthiness, equity – or the lending policy. Nobody can change the first two. The third is our area of expertise. A starting position that does not fit every lending policy is not an exclusion. However, we cannot solve financing that is not economically viable. Case studies for reason 3 →
Is there a loan for Germans abroad to finance a property in Germany? Yes, but the rules are different.
Which bank will take on your case at all depends heavily on your country of residence: residence in Switzerland, the EU or the USA is assessed differently from residence in the UAE or Asia; some countries narrow the pool of banks considerably.
On top of this come proof of income, the currency of the income and tax status.
The bottleneck is rarely creditworthiness, but whether an institution accepts borrowers resident in the country concerned at all.
Banks assess non-residents for tax purposes differently. Proof of income, currency and country of residence decide who finances. We know the banks that actively accept these cases and broker independently under Section 34i of the German Trade Regulation Act (GewO).
Why does residence decide, not citizenship?
German nationals living abroad routinely assume that their passport keeps the ordinary rules in place. For a bank it does not. What matters is where you are tax-resident — whether you maintain a residence or habitual abode in Germany within the meaning of §§ 8 and 9 of the German Fiscal Code. If you have given up your German residence, you are subject to limited tax liability (§ 1 (4) EStG). In banking language: a tax non-resident. The passport changes nothing.
It is that status, not your salary, that halves the field of lenders. An engineer earning well in Zurich collects rejections that the same engineer living in Stuttgart would never have received.
What are the reasons banks rarely state openly?
The reasons are the question of which law applies, § 505d BGB, foreign-currency income and the practical layer, such as serving documents abroad and identification under anti-money-laundering rules.
Which law applies. Under the Rome I Regulation a consumer habitually resident abroad may in certain cases invoke mandatory protective provisions of that country.
The lender then cannot be certain how the contract would be construed in a dispute — and uncertainty is more expensive than default risk.
§ 505d BGB. If the bank assesses creditworthiness improperly, the borrower may reduce the interest rate to market level and terminate at any time. Foreign income makes a defensible assessment harder — so the exposure to that sanction rises.
Foreign currency. Income in a foreign currency has to be converted into euros and is credited only with a safety discount.
Some lenders do not accept foreign-currency income at all — others do; that is what decides the pool of banks, not the amount of the income.
The practical layer. Serving documents abroad, identification under anti-money-laundering rules, evidencing the source of equity held offshore, enforcement in the worst case. All solvable — none of it solvable inside an automated application process.
Some lenders do handle this. There are few of them, they do not advertise it, and comparison portals will not find them. That access is what this advice is for.
Who pays the broker — and how can the independence be checked? For a German mortgage the lending bank usually pays the brokerage. Not every bank does; where none does, we agree our fee with you beforehand.
Where it fails: The four points that decide feasibility — before you approach a bank.
UAE / Dubai residence: Tax-free income, proof of income and the right banks for UAE residence.
USA · UK · Asia expats: Several locations abroad, one logic: proof of income and bank selection compared.
Why does each country of residence have its own page?
The situations differ more than they first appear — which is why each country has its own page. What separates them: the currency of the income, whether a double taxation agreement applies, how the income can be proven to a German bank, and whether there is a prospect of returning. An emigrant to Switzerland has almost nothing in common with an emigrant to Dubai, except that neither has a residence in Germany.
Under ‘By country of residence’ above, find the situation that applies to you. If none fits — multiple residences, a planned return, a move to an employer abroad during the financing — this is not a reason for exclusion, just a case for a conversation.
If no contract is concluded in the end, you incur no costs.
In concrete terms, independent of banks means: access to over 650 banks via the platform connections Prohyp, Baufinex, Forum, ABACUS and Hyposmart — from major banks and regional institutions to banks without a branch business.
For each case, typically 6 to 10 institutions remain that regularly accept exactly this situation.
The licence under Section 34i(1), first sentence, of the Trade Regulation Act (GewO) and Section 34c GewO bears the broker register number D-W-132-ZUCB-95, registered since 26 September 2016 with the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for the Middle Lower Rhine (IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein), professional indemnity insurance (Berufshaftpflicht) with Allianz — verifiable free of charge at vermittlerregister.info.
We also say no when a financing is not viable, and earn nothing from that case. The details are under Remuneration.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get financing at all with residence abroad?
We broker independently under Section 34i of the German Trade Regulation Act (GewO) to the banks that actively accept residence in Switzerland. What is decisive is not the German passport but tax residence: you count as a non-resident for tax purposes with limited tax liability; the loan-to-value ratio is 60–100 %, depending on the type of income and credit rating. The choice of banks is narrower than for residents and depends on the country of residence — for Switzerland we know the right banks.
Which documents do I need?
Proof of income, proof of identity and property documents. With foreign-currency income, conversion evidence is added. We tell you in advance what your bank requires.
How can I secure financing in Germany without a current German SCHUFA credit history (as someone returning to Germany or a newcomer)?
SCHUFA is a purely German credit reference system with no automatic link to foreign agencies — anyone who has lived abroad for a long time simply has no up-to-date entries there, neither positive nor negative. This is not grounds for rejection, but it does shift the focus of the assessment: banks rely more heavily on proof of income, length of employment, bank statements and available equity rather than on a credit history. A higher level of equity further improves the range of potential banks to choose from.
Will the bank count my foreign-currency income?
Some do, with a discount. Which bank accepts which currency varies a lot — that is exactly where we come in.
Let’s talk about your financing
Message us on WhatsApp or book a 30-minute call. The first check is free of charge.
Related pages
Non-resident overview
The starting point: requirements, documents and loan-to-value when you buy in Germany from abroad.
Swiss residence
CHF income, proximity to the border, bank selection — the specifics for Swiss residence.
NL / Austria residence
Neighbouring countries with their own set of banks — what counts for NL and AT residence.
Living in Scandinavia
Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland — four very different starting points.
Living in Russia
Sanctions govern the capital transfer — the most demanding of the constellations.
Financing a property abroad
Banks and criteria for buyers from Germany in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France and Austria.
Loan-to-value limit for non-residents: How much will the bank lend?
For those resident abroad, the loan-to-value limit extends up to 100 % of the mortgage value; the range is between 60 and 100 %, depending on the type of income and creditworthiness.
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.
