Buy a house in Germany from Dubai: German banks for UAE residents
Resident in Dubai or the UAE — and still a property owner in Germany? Since August 2025 the UAE has been removed from the EU risk list. That has clearly improved banks’ willingness to lend. A residence permit in Germany is one factor among several the bank weighs, not a blocker on its own.
Do German banks finance you to buy a house in Germany from Dubai?
Yes, German banks lend noticeably more readily to residents of Dubai than three years ago. Until August 2025 the United Arab Emirates sat on the EU list of high-risk third countries for money laundering, and many banks declined as a blanket policy. Since its removal willingness to lend has improved, though dirham income is credited with a safety discount.
Buy a house in Germany from Dubai: since when do German banks lend more readily?
You can buy a house in Germany from Dubai — since August 2025 German banks lend to UAE residents more readily.
Why are German banks now more willing than before to provide financing to people resident in Dubai?
Until August 2025, the United Arab Emirates was on the EU’s list of countries requiring enhanced due diligence for money laundering; since its removal from that list, banks’ willingness to cooperate has improved noticeably.
Do German banks provide loans to people resident in Dubai? German banks are now significantly more likely to provide loans to people resident in Dubai than they were three years ago, and there is a specific reason for this. Until August 2025, the United Arab Emirates was on the EU list of countries requiring enhanced due diligence for money laundering. Banks were required to scrutinise borrowers from there more closely, and many therefore rejected applications across the board — not because of creditworthiness, but because of the administrative burden.
Since being removed from this list, the willingness to cooperate has improved noticeably. It remains a special case, however. Income is paid in dirhams and is therefore calculated with a safety margin. A high net income in Dubai does not automatically mean a high taxable income in Germany.
These figures do not include the deductions that a German bank applies in any case. The key factor remains choosing the banks that accept this residence in their lending guidelines.
✓ Removed from the EU risk list since August 2025; up to 40 % equity capital depending on the case + purchase costs; AED · USD at specialist banks.
Non-resident mortgage: which income and loan-to-value do banks accept?
Income in AED or USD is accepted at specialist banks, with a loan-to-value of 60–100 % depending on income type and creditworthiness.
Non-resident mortgage: can I buy a house in Germany while living in Dubai or the UAE? Yes. Since the UAE was removed from the EU risk list in August 2025, banks’ willingness to lend has clearly improved.
Income in AED or USD is accepted at specialist banks. Loan-to-value 60–100 %, depending on income type and creditworthiness — the country of residence decides which banks take the case, not the range; equity up to 40 % depending on the case, plus incidental costs. Calculate the closing costs.
Is tax-free UAE income easy to finance?
Clients from the Emirates come with an understandable expectation: high salary, no income tax (Einkommensteuer), correspondingly large savings — so the financing should be easy. It usually is not, and the reason has nothing to do with the level of income.
A German bank checks income using documents it knows — above all the tax assessment notice (Steuerbescheid). In a country without income tax, there is none. This means that precisely the document that would prove the sustainability of the income is missing. What remains are the employment contract, payslips and bank statements. Some banks accept these, many do not. It is not mistrust, but the requirement for a documented creditworthiness assessment — whose incorrect performance is sanctioned under Section 505d of the German Civil Code (BGB).
Added to this is the fixed term: residence permits and employment contracts in the UAE are almost always limited in time and tied to the employer. For a 20-year financing, this is a question that must be answered — not one to skip over.
What applies to a UAE or Dubai residence in 2026?
Banks examine tax-free income from Dubai separately: instead of the tax assessment notice, the employment contract, payslips and bank statements are used, which some banks accept. The loan-to-value ratio is 60–100 %, depending on the type of income and creditworthiness.
Do banks accept tax-free income from Dubai? Yes. In a country without income tax (Einkommensteuer), there is no tax assessment notice (Steuerbescheid) — it is replaced by the employment contract, payslips and bank statements, which some banks accept. Income in AED or USD is possible (USD as a hard currency is often easier).
Banks examine tax-free income separately — we clarify which bank will take your case in our conversation. Loan-to-value 60–100 %, depending on the type of income and creditworthiness — the country of residence determines the pool of banks, not the loan-to-value range; equity accordingly up to 40 % depending on the case, plus acquisition costs. Calculate acquisition costs.
What do I need to consider regarding equity? Equity from the Gulf region is examined particularly carefully under the Money Laundering Act — in full, right back to its source. A cleanly documented proof of origin (Herkunftsnachweis) before the enquiry saves weeks and avoids a rejection shortly before payout. We compile the documents before the first enquiry goes out. Document checklist.
The currency issue: which peculiarity applies?
The dirham is pegged to the US dollar. This takes the edge off the exchange rate issue vis-à-vis the dollar — but not vis-à-vis the euro. The currency risk associated with AED income remains: banks apply a discount of 10–25 % (50 % for 100 % financing), depending on the currency and type of income, and the peg to the dollar does nothing to change this.
What works: The circle of banks is small, but it does exist — and no other configuration rewards good preparation quite so clearly.
Main page for Germans living abroad (Overview): An overview of all countries of residence.
Which income, employment and documents do banks expect from UAE residents?
Typical points are income in AED or USD, a preference for corporate employment with a contract term of at least 2 years, a loan-to-value of 60–100 %, separately assessed tax-free income, UAE official documents in English and the notary appointment.
Income in AED or USD: both possible; USD is often accepted more easily (counts as a hard currency); Employer: corporate employment with a contract term ≥ 2 years is preferred — the self-employed have a narrower circle of banks; Loan-to-value: 60–100 %, depending on income type and creditworthiness — the country of residence decides which banks take the case, not the range; equity up to 40 % depending on the case, plus incidental costs;
Tax-free income: banks assess it separately (employment contract, payslips and bank statements instead of a tax assessment) — which bank takes your case is settled in the conversation; UAE official documents: Emirates ID, visa, tenancy agreement or proof of ownership in Dubai/AUH — accepted in the original English; Notary appointment: travelling in person to Germany (visa-free entry with a German passport) or a power of attorney with apostille from a UAE notary.
Frequently asked questions
Is financing possible despite tax-free income?
Yes. What matters is the demonstrable level and stability of income and the security registered in the German land register — not whether it is taxed in the UAE.
Why wasn't it possible before?
The UAE was on the EU list of high-risk countries, which led many German banks to decline. That classification was lifted in August 2025.
Does this also apply to a let apartment?
Yes, buy-to-let properties are possible too. Discuss the tax side (no double-taxation treaty with the UAE) with your tax adviser; we handle the financing.
Do I have to be a German citizen?
No. What is decisive is the overall constellation of residence, income and property, not citizenship.
I'm planning to return from the UAE to Germany — what changes?
Residence permits and employment contracts in the UAE are usually fixed-term anyway — many clients are already planning the return. Buying for owner-occupation after your return widens the pool of banks compared with pure investment, and regular KfW programmes can become accessible with a fixed return date.
As long as you still live outside the EU and Switzerland, KfW requires a legal opinion that hardly any bank provides — so KfW usually only applies once you have moved to Germany. The missing UAE tax certificate remains the central evidencing challenge until your return — we assemble the alternative documentation in advance.
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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.
