Mortgage in Germany: the documents and papers the bank wants to see
Which documents does a German bank need? Three compact PDFs for residents, expats and non-resident taxpayers, free of charge.
Which documents does a German bank require for a mortgage?
The documents for a German mortgage fall into three groups: proof of income, proof of equity and property documents. Non-resident taxpayers and expats additionally need their residence permit, details of income in a foreign currency and documents on limited tax liability. Completeness comes before the interest rate, because every follow-up request from the bank costs days.
What you get:
- Mortgage checklist Germany · standard documents for employees and the self-employed
- Checklist for non-resident taxpayers & expats · residence permit, foreign currency, non-resident tax, CRR III
- KfW funding compass 2026 · the most important funding programmes at a glance
- Ready to use · tick them off before you go to the bank
Open the PDF directly — no form: Mortgage documents — checklist (PDF, 9 pages, German/English) (Nederlands · Français) · What the checklist covers · All KfW programmes 2026 with amounts · KfW funding overview 2026 (PDF, 4 pages) (Nederlands) · Non-resident mortgage checklist (PDF, 9 pages) (Nederlands · Français)
What do the mortgage checklists cover?
The checklists show which documents banks require for a mortgage in Germany, with all 58 documents sorted into income, equity, property and liabilities. Non-resident taxpayers and expats have their own checklist.
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Are all 58 documents listed here — also as a PDF? Yes — all 58 documents are listed in full below, sorted into income, equity, property and liabilities; as a PDF also free by email.
Why do so many financings fail because of documents? Not because of creditworthiness, but because of the missing document — which is usually noticed only once the purchase contract has been scheduled.
Is there a separate list for buyers with ties abroad? Yes — non-resident taxpayers and expats partly need different documents (residence permit, source of funds, proof of income in a foreign currency) and therefore have their own checklist.
The bilingual self-disclosure form (DE/EN) is a free download.
Which 58 documents belong in the file, by group?
Identification (5 documents) and proof of income (9 documents) come first, then equity, property and liabilities. Each document shows where to obtain it.
This is the complete list — none of it sits behind the form. Go through the list once from top to bottom and your folder is full before the bank asks.
Identification (5 documents):
- ID card or passport, copies of both sides
- Where from: your own documents
- Non-EU citizens: residence permit with expiry
- Where from: immigration office, usually already in your files
- Current registration certificate
- Where from: local registration office
- Marriage contract or divorce decree, if applicable
- Where from: notary or family court, usually in your files
- If separated: notarised separation agreement and maintenance arrangement, if applicable
- Where from: notary or lawyer
Proof of income (9 documents):
- Last three payslips plus the prior-year December payslip
- Where from: employer or payroll office
- Latest annual wage tax certificate (Lohnsteuerbescheinigung)
- Where from: your employer — also available in your ELSTER account
- Employment contract — mandatory for fixed-term contracts
- Where from: your own files or HR department
- Latest income-tax assessment and the corresponding return
- Where from: tax office or tax adviser
- All tax documents — tax returns and tax assessments — from every country in which you are liable to tax
- Where from: tax authorities of each country or tax adviser
- Civil servants: certificate of tenured appointment
- Where from: public employer or HR office
Pensioners: current pension or civil-service pension notice (statutory, professional scheme, civil service, occupational, private); Where from: pension insurer, professional scheme or pension provider; Current pension forecast statement if the loan term runs into retirement; Where from: German statutory pension insurance (DRV); Parental or child benefit: current award notice; Where from: parental-benefit office or family benefits office.
Assets and equity (6 documents):
- Proof of equity: account and portfolio statements, no more than four weeks old
- Where from: your bank or online banking
- Home-savings account statement, if any
- Where from: building society
- Life-insurance surrender-value certificate, if it is being used
- Where from: life insurer
Gift declaration from relatives, if the equity comes from family; Where from: the donors, in writing and signed; SCHUFA or credit report, if the bank asks for it; Where from: SCHUFA — the data copy under Art. 15 GDPR is free; KfW subsidy approval including repayment grant, if already issued; Where from: financing bank or KfW.
Existing liabilities (5 documents):
- Loan and leasing contracts with current balance
- Where from: your own files
- current balance from the lender
- Guarantees you have given and private loans: copy of the agreement with current balance
- Where from: your own documents or the lender
- Other property loans: loan agreements and the latest annual statements
- Where from: your own files
- annual statements from the bank
- Maintenance order, if applicable
- Where from: family court, youth welfare office or notary
- Health-insurance premium statement
- Where from: health insurer
Additionally for the self-employed (6 documents):
- Tax assessments for the last three years
- Where from: tax office or tax adviser
- Balance sheets or income-surplus accounts for the last three years
- Where from: tax adviser
- Current BWA with trial balance — from July, the annual accounts
- Where from: tax adviser
- Trade registration or craft-register entry
- Where from: trade office or chamber of crafts
- Managing shareholders: articles of association and current commercial-register extract
- Where from: company records, commercial-register extract
- If you hold several companies or stakes: overview of the holdings (group structure chart)
- Where from: your tax adviser
Property documents, once a property is found (21 documents):
- Purchase contract — a draft is enough for the pre-check
- Where from: notary
- Current land-register extract, no more than three months old
- Where from: seller, notary or land registry
- Cadastral map or site plan
- Where from: cadastral or surveying office
- Living-space calculation
- Where from: seller, property manager, developer or architect
- Floor plans and construction drawings with dimensions
- Where from: seller, developer, architect or building authority
- Sectional drawing with dimensions, for houses
- Where from: architect, developer or building authority
- Calculation of the enclosed volume (cubature), not for condominiums
- Where from: architect or developer
- Current property photos: exterior front, side, rear and interior
- Where from: take them yourself or ask the agent
- Energy certificate — mandatory on sale since 2014
- Where from: seller or agent
- Declaration of division, condominiums and multi-family houses only
- Where from: property manager, seller or land registry
- For a flat: current budget plan or latest service charge statement of the owners' association
- Where from: property management or the seller
- Building insurance policy for an existing property
- Where from: seller or building insurer
- Building specification and permit, new builds only
- Where from: developer, architect or building authority
- When buying a plot: development plan, extract from the register of building encumbrances and a list of the development costs
- Where from: building authority or municipality
- Construction contract with payment schedule, new builds only — a draft is enough for the pre-check
- Where from: developer or construction company
- For a new build: proof of fire insurance during construction and builder's liability insurance
- Where from: your insurer
- Cost breakdown by trade or contractor quotes, for new builds, conversions or modernisation
- Where from: architect, contractor quotes or your own list
- List of planned self-performed work, split into materials and labour — only if you do part of the work yourself
- Where from: your own list, signed
- List of past modernisations with year, for existing properties
- Where from: seller or your own list with invoices
- Ground lease agreement, leasehold properties only
- Where from: seller, notary or land registry
- Sales brochure or listing, if available
- Where from: agent or seller
If the property is let (2 documents):
- Existing tenancy agreements and the last three months of rent received
- Where from: seller or your own bank statements
- New build: the expected rent from the local rent index
- Where from: local rent index
Refinancing and follow-on financing (4 documents):
- The complete existing loan agreement
- Where from: your own documents
- The last two annual statements from the existing bank
- Where from: current lender
- Outstanding-balance certificate
- Where from: current lender
- Land-charge deed of the current lender
- Where from: your own files, notary or current lender
This list is for preparation and is not an offer. Which documents a bank actually requests depends on the lender and the case — items that do not apply simply fall away. Checklist as of 25 September 2026.
Which document mistakes cost the most time in a German mortgage application?
Outdated and incomplete documents cost the most time, not weak creditworthiness. The bank checks dates and completeness first; anything that falls short is requested again, and every follow-up request pushes the approval back.
Bank statements too old — Proof of equity may be no more than four weeks old. The bank asks for fresh statements otherwise. Land-register extract too old — It may be no more than three months old — otherwise it has to be ordered again. December payslip missing — Besides the last three payslips, the bank wants the prior-year December payslip. It shows the annual totals including bonuses.
Source of equity unclear — Larger incoming payments need evidence: a sale, an inheritance or a gift. A gift from family belongs in the file in writing and signed. Property documents incomplete — For houses, the sectional drawing and the cubature calculation are often missing; for existing properties, the list of modernisations. Without them the bank cannot value the property.
Outdated BWA for the self-employed — The management accounts must be current; from July the bank expects the prior year's annual accounts. Tax documents from one country only — Anyone liable to tax in several countries submits returns and assessments from all of them.
When do you need which documents for a mortgage in Germany?
Mortgage documents come in four steps: personal documents before the search, property documents as soon as a property is in play, contract documents before the notary appointment and the last proofs up to the payout. Following this order, you know your financing framework at the viewing.
1. Before the search — ID, proof of income, tax assessments, proof of equity and the free SCHUFA data copy — together they show which purchase price is affordable. The self-disclosure form collects these details. 2. As soon as a property is in play — Listing, floor plans, living-space calculation, energy certificate and photos; for flats also the declaration of division. The bank uses them to value the property.
3. Before the notary appointment — Draft purchase contract, current land-register extract and cadastral map; for new builds the construction contract with payment schedule. 4. Up to the payout — The signed purchase contract and proof of building insurance; for new builds, proof of construction progress before each instalment.
How the steps fit together is shown in the financing process.
How much does an incomplete file actually cost?
A bank does not carry out its checks in one go. It works in cycles: it requests documents, waits, checks them, and then requests further documents. Each additional request takes days — and such requests almost never arise because the content of a document is problematic, but because it wasn’t included.
In a relaxed market, this is frustrating. In a sale involving a notary appointment, it spells the end: the seller won’t wait, the confirmation of financing hasn’t been provided, and the property goes to the next prospective buyer — who had their paperwork in order. We see this scenario regularly, and it has nothing to do with the buyer’s financial strength.
That is why the correct sequence is not ‘find a property, then ask the bank’, but rather: Gather the necessary documents, clarify your financing options, then start looking. Anyone who goes to a viewing with a firm commitment negotiates differently — and is treated differently by the estate agent.
Why does the bank scrutinise income, equity, the property and liabilities so closely? The bank is not looking for the highest figure, but for a sustainable one; and under the Money Laundering Act, the source of the equity must be documented.
Income. For employees, the most recent payslips and the employment contract; for the self-employed, three annual accounts plus the latest business analysis. The bank is not looking for the highest figure, but for a sustainable one. One strong year sandwiched between two weak ones is of little help. Equity — and its source. The account balance alone is not enough. Under the Money Laundering Act, you must provide evidence of where the money comes from: salary, sale, inheritance, gift. Where funds originate from abroad, this is the most common reason why approved financing is held up just before disbursement.
We prepare this chain of documents before the enquiry is made, not afterwards. Property. Property description, floor plan, living space calculation, energy performance certificate (Energieausweis); for flats, additionally the declaration of division (Teilungserklärung), minutes of owners’ meetings and the current status of the maintenance reserve. The bank does not finance the purchase price, but rather a mortgageable value — which it determines from these documents. Liabilities. Outstanding loans, leasing agreements, maintenance obligations — and also credit facilities that you never use. An overdraft facility granted to you is taken into account, whether you draw on it or not.
Why is there a separate list for this? Anyone living abroad or earning in a foreign currency doesn’t just have to submit more documents — they have to submit different ones. And some of these don’t even exist in Germany: in a country without income tax (Einkommensteuer), there is no tax assessment notice (Steuerbescheid). A British P60 or a Dutch jaaropgave are fully valid documents, but they are unfamiliar formats — they need to be explained, otherwise the assessment will be abandoned before anyone has even looked at them.
In addition, there are documents that are never required in domestic cases: residence permits, proof of tax residence, evidence of the source of funds from abroad and, where applicable, proof of income in foreign currency. This is precisely why the checklist for non-resident taxpayers is not an extended version of the standard list, but a separate one. For more background information: Germans living abroad and Expatriates in Germany.
The bilingual self-disclosure form (DE/EN) exists because the same information is required in two languages: you complete it in the language you think in — the bank reads it in the language in which it carries out its checks.
Mortgage checklist Germany — documents for residents, expats & non-resident taxpayers
Three compact PDFs for your mortgage in Germany: standard checklist, non-resident taxpayer edition and the KfW funding compass. From practice. Directly by email.
Already at the application stage? The fillable forms are available via a quick form: self-disclosure form (DE/EN) and net-worth statement (DE/EN).
In a relaxed market that is annoying. In a purchase with a notary appointment it is the end: the seller does not wait, the financing confirmation is not there, the property goes to the next buyer — the one who had their documents together. We see this sequence regularly, and it has nothing to do with the buyer's financial strength.
Equity for a German property — and where it comes from: the account balance alone is not enough. Under the German Money Laundering Act, it must be shown where the money comes from: salary, sale, inheritance, gift. For funds from abroad, this is the most common reason why an approved financing stalls shortly before payout. We prepare this chain before the application, not after.
Buyers abroad also need documents that never appear in the domestic case: residence permit, proof of tax residence, evidence of the source of funds across borders and, where applicable, proof of income in a foreign currency. That is exactly why the non-resident checklist is not an extended version of the standard list but a separate one. More background: Germans living abroad and Expats in Germany.
Frequently asked questions
Which documents do I need for a mortgage in Germany? Is there a checklist?
Yes — the complete list of all 58 documents is on this page, sorted into the four blocks income, equity, property and liabilities. As PDFs, the checklists for residents, expats and non-resident taxpayers are free — open them directly or request them by email.
What does the checklist cost?
Nothing. The PDFs are free and without obligation.
Is there a checklist for non-resident taxpayers?
Yes. Alongside the standard checklist there is a dedicated version for non-resident taxpayers. The bilingual self-disclosure form is a free download and does not need to be requested.
How do I get the PDFs?
Open them directly via the links on this page, or request them with the form and receive them by email.
Mortgage: Which documents should you put in your application pack first?
First, the documents relating to your personal details and income; then, your equity and the property. The documents required for a mortgage, as well as those for self-employed individuals, civil servants or expats, are all available on this page.
Any questions on this topic?
A first consultation is free and without obligation — the commission is, as a rule, paid by the bank. We tell you what this means for your own financing.
No tax or legal advice.
Related pages
self-disclosure form
Self-disclosure form Germany: all 13 sections and 80 fields listed on the page; the bilingual fillable version (DE/EN) free by email.
financing process
Mortgage process in Germany: usually 3 to 10 working days from a complete file to approval — and what slows it down for non-residents.
net-worth statement (DE/EN)
Assets and liabilities statement (DE/EN): free bilingual template, fillable on screen — real estate, other liabilities and other assets for your bank.
Mortgage document checklist Germany (PDF): which real estate documents does every bank want?
The person first, then the money, then the property: ID and registration, proof of income, equity and existing loans, then the property documents.
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.
