Loan application and mortgage process: the documents needed, their order and where it gets stuck
It is rarely the bank that slows a German mortgage down; it is the missing page of a tax assessment, and it can drag the timeline out for far too long. Here is what is needed, in what order, and where it usually gets stuck. How to buy a house in Germany comes down to sequence: financing clarity first, then the property search.
How long does the mortgage process take in Germany, once the file is complete?
Usually 3 to 10 working days pass between the complete file arriving and the approval: three when the case is clean, ten when it is not. That count excludes getting to a binding offer. Documents from abroad (weeks from Singapore, Dubai or the US), source-of-funds chains, foreign-currency income and missing property documents extend the timeline.
What are the four steps of the mortgage process?
The four steps are first conversation, documents, lender selection and application, then approval. Three working days are possible when the case is clear, ten when documents from abroad, foreign-currency income or self-employment come into it.
Where does the time actually go? Documents from abroad (weeks from Singapore, Dubai or the US), the source-of-funds chain for larger equity, foreign-currency income that has to be converted and discounted, three years of accounts for the self-employed, and missing property documents such as floor plans or energy certificates. Foreign-currency income and the banks that accept it.
What are the four steps from first conversation to disbursement? First conversation (free — you hear early whether the case holds), documents, lender selection and application to the lenders that actually take a case like yours, then approval: binding offer, notarisation, land charge, disbursement. The document checklist.
What happens when, and whose turn is it?
In two of five stages the ball is in your court, not the bank's, which is why the same financing can take three working days in one case and ten in another. The bank's review usually takes 3 to 10 working days from receipt of all documents.
Initial consultation — Who does the work: You and us; What sets the pace: An appointment, 30 minutes. After that, it depends on whether and how the case stands up. Compiling documents — Who does the work: You; What sets the pace: The actual time factor. Domestic supporting documents take a matter of days; documents from abroad take a matter of weeks. Preparation and bank selection — Who does the work: We do; What sets the pace: The case is sent to the banks that accept a situation like yours — in parallel, not one after the other.
Review and approval — Who is involved: The bank; What sets the pace: Usually 3 to 10 working days from receipt of all documents. Notarisation, land charge, disbursement — Who is involved: the notary and the Land Registry (Grundbuchamt); What determines the timeline: here, the availability of a notary appointment sets the pace, followed by the Land Registry’s processing time — both of which vary greatly from region to region.
This timeframe refers specifically to the last stage before approval, not to the entire process. Anyone who only starts gathering the documents after the initial consultation must add the time taken to obtain them beforehand — and, in cases from abroad, this is the larger part of the process. How the land charge is ultimately registered is explained under Register land charge.
Who arranges this?
Perini Finance & Property — licensed under §34i GewO, 650+ banks compared, we know the banks whose lending rules cover cases from abroad — with a file that is complete from the start and sent to the right institutions immediately rather than in sequence.
First conversation: Free, by phone or video. We establish whether the case holds — and if it does not, you hear that here, not in week three.
Which documents decide how long it takes?
The documents are the step that decides how long it takes. The checklist groups them with the number of items per group, from identification (5 items) and proof of income (9 items) onwards.
- Lender selection and application: The file goes to the lenders that actually take a case like yours — not to all of them.
- Approval: Binding offer, then notarisation, land charge, disbursement.
- The range: between the complete file arriving and the approval, expect 3 to 10 working days as a rule. Three days when the case is clean. Ten when it is not — and cases from abroad rarely are.
- Identification — 5 items
- Proof of income — 9 items
- Assets and equity — 6 items
- Existing liabilities — 5 items
- Additionally for the self-employed and freelancers — 6 items
- Property documents, once the property has been found — 21 items
- If letting — 2 items
- For refinancing and follow-up financing — 4 items
The first four groups can be compiled before the property search and hardly go out of date. This is exactly where the time saving lies: anyone who goes to a viewing with a complete file makes an offer with financing that only needs the property. The complete list with all individual items is in the document checklists; you fill in the income and expenditure side in the self-disclosure.
What actually extends the timeline?
The timeline is extended by documents from abroad, source-of-funds evidence for larger equity amounts, foreign-currency income, three years of accounts for the self-employed and missing property documents.
Documents from abroad. Payslips, tax assessments, employment contracts — two clicks in Germany, several weeks from Singapore, Dubai or the US. Source of funds. For larger equity amounts, the bank wants the full chain of evidence.
Everything is financeable if the evidence is complete; supplying it only on request costs a fortnight. Foreign-currency income. Salaries in CHF, USD or GBP have to be converted and discounted — and not every lender does it the same way.
Self-employment. Three years of accounts and tax assessments. The delay usually sits with the accountant, not the bank. The property itself. Missing floor plans, area calculations or energy certificates stall a file just as reliably as missing payslips.
What is the fastest realistic path?
In exceptional cases, a financing can be made ready for contract at the lower end of the usual range of three to ten working days — from the complete document file to the binding commitment in a few days. This is made possible not by a faster bank, but by a file that is already complete and neatly sorted, and by a selection of banks aimed at the right banks from the start instead of sending several enquiries one after the other.
When the schedule is very tight, the real bottleneck rarely lies with the bank anyway: usually it is opening the account, the available notary appointment or obtaining documents from abroad that set the actual time frame. Anyone who is really under time pressure — for example because of a seller’s deadline — should raise this openly in the initial consultation, so that the choice of bank is optimised for speed from the outset rather than solely for the most favourable terms.
Which bank suits which case is decided before step two: Compare mortgages — which bank suits which case. If you do not want to make the choice yourself, first read what a mortgage broker takes on.
What is the most common timing mistake? Reserving the property first, then looking for financing. This reverses the order and squeezes a process that takes weeks into a deadline set by the seller. It works better the other way round: first have it checked whether and in what amount financing is possible — then make an offer.
Frequently asked questions
Notary fees for a mortgage: At what stage of the process are they incurred?
Notary fees are payable at the appointment with the notary, i.e. during the final of the five stages. This is preceded by an initial consultation, the preparation of documents, the selection of a bank and the bank’s approval.
When is it three days, and when ten?
Three working days are possible when the case is clear and everything is in; ten when documents from abroad, foreign-currency income or self-employment come into it.
When are the notary fees due: at the appointment with the notary or later?
The notary’s fees are payable at the time of the appointment with the notary, not at a later date. The appointment marks the end of the process, during which the notarisation also takes place.
Where does the time actually go?
Documents from abroad (weeks from Singapore, Dubai or the US), the source-of-funds chain for larger equity, foreign-currency income that has to be converted and discounted, three years of accounts for the self-employed, and missing property documents such as floor plans or energy certificates.
Notary fees when buying a property: What costs are payable at the notary appointment?
The notary’s fees are payable at the notary appointment. This takes place at the end of the process, alongside the notarisation, the land charge and the disbursement. The notary and the Land Registry (Grundbuchamt) set the pace here, and this varies considerably from region to region.
Who arranges this?
Perini Finance & Property — licensed under §34i GewO, 650+ banks compared, we know the banks whose lending rules cover cases from abroad — with a file that is complete from the start and sent to the right institutions immediately rather than in sequence.
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.
Related pages
Feasibility assessment
Confirmation of financing when buying a house: a written assessment of feasibility for estate agents and sellers — free of charge, with no credit check and no formal commitment from a bank.
Foreign-currency income and the banks that accept it
Foreign currency mortgage in Germany: how banks apply a safety discount to CHF, USD or GBP salaries, which discounts are typical and who lends.
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.
