Foreign income mortgage — buying in Germany as a non-resident
A non resident mortgage in Germany: what limited tax liability means for your application and which banks lend in this situation. A German mortgage is available to non-residents — the requirements differ, not the possibility.
Can non-residents get a mortgage in Germany?
Yes — but not at every bank. Non-residents for tax, foreign-currency earners, cross-border commuters, expats and Germans abroad all fall outside a branch's standard grid. The lending policy often has no line for these situations. The application is then declined even when the case is sound. What decides it is not your creditworthiness but whether the lending bank underwrites such cases at all and reads the evidence — foreign income, exchange rate, residence status — correctly. That is exactly the work: knowing the few lenders that actively finance foreign-linked cases, and preparing the application so it goes through. Which lender fits which case is something we clarify in conversation — that is the service, not bank advertising. §34i brokerage, not legal or tax advice.
How much can you actually borrow — and what documents matter?
Up to 80 % — not 50 to 60 %
"As a non-resident you'll get 50 to 60 percent" is one branch's number, not the market's. In our brokerage practice, up to 80 % of the purchase price is achievable — provided the bank's valuation matches the purchase price. What matters is which of the 500-plus compared banks treats the case as routine.
Loan-to-value →What the bank actually wants to see
Verifiable income, employment contract, recent payslips or annual accounts, bank statements showing salary receipts, proof of residence abroad — plus certified translations for documents in another language where the bank requires them. Having the full list upfront saves a second round of questions.
What the bank actually wants to see →3 to 10 working days with complete documents
With complete documents, a financing commitment usually takes 3 to 10 working days — I prepare all documents and submit them to the right bank in the best possible way. A foreign link by itself does not extend this timeline; what matters is which bank treats the case as routine.
When you are not taxable in Germany
No German pay slip, no German tax assessment, often no SCHUFA score — and still a sound German property in view. For non-residents the decisive question is not creditworthiness but which bank accepts this form of proof at all.
German buy-to-let for non-residents
A German property as an investment even though your residence and tax liability are abroad. Which banks finance it and which documents actually count.
German buy-to-let for non-residents →Follow-up financing while living abroad
Your fixed-rate period ends while you live abroad. Why switching is harder now than at the first purchase — and how it still works.
Follow-up financing while living abroad →Leaving a German property as a non-resident
Inheritance tax on a German property when the deceased or the heir lives abroad. What the €2,000 myth gets wrong — and what the financing structure has to do with it.
Leaving a German property as a non-resident →The conversion right on foreign-currency loans
The statutory conversion right under §503 BGB on foreign-currency mortgages — what it protects and where it applies for non-residents.
The conversion right on foreign-currency loans →When the income doesn't fit the form
Foreign currency, a genuine loan-to-value that branch staff often get wrong, real cases from the day-to-day desk: the figures add up, only the form doesn't. Here it matters which bank checks actual affordability instead of just the box on the form.
Income in CHF, USD, GBP & co.
Salary in a foreign currency, loan in euros. How banks apply the currency buffer and which constellations they accept at all.
Income in CHF, USD, GBP & co. →Release equity from a German property, buy abroad
An unencumbered German property as the capital source for a purchase in Spain or Portugal — the structure the branch does not offer you.
Release equity from a German property, buy abroad →The real loan-to-value for non-residents
„As a non-resident you get 50 to 60 percent“ — not true. What the loan-to-value actually depends on and where the higher tranches begin.
The real loan-to-value for non-residents →Financing with an overseas link
Variable income, employee shares, fixed-term contracts, source of funds — real cases from the brokerage desk, from London to Singapore.
Financing with an overseas link →The same foreign link, a different starting point
The same overseas element, but a different starting point — depending on where your residence, tax liability and workplace sit.
Residence & tax liability in Germany
You live and work in Germany — EU Blue Card, settlement permit or a fixed-term stay. Own home or investment, KfW subsidies apply.
Residence & tax liability in Germany →German passport, residence abroad
A German citizen in Switzerland, the USA, the UK or Asia — with a property in Germany in view. As an investment or for a later return.
German passport, residence abroad →Living in Germany, working next door
You live in Germany and work in Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg or the Netherlands — income often in a foreign currency. The banks that accept it.
Living in Germany, working next door →Your case fits no template? Exactly right.
The first consultation is free, my fee is paid by the bank — and only if the financing goes through. Advice in English, German or Russian. Not sure where to start? Work through the document checklist, see which banks finance tax non-residents, or read the questions answered in the FAQ.