Last reviewed
Short answer
Yes, if your case fits what lenders want. The lenders we work with usually look for a deposit of around 30%, a loan of at least about €200,000, a solid income and a loan that ends by about age 70. On top of the deposit you need about 7% to 8% for purchase costs on an older property. All your loan repayments, borrower insurance and any mortgage at home included, must fit within 35% of your income, and many lenders trim non-euro income by 10% to 20% for exchange rate risk.
Can I get a French mortgage if I live outside France?
Yes, but not from every French bank. Many high street banks in France concentrate on French residents, so non-resident lending sits with a smaller group of banks, their international departments and private banks. A specialist overseas mortgage broker knows which lenders are currently taking non-resident cases and what each one prefers. Mortgages on property abroad fall outside UK mortgage regulation, and many UK mortgage networks do not let their brokers arrange them, which is why most high street brokers cannot help.
The French lending rules still apply to you. The Haut Conseil de stabilité financière (HCSF), France’s financial stability authority, sets a binding debt ratio and term limit for home loans, and its guidance confirms these cover loans to non-residents, second homes and buy-to-let as well as main homes.
Source: HCSF FAQ on the lending decision, questions 27 and 35.
How much deposit do I need?
France has no legal cap on loan to value, so each lender sets its own. Some brokers advertise loans of up to 80% or 85% of the price, but in practice the lenders we work with usually want a deposit of around 30%, so a loan of about 70%. A bigger deposit widens the choice of lender and strengthens a case that is borderline on income or age.
The deposit is only part of the cash you need. Notaire fees and purchase tax on an older property come to roughly 7% to 8% of the price and are normally paid from your own money, not added to the loan.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Loan at 70% loan to value | €280,000 |
| Deposit, 30% | €120,000 |
| Purchase tax at 6.3185% | €25,274 |
| Notaire scale fees including VAT | €4,312 |
| Land registry contribution (CSI) at 0.10% | €400 |
| Disbursements, estimate | €1,200 |
| Cash from your own funds, deposit plus costs | €151,186 |
Deposit and minimum loan guidance from the criteria of the lenders we work with, January 2026, with the minimum loan as at October 2026. Advertised maximums from UK-facing broker guides as at June to September 2026, including French Private Finance and Enness. These are market practice, not law. Fee scale from Service-public.fr. The example leaves out mortgage security and bank fees, which the notaire fees calculator adds.
How do French lenders work out affordability?
The key test is the taux d’effort, the share of your income taken by debt repayments. Under the HCSF rule it cannot exceed 35%, and the calculation includes borrower insurance. Your existing commitments count too, so a mortgage at home, car finance or personal loans reduce the room left for the French loan.
- Income is taken net of social charges but before income tax. For applicants living outside France lenders work from payslips, P60s and tax returns.
- Rent from property you already let is usually counted at around 70% of the gross amount. Rent you expect from the French property is often ignored, especially on a second home.
- Lenders also look at what is left to live on each month, the reste à vivre. There is no legal figure, but banks commonly look for €700 to €1,000 a month for a single person and €1,000 to €1,500 for a couple.
- Each lender may exceed the rules on up to 20% of its new lending each quarter, but most of that flexibility is reserved for main homes and first-time buyers. Only about 6% of a lender’s lending can go to second homes or buy-to-let outside the rules, so plan on staying within them.
Sources: HCSF measure and FAQ; reste à vivre ranges from Meilleurtaux, January 2026. Our how much can I borrow guide works through examples.
How is income in pounds, dollars or other currencies treated?
Your loan is in euros but your income may be in pounds, dollars or another currency, so the lender carries some currency risk. Many lenders reduce non-euro income by 10% to 20% before applying the 35% test. The exact buffer varies by lender and is not published as a rule, which is one reason a broker’s view of the current market helps.
The same risk affects you. If your currency weakens, each euro repayment costs you more. Many buyers fix an exchange rate for the deposit and costs with a specialist currency transfer provider, and some set up regular transfers for the monthly repayments.
What terms and loan types are available?
The standard maximum term is 25 years. It can stretch to 27 years where up to two years of deferral covers a new build or major works. French home loans are overwhelmingly fixed rate: 99.4% of new home loans in July 2026 were fixed, according to the Banque de France. Capped variable loans exist but are increasingly rare.
Interest-only loans, known as prêts in fine, are mainly offered by private banks and usually need investments pledged as security, often worth as much as the loan. They tend to suit larger purchases.
Sources: Banque de France, July 2026 figures published 7 September 2026; Pretto on prêts in fine.
Age limits and borrower insurance
There is no legal maximum age, but age matters more in France than many UK and international buyers expect. The lenders we work with generally want the loan repaid by about age 70, so a 20-year term works up to about 50 and a 25-year term up to about 45. Few lenders take on new borrowers over 65, and buyers in their late 60s often buy with cash or release equity at home instead. A handful of private banks set later limits for wealthier clients. Borrower insurance, the assurance emprunteur, adds a second hurdle because lenders require it in almost every case.
- Since the Loi Lemoine, there is no health questionnaire if your insured share of the loans is €200,000 or less and the loan ends before your 60th birthday.
- You can choose your own insurer instead of the bank’s, as long as the cover is equivalent, and you can switch at any time.
- Insurance counts inside the 35% test and inside the annual percentage rate (TAEG). That rate cannot exceed the legal usury rate, the taux d’usure, which is 5.40% for fixed loans of 20 years or more from 1 October 2026. For older borrowers with expensive cover, the usury cap can decide whether a loan is possible.
Sources: economie.gouv.fr on the health questionnaire; usury rates for Q4 2026 as reported by Moneyvox from the Banque de France notice of 25 September 2026. See our mortgage rates guide.
Minimum loans, bank accounts and credit checks
Lenders set minimum loan sizes for non-residents. The lenders we work with generally start at about €200,000, and other brokers quote minimums from about €150,000 at some banks. For a smaller purchase, paying cash or raising money against a UK property can work better, and we will say so.
You will normally open a French bank account with the lender, and repayments are taken from it. Some lenders also ask you to hold savings or investments with them, for example a year or two of repayments, particularly on larger loans.
France has no UK-style credit score. French lenders check the Banque de France register of repayment problems, the FICP, and applicants living outside France usually supply a credit report from their home country, such as an Experian or Equifax report in the UK. Our documents checklist lists what else to gather.
How French Finance helps
We prequalify your case first against the criteria lenders actually use, so you do not spend money or time on a purchase that cannot be financed. If your case fits, we introduce you to one of the leading, reputable specialist mortgage brokers and lenders we work with, who takes your case through a decision in principle to a firm loan offer. Our how it works page sets out each step and our regulatory information page explains who does what and how everyone is paid.