Expat Mortgages in 2026: How to Get a Home Loan When You Live Abroad

Published on: June 2, 2026

Quick answer: An expat mortgage is a home loan for a citizen who lives outside their home country but wants to buy property, either back home or in a third country. In 2026 these loans are absolutely obtainable, but expect a larger deposit (typically 25–40%), income documentation in a foreign currency, and a lender who specializes in non-standard income. The single biggest factor is not your nationality, it is where your income comes from and whether the lender can verify it.

This guide is for the person the standard "mortgage for foreigners" article ignores: you hold a passport, you simply do not live in the country whose property you want to finance. That is a different problem with different rules, and the gap between the two is where most expats lose months and get declined for avoidable reasons.

Expat vs. non-resident foreigner: why the distinction matters

These two borrower types get lumped together, but lenders treat them very differently:

• A non-resident foreigner has no citizenship link to the country and is usually buying purely as an investor or for a second home.
• An expat is a citizen of one country, living in a second, often buying in their home country or a third market, frequently with the intention to eventually return, retire, or relocate.

The expat case is usually easier to finance when the property is in your home country (your credit footprint and tax identity still exist there), and harder when both your income and the property sit in countries that are foreign to each other. Lenders price the gap between "where you earn" and "where you buy."

Who lends to expats in 2026?

Three broad channels exist:

Cross-border specialists exist precisely because high-street banks are not set up to underwrite a Singapore-based engineer buying in Florida, or a Gulf-based professional buying in London. As one example of how this niche is structured, Global Mortgage Group (a Singapore-based international mortgage specialist whose US-focused arm, America Mortgages, offers 150+ US lender programs) advertises financing for expats using foreign-earned income with no US credit history required. We mention it here only to illustrate the category, there are several such firms, and the right one depends entirely on your income country and target market. Always compare independently and check fees.

How much deposit do expats need?

There is no single number, it is a spectrum driven by residency status and income verification:

• Buying in your home country, salaried, documented income: as low as the standard domestic deposit (5–20%), if a lender there still recognizes you.
• Salaried expat, strong foreign income, buying in a third country: typically 25–35% down.
• Self-employed or "stated income," foreign tax returns: 30–50% down is common, because the lender carries more verification risk.

In the US specifically, foreign-national and expat loans usually cap at around 70% loan-to-value on a purchase (i.e. 30% down), though some programs reach 80% with strong files. In Spain, non-fiscal-residents are generally capped at 50–70% LTV with terms around 25 years, versus up to 80% LTV and 30-year terms for fiscal residents (per early-2026 Spanish bank guidance). The pattern repeats across markets: the further your tax life is from the property, the more cash the bank wants upfront.

The foreign-income problem (and how to solve it)

The reason expat files stall is almost always income verification, not creditworthiness. Underwriters need to convert your situation into something their risk model understands.

What helps:

• Stable, documented foreign income, payslips, employment letter, 12–24 months of bank statements showing the salary landing.
• Income in a hard currency (USD, EUR, GBP, CHF, SGD) is viewed more favorably than volatile-currency income, because it reduces the lender's currency-risk on your ability to repay.
• Stated-income / DSCR programs, some lenders qualify you on the property's projected rent rather than your personal income. These are popular with self-employed expats and investors and sidestep the foreign-tax-return headache entirely.

What hurts: cash income, very recent self-employment, mismatched currencies between income and loan, and gaps in documentation.

Step-by-step: getting an expat mortgage in 2026

1. Define the triangle. Write down three things: the country you earn in, the currency you earn in, and the country you want to buy in. Your entire lender shortlist falls out of those three facts.
2. Pre-qualify before you shop. Get a written indication of borrowing capacity first. House-hunting before financing is the classic expat mistake.
3. Gather documents early. Passport, proof of address abroad, 12–24 months of bank statements, employment letter or accountant's letter if self-employed, and source-of-funds evidence for the deposit (critical for anti-money-laundering checks).
4. Decide income vs. asset basis. If your income is hard to document, ask specifically about DSCR/stated-income or asset-based programs.
5. Budget for the full cost. Beyond the deposit: arrangement fees, valuation, legal fees, transfer taxes, and currency-conversion spread on every transfer. These can add 8–12% on top of the price in some markets.
6. Lock the FX strategy. A 5% currency move between offer and completion can wipe out your negotiation. Many expats use a forward contract through a currency specialist to fix the rate.

Country snapshot for expat buyers (2026)

Figures are indicative ranges from 2026 lender and broker guidance and move with individual files.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a mortgage if I have no credit history in the country where I'm buying?
Yes, on specialist programs. US foreign-national lenders, for instance, routinely approve borrowers with no US credit score, using passport ID, foreign income, and the property itself as the basis.

Is my deposit really going to be 40%?
Not necessarily. 40–50% applies mostly to harder files (undocumented or self-employed income). Salaried expats with hard-currency income and good documentation often see 25–35%.

Should I borrow in my income currency or the property's currency?
Matching the loan currency to your income currency removes exchange-rate risk on repayments. If they must differ, understand that a currency swing changes your real monthly cost, this is the single most underestimated expat risk.

Do I need to fly to the country to sign?
Often no. Many cross-border programs allow remote application and closing via power of attorney, though some markets still require an in-person or notarized step.

Is it cheaper to just pay cash?
Sometimes, but financing lets you keep capital deployed elsewhere and, in some markets, mortgage interest is deductible against rental income. Run the after-tax numbers both ways.

Plan the purchase, not just the loan

A mortgage is one input. The market you choose determines your real return. Compare prices, rental yields, tax treatment, and residency options across 50+ countries on JanusHermes before you commit to a financing structure, the right market can matter more than a half-point on the rate.

This article is general information, not financial, tax, or legal advice. Mortgage terms vary by lender, country, and individual circumstances; confirm current conditions with a licensed broker or bank before acting. Updated June 2026. Sources: 2026 US foreign-national lender and broker guidance; Spanish bank mortgage data (early 2026); Global Mortgage Group / America Mortgages published program terms.

A note on the numbers: where no source is named, the market figures in this article (prices, yields, costs) are indicative estimates compiled from publicly available market data and industry reporting at the time of writing. Markets move and rules change, so treat them as a starting point and verify current figures with official sources before acting on them.