Getting a French Mortgage as an American

French banks do lend to Americans, with more conditions

Non-residents can obtain French mortgages, but the requirements are stricter than for residents, and stricter still for Americans. France classifies borrowers partly by country of residence and nationality, and a US borrower brings FATCA-related reporting overhead that not every bank wants to handle.

FATCA does not make you ineligible. It narrows the list of banks willing to take the file and adds paperwork on both the French and US sides. The France-US FATCA information-exchange agreement remains in force in 2026, so automatic account reporting to the IRS continues as before; this is business as usual, not a new rule.

Beyond the paperwork, banks generally want to see either genuine ties to France or a clear, coherent investment or relocation rationale.

Plan on a large down payment, plus the fees in cash

The share of the price a bank will lend, the loan-to-value ratio (LTV), is where figures diverge most by source. General non-resident guidance in 2026 cites 70–80% LTV, meaning 20–30% down. Guidance aimed at American borrowers is tighter: several 2026 sources describe banks capping American files at 50–70% LTV, meaning 30–50% down. That reflects FATCA-driven caution, not a nationality-based law, and a small number of lenders will go higher for very strong files. For comparison, French residents can sometimes borrow up to about 100–110% of the price, covering notary fees, with a strong profile.

The down payment is not the only cash you need. Closing costs run to roughly 7–8% of the price for a resale property, or 2–3% for a new build (VEFA), and generally cannot be rolled into the mortgage. The buying-property guide breaks those fees down.

Some lenders also set a higher minimum loan for non-EU buyers: roughly €250,000 for US and Canadian buyers at some institutions, against roughly €150,000 for UK and EU buyers. This is a lender policy, not a national regulation, and it varies by bank.

The 35% debt ratio is a hard national cap

France’s financial regulator, the Haut Conseil de Stabilité Financière (HCSF), caps a borrower’s debt ratio (taux d’effort, or taux d’endettement) at 35% of income. The ratio includes all your debts and the mandatory borrower insurance premium. The HCSF explicitly reconfirmed this rule, and the 25-year duration cap, in March 2026, declining to ease them despite a rebound in lending in 2025; a proposed easing bill was withdrawn in April 2026.

Banks may exceed 35% for up to 20% of their quarterly new loans, of which at least 70% must go to primary-residence buyers and at least 30% to first-time buyers. That margin is underused overall, with only about 17% of it used in Q4 2025, and it is rarely extended to non-resident or foreign-currency-income files.

There is no official minimum income in euros: qualifying is a matter of passing the 35% test on your recognized, stable income. Three points shape that figure for an American:

Currency risk

the loan is in euros and your income is in dollars, so underwriters apply a risk margin to foreign-currency income when calculating the recognized income used in the 35% test

Higher income for the same loan

because of that currency haircut and the larger down payments, a non-resident US applicant can need substantially higher gross income than a French resident for an equivalent loan

Rental income

for a buy-to-let purchase, banks typically count only about 70% of projected rent toward affordability, not 100%

Loan length, age limits and rates

The HCSF caps all French mortgages at 25 years, or 27 years if the loan includes qualifying new-build (VEFA) or renovation work representing at least 10% of the total cost of the operation. That threshold was lowered from 25% to 10% from January 2024 and remains in force. Individual lenders can cap non-resident and foreign-income loans lower, at 15 to 20 years.

Age sets limits at both ends. Most lenders require the borrower to be at least 21 at signing, and the loan must typically be fully repaid by age 70–75, depending on the lender and tied to the borrower insurance underwriting.

Both fixed and variable rates are available, and fixed is far more common. As of mid-2026, resident fixed rates run roughly 3.1–3.6% depending on term, with shorter terms cheaper. Non-resident rates typically carry a premium of about 0.2–0.6 percentage points over the resident rate for the same term, which puts indicative non-resident fixed rates in the rough 3.3–4.2% range, meaningfully lower than the 2023–2024 peak. Quotes vary a lot by lender, so compare them through a broker.

Borrower insurance is mandatory

Borrower insurance (assurance emprunteur) is required for a French mortgage. Its premium counts toward the 35% debt ratio, and its underwriting is what ties the loan to the age limits above. Estimates of its cost range from roughly 0.35% to 1.0% or more of the loan a year, depending on your age and health.

Insurers and brokers that specialize in expatriates can help find a provider comfortable with a non-resident profile.

What the loan itself costs

Financing adds its own costs on top of the buying fees. On an older €300,000 property, mortgage costs of about 3%, or €9,000, sit on top of roughly €22,500–€24,000 in notaire fees. The main items:

Application and administration fees

typically €1,000–3,500, or roughly 0.5–1% of the loan plus VAT

Mortgage notaire fees

about 1%

Property valuation

€500–1,200

Loan guarantee

1.5–2% of the loan amount, or a bank guarantee with an annual fee of €400–700

Broker fees

€2,500–7,000, if you use one

The file the bank will ask for

The bank’s list covers your identity, income, savings and tax position. It includes a French tax number: non-residents can obtain one by filing form 2042 with the non-residents’ tax office (SIE), or through the notaire.

• Passport and visa or residency status documents
• French tax number (numéro fiscal, or “SPI” number)
• Proof of address, in the US and in France if applicable
• 2–3 years of tax returns, translated by a certified or sworn translator
• 3–6 months of bank statements
• Employment contract and pay stubs
• Property details and the preliminary sales agreement (compromis de vente)
• Proof of the source of the down payment, with gift letters if applicable
• FATCA documents, such as W-9 forms and tax compliance certifications
• Apostilled copies of certain legal documents

Which lenders, and why a broker

The lender landscape has shifted significantly since 2024 and continues to move. HSBC’s French retail banking business was sold to CCF (My Money Group) effective 1 January 2024, and CCF has announced it is expanding into mortgage lending. The status of BNP Paribas’ international-buyer mortgage program is unclear: some 2026 write-ups describe it as active for non-residents, while earlier reporting said it had stopped taking new files.

Lenders cited across 2026 sources as taking non-resident files include BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole (including regional caisses such as Britline), LCL, CIC and BRED. At each, the relevant door is the expatriate, private-banking or international-clients division rather than a standard retail branch. Where a source still lists “HSBC France” for international or wealth clients, it likely refers to a private-banking arm distinct from the sold retail business, so confirm which entity you would be dealing with.

Because the pool of lenders comfortable with FATCA is shrinking and shifting, it is hard to tell from outside which banks still take US applicants. A mortgage broker (courtier) specializing in non-residents is strongly recommended, and any bank should be verified directly before you assume it still lends to non-resident Americans.