Can you get a Spanish mortgage as a newcomer or non-resident?

Key rules

• Loan size: Banks typically lend up to about 80% of the lower of price or valuation for a resident's main home and about 60-70% for non-residents.
• Taxes and costs: Banks generally do not finance purchase taxes and costs, so you pay them in cash on top of the deposit.
• Cash needed: A main-home mortgage at 80% LTV needs around 30-35% of the price in cash, and non-residents need more.
• Your status: Each bank decides for itself whether to treat you as a resident, so ask before you apply.
• Debt limit: Banks commonly cap total monthly debt payments at about 30-35% of net monthly income.

Can you get a mortgage?

Yes, in most cases. Spanish banks lend to newcomers and to people living abroad. The catch is that non-residents get a smaller loan, so you need more cash. Work out that cash figure before you start house-hunting.

Are you a resident or a non-resident for the bank?

Banks usually call you a non-resident if you have no Spanish residence card or certificate and no Spanish tax residence. In practice they look at your country of residence and where your income is taxed. They check your passport or residence document, your home address and your tax filings.

Spending more than 183 days a year in Spain makes you tax resident under Spanish law. Many banks use a simpler test of their own: do you have Spanish payslips and Spanish tax filings? If you have just arrived and have neither yet, a bank may still treat you as a non-resident. Definitions differ by bank, so ask each one how it would class you before you apply. It can change your loan by tens of thousands of euros.

How much will the bank lend?

The loan is a share of the lower of the purchase price or the bank's valuation. This is the loan-to-value (LTV).

• Residents, main home: up to about 80%. A second home is usually about 70%.
• Non-residents: about 60-70%. Strong profiles can reach 70%. For less standard cases, 50-60% is common.

Some banks go to 90-95% for a main home, but only with extra guarantees or for bank-owned properties. Do not plan around it. If the valuation comes in below the price, the loan shrinks and you cover the gap.

How much cash do you really need?

Banks generally do not finance taxes and purchase costs. You pay them in cash on top of the deposit. These costs are typically 10-15% of the price, depending on region and on whether the home is new or resale.

For a main home at 80% LTV, that means roughly 30-35% of the price in cash. For a non-resident at 60-70% LTV, the deposit is bigger, so the total is higher. Use the calculator below to test your own numbers.

Can you use income from abroad?

Often yes. Many banks accept foreign income from non-residents, especially in euros, sterling, US dollars and other major currencies. Expect these conditions:

• You need stable employment or documented self-employment income.
• Income in a non-euro currency may be discounted by the bank for exchange-rate risk.
• Some banks lend only against income in certain currencies.
• Some require a Spanish bank account or an existing relationship with the bank.
• Some prefer or limit lending to certain nationalities or countries of residence.

If the first bank says no, another may say yes. Compare several.

How much of your income can go on debt?

Banks commonly cap all monthly debt payments, including the new mortgage, at about 30-35% of your net monthly income. For higher incomes or strong profiles it can reach 40%. There is no binding legal cap, so each bank applies its own ratio. Existing loans and card payments count toward it.

What to do next

1. Ask two or three banks how they would class you and what LTV they offer.
2. Work out your cash need: deposit plus 10-15% for taxes and costs.
3. Gather the documents listed below.
4. Only then set your price range.

Documents you need

• Passport or residence document, issued by your country or by Spain, showing where you live. The bank uses it to decide whether you count as resident or non-resident.

• Proof of your home address, which the bank uses together with your passport to confirm your country of residence.

• Proof of where your income is taxed, such as tax filings from your country of residence.

• Proof of stable employment, or documented self-employment income, to show you can repay from foreign income.

• Spanish payslips and Spanish tax filings, if you already have them. Many banks use them to treat you as a resident.

• A Spanish bank account or an existing relationship with the bank, which some banks require from non-residents.

How much mortgage can you get and what will it cost monthly?

Work it out

What you enter

• Purchase price (EUR): The listing or the reservation contract.
• Bank valuation (tasación) of the home (EUR): The valuation report. If you do not have one yet, enter the purchase price.
• Cash you can put in towards the price (EUR): Your savings balance in your bank app.
• Loan you want to borrow (EUR): The purchase price minus your deposit, or the amount in the bank's offer.
• Yearly interest rate (TIN) offered (%): The bank's offer. For a variable loan, this is the 12-month Euribor plus the bank's spread.
• Net monthly income of all borrowers (EUR): Your payslips or tax return, after tax.
• Monthly payments on other loans and cards (EUR): Your bank app or loan statements.

Figures used

• Typical maximum loan for a resident's main home: 80 % (as of 2025)
• Lower typical maximum loan for non-residents: 60 % (as of 2025)
• Higher typical maximum loan for non-residents: 70 % (as of 2025)
• Typical share of net income banks allow for all debt payments: 35 % (as of 2025)

Worked example (with Purchase price 250,000 EUR, Bank valuation (tasación) of the home 250,000 EUR, Cash you can put in towards the price 60,000 EUR, Loan you want to borrow 190,000 EUR, Yearly interest rate (TIN) offered 3 %, Net monthly income of all borrowers 4,000 EUR, Monthly payments on other loans and cards 200 EUR)

When the sum misleads

• If the monthly payment is above the most you can likely pay each month, borrow less, choose a longer term or add more deposit.
• Non-residents are often limited to 20 to 25 years, so compare the 20-year and 25-year payments first.
• Banks usually want the loan to end by about age 75, so older borrowers get shorter terms.
• Taxes, notary and registration costs come on top of the price, so keep extra cash aside for them.
• If the rate is 0, the sum does not work: divide the loan by the number of months instead.

Frequently asked questions

How much cash do I need on top of the mortgage?

You need cash for the deposit and for purchase taxes and costs, because banks generally do not finance those costs. Taxes and costs are typically about 10-15% of the price, depending on the region. A main-home mortgage at 80% of the value therefore needs around 30-35% of the price in cash.

Will a bank treat me as a non-resident if I have just moved to Spain?

Yes, a bank will usually treat you as a non-resident if you have no Spanish residence card or certificate and no Spanish tax residence. Many banks also check whether you already have Spanish payslips and tax filings.

Can I use income from abroad to qualify for a Spanish mortgage?

Yes, many banks accept foreign income from non-residents, especially in euros, sterling and US dollars, if your employment is stable or your self-employed income is documented. Income in other currencies may be discounted for exchange-rate risk. Some banks also ask for a Spanish bank account or limit lending to certain countries of residence.