Mortgages in Portugal for foreigners
Whether you have moved here and are buying your home, or you are financing from abroad, the mortgage is the same product. What differs is your residency status and the paperwork that follows from it.
We do the running around; the banks pay us, not you
You send your information once. We take it to the lenders on our panel, bring back what each will offer, and set the terms out side by side in English.
No fee from us
We are paid by the bank that funds your mortgage. You are never invoiced and nothing is deducted from your loan.
No worse rate
Our commission comes out of the lender’s side. Using us does not make the mortgage more expensive than going to that bank directly.
One contact throughout
The same person from first question to deed, working in English across whatever time zone you are in.
Which one are you?
Living in Portugal and tax resident here? You get the most favourable treatment Portuguese lenders offer — keep reading.
Buying from abroad, or not yet tax resident? Different loan-to-value and different paperwork. Our non-resident mortgages page covers that in full.
Why residency status changes the numbers
Portuguese lenders price risk partly on where you are. A borrower who lives here, earns here and can be pursued here is a different proposition from one who owns a holiday property and lives three time zones away. That shows up in two places: how much of the purchase price a lender will advance, and how much documentation they want behind your income.
Nationality does not come into it. A German who has registered as tax resident in Cascais is treated as a resident. A Portuguese citizen working in Zurich is not.
If you have recently moved here
The awkward middle. You may be tax resident already, but you have no Portuguese employment history, no Portuguese credit file and possibly no Portuguese income yet. Lenders will look at your home-country record instead — but only if it is put in front of them properly, with the context that makes it legible.
This is a common and entirely solvable situation. It is also the one where an application submitted without preparation tends to come back declined for reasons that had nothing to do with the underlying finances.
Resident and non-resident, side by side
If you are resident in Portugal
Higher loan-to-value, especially on a permanent home. A lower IMT rate on purchase for a primary residence. Income assessed from Portuguese employment or self-employment records where you have them, and home-country records where you do not.
If you are buying from abroad
Lower loan-to-value, meaning a bigger deposit. Second-home IMT treatment. Income assessed entirely on home-country documentation, and a fiscal representative usually required if you are based outside the EU.
The whole thing, in English
Not just the conversations with us — that is table stakes and every broker claims it. We mean the parts that actually matter: what the bank’s conditions say, what the valuation report found, what you are agreeing to in the promissory contract, and what is in the deed before you sign it.
Portuguese lending documents are in Portuguese and will remain so. The question is whether someone has read them properly and told you what is in them.
Mortgages for foreigners: FAQs
Can a foreigner get a mortgage in Portugal?
Yes. There is no nationality restriction on borrowing to buy Portuguese property. What affects your terms is whether you are tax resident in Portugal, how your income is documented, and the property itself.
I have just moved to Portugal. Will lenders count my old salary?
Generally yes, if it is documented and if there is a credible picture of continuing income. Recent movers are assessed on their home-country record. Presentation matters more here than in almost any other scenario.
Does having a Portuguese residence permit help?
It helps establish that you are here, but what lenders actually care about is tax residency and documented income. A permit without income evidence does not move the needle.
Can EU citizens get better terms than non-EU citizens?
Not directly on the mortgage. EU citizens have an easier time on residency and on the fiscal representation requirement, which makes the surrounding process simpler, but lenders price the file rather than the passport.
Do I need to speak Portuguese?
No, and most of our clients do not. You do need someone who reads it acting for you, because the binding documents will be in Portuguese regardless of what language the meetings happen in.
Should I buy before or after becoming tax resident?
It can make a real difference to both the loan-to-value and the IMT you pay, and the right answer depends on your wider tax position rather than just the mortgage. It is worth taking both together, which is one of the advantages of an accounting practice sitting alongside the brokerage.
General information about mortgage lending in Portugal, not a credit offer or a recommendation, and not tax advice. Your terms depend on the lender and your circumstances.
Not sure which side of the line you fall on?
Tell us where you live, where you pay tax and how you are paid. We will work out the rest.