Non-resident mortgages in Portugal — your questions answered

Yes. Portuguese banks lend to non-residents buying property here, and it's our core specialty. We've arranged over €300 million in mortgages, our team brings 25+ years of banking experience, and we work with nine banks and lenders in Portugal.

We take care of the documentation and the communication, and it costs you nothing:

• We know the documentation. We know what each of the lenders we work with needs for each country and type of income, and we keep document checklists for buyers from 72 countries (employed, self-employed and company income). Your file is prepared and checked once, before it reaches the bank.
• Everything in English. Communication with you is 100% in English, with one point of contact from the first call to the deed (escritura).
• No cost to you. We are paid by the bank, not by the client.
• Banks value the cases we bring. A case prepared by a credit intermediary registered with Banco de Portugal (ICV 6191) arrives at the bank complete and checked — a chain of credibility you carry into the bank.
• Fast, with experienced people. We move quickly, and we work with experienced, dedicated managers at each of the lenders we work with.

We work with nine banks and lenders in Portugal, listed in alphabetical order (not a ranking):

• ABANCA
• Banco BNI Europa
• Banco BPI
• Banco CTT
• Bankinter
• Caixa Geral de Depósitos
• Novo Banco
• Santander
• UCI

The right lender depends on your country, your type of income and your purchase — matching your case to it is what the free consultation is for.

Nothing. Our service is free to you — we are a tied credit intermediary and are paid by the bank, not by the client.

Yes. All our communication with you is 100% in English, through one point of contact, from the first consultation to the deed.

Yes. Our minimum is €350,000 (property value).

Plan for a deposit of 20% to 30% of the purchase price, depending on the bank and your profile, plus purchase taxes and costs (see below). The amount a bank will lend is always subject to bank approval.

Usually up to 30 years. The term is also limited by age — see the next question.

Yes. As a general rule, the loan must be fully repaid by age 80. A younger applicant can therefore access a longer term.

Banks apply an “effort rate” — the share of your net monthly income taken up by the mortgage payment plus any existing credit commitments. Each bank applies its own limits. We model your application against the criteria of the lenders we work with, and we stress-test the payment against higher interest rates, so the figure holds up if rates rise.

It's common and manageable, but banks apply a prudent discount to foreign-currency income to absorb exchange-rate movement, and the discount varies by bank and currency. We convert foreign income to euros using official reference rates and use a prudent average rather than your best month, so you know early how your income is likely to be counted.

It depends on the bank, the type of product (variable, mixed or fixed) and your profile. We don't publish interest rates or spreads: under Portuguese credit-advertising rules (Decree-Law 74-A/2017 and Banco de Portugal Notice 5/2024), any advertised rate must come with the lender's APRC (TAEG) and a full representative example, and the conditions each bank offers depend on the individual buyer's profile. In a free consultation we analyse your profile and give you guidance on the conditions you can realistically expect — always subject to bank approval.

On top of your down payment, budget for:

• IMT (property transfer tax) — non-resident buyers of residential property pay a flat 7.5% under Decree-Law 97/2026 of 20 May (in force since 25 May 2026), with no brackets, exemptions or reductions, unless they have been Portuguese tax residents before. Full details, refund routes and worked examples in our IMT & property taxes guide.
• Stamp Duty (IS) — 0.8% of the higher of the price and the property's tax value (VPT), plus 0.6% of the loan amount on the mortgage (term ≥ 5 years).
• Notary, registration and bank set-up costs (valuation, arrangement).

We give you a full cost breakdown for any specific property so there are no surprises at the deed (escritura).

This varies by bank. Lenders generally require buildings insurance, and most also require life insurance linked to the loan. We can arrange insurance quotes as part of your package.

This varies by bank — some require it, often once your loan is approved. We'll tell you early whether your chosen lender needs one.

Yes — it's the core of our practice. Portugal Mortgage is positioned in the seven-figure segment: our minimum property value is €350,000, our typical file sits well above it, and we've arranged over €300 million in mortgages for international buyers. We're used to structuring large, multi-jurisdiction files with senior attention and discretion.

Yes. Portuguese banks finance €1M+ purchases for non-residents. At this level each bank assesses the case individually, and the deposit required can be higher than for smaller loans. We know what each of the lenders we work with needs for these files, and we tell you what to expect for your profile at the first consultation — always subject to bank approval.

No — complex income is our specialty. We prepare files the way credit committees want to read them: income consolidated across jurisdictions and currencies, company accounts, dividends and investment income properly evidenced. The right documentation, presented to the right bank, is often the difference between a refusal and an approval.

They solve different problems. A private bank typically finances clients who bring assets under management, and its terms often carry implicit AUM conditions. As a tied credit intermediary, we work with nine banks and lenders in Portugal — ABANCA, Banco BNI Europa, Banco BPI, Banco CTT, Bankinter, Caixa Geral de Depósitos, Novo Banco, Santander and UCI — with no requirement to move your assets. Many of our HNW clients use both.

Sometimes, depending on the structure and the bank. Portuguese banks generally prefer lending to individuals; corporate or fiduciary structures are assessed case by case. Tell us the structure early and we'll map which banks will consider it — the structuring and tax advice itself stays with your professional advisers.

Completely. Files are handled by a small senior team, under Portuguese banking secrecy rules and the GDPR, and your information goes only to the banks you approve.

Typically around 6–8 weeks from start to deed (escritura), depending on how quickly documents are provided and the property valuation is scheduled.

1. Initial contact & qualification — we review your profile and assess your eligibility with the lenders we work with (final approval is always the bank's).
2. Consent (GDPR) — you sign a data-protection consent so we can present your case to the banks.
3. Documents — you upload your file securely through our client portal, and we check it before it goes to any bank.
4. Bank submission & proposals — we present the proposals (FINE) for you to compare.
5. Valuation & approval — the bank values the property and issues the formal offer.
6. Deed (escritura) — you sign and complete the purchase.

• Identification — passport
• Portuguese NIF (tax number)
• Proof of income — payslips (employed) or invoices/receipts (self-employed)
• Bank statements — usually the last 6 months
• Tax return — the form depends on your country (e.g. P60 or SA302 for the UK, W-2/1040 for the US)
• Credit report — from your country of residence

The exact list adapts to your country of residence — we maintain document checklists for buyers from 72 countries.

You'll need one to buy and to mortgage. If you don't have it yet, it can be obtained through a fiscal representative; many clients arrange this in parallel with the early stages.

These special tax regimes can affect non-residents, but tax treatment is personal and rules change. We can flag where it's relevant, but we do not provide tax advice — please confirm your position with a qualified tax adviser. Note that holding a Portuguese NIF as a non-resident does not, by itself, make you a Portuguese tax resident.

Yes. We collect and process your data in full compliance with the GDPR. You provide explicit consent before we share anything with the banks, and you can exercise your data rights at any time by writing to [email protected]. Once a bank receives your file, it acts as an independent data controller under its own privacy policy.