Financing & tax
Bank account, mortgage, currency, source of funds, tax for foreign owners: the money questions of buying and holding in France, explained for non-residents.
29 articles
When to see a tax adviser: the moments worth preparing
When to see a tax adviser: purchase, lease, change of residence, gifting, sale or a tax audit. The moments worth preparing, and what you can prepare alone.
Becoming a non-resident: the exit tax and what changes for your assets
The exit tax when becoming a non-resident: latent gains on certain assets, payment deferrals, property kept in France, and how to prepare the departure.
Notaire's fees on older properties: how they break down
Notaire fees on older properties: how transfer duties, regulated fees and disbursements combine, the adjustment levers and how to get a rough estimate.
The fiscal representative: when must a foreign owner appoint one?
Fiscal representative for a foreign owner: when appointment is required, the real role, how to choose the professional and the cost to plan for the sale.
Is a rental loss still deductible when you live abroad?
Rental loss deduction non-resident: how a French property loss carries forward to future rental income when you live abroad, and the common traps to avoid.
Rental income for non-residents: regimes, withholding, filing
Rental income for non-residents: choosing micro or real regime, handling withholding, the dedicated French return and the tax credit in your country.
Reading your tax treaty: avoiding double taxation
Tax treaty and double taxation: how to read your convention article by article, understand exemption or credit, and avoid double taxation on your property.
The IFI wealth tax on foreign residents' French real estate
French wealth tax IFI non-resident: how the tax on French real estate actually works for owners abroad, from the asset base to deductible debts and filing.
Local taxes on a property held from abroad: foncière, habitation, surcharge
Local taxes on property held from abroad: foncière, second-home habitation tax and waste charge, with notices, alerts and payment organised at a distance.
The filing calendar for owners living abroad
French tax filings for owners abroad: the calendar of obligations, from rental income and capital gains to wealth tax and property tax, with no figures here.
Enhanced scrutiny: politically exposed persons and delicate situations
Politically exposed person and enhanced scrutiny: what the French bank will do, what documents to prepare, and how to get your file through without a block.
Deposits from a joint or third-party account: why it complicates things
Deposit from a joint or third-party account: why such a transfer triggers KYC checks and how to regularise the situation before the notaire's signing.
Non-resident mortgage refusal: common causes and how to fix them
Non-resident mortgage refusal: the common causes, what each refusal signal really means and the concrete fixes to apply before you reapply to another lender.
Proof of source of funds: building a complete file to avoid a block
Proof of source of funds in France: the source-of-funds note, documents for each source, sworn translations and the habits of a file that never stalls.
Borrower's insurance when you live abroad
Borrower's insurance when living abroad: delegation of insurance, the pitfalls of expatriate life and building your medical file at a distance from overseas.
Transferring currency for a property purchase: rates, fees, timing
Currency transfer for a property purchase: the rate your bank applies, hidden intermediary fees, timing between contract and deed, and the proof to keep.
Getting a French mortgage as a non-resident
French mortgage for non-residents: what lenders review, the documents in a complete application, the partner broker's role and the path to the loan offer.
Opening and keeping a French bank account as a non-resident
French bank account for non-residents: why a local account anchors the whole project, the typical file, remote opening, and the alternatives if refused.
Online bank or branch: what a non-resident buyer loses by choosing wrong
An online bank opens fast and costs little, a branch delivers what the project demands: banker's draft, guarantee, mortgage, a named contact. How to choose by what you are going to buy.
The French banker's draft: getting one in time, and checking the one handed to you
Still required in several operations, a banker's draft is not issued in an hour from abroad. And the one handed to you is verified with the issuing branch, never from the paper.
Forward contracts: locking your rate is not a bet, it is the opposite
Two to four months of currency exposure on a six-figure sum between contract and deed. What a forward contract binds, how to date it, and why waiting for a better rate is the real risk.
Your own country's exchange controls: the obstacle that is not in France
Some countries govern outbound capital with caps, authorisations or filings. That lock is released in the country of departure, and it drives the whole purchase timetable.
Bank or payment institution: what to check in one minute
A payment institution is authorised and segregates client funds. How to verify an authorisation on the public register, and the one question that compares two offers.
Paying for works and charges from abroad: twelve small conversions cost more than one
After the purchase come the tradesmen, the service charges, the taxes and the insurance. Paying each line as it falls from another currency costs twice: in exchange margin and in fixed fees.
Right to an account: the procedure when every bank refuses
French citizens abroad or residents of another EU country have a right to an account under article L312-1. Refusal certificate, referral, designation within one business day.
Foreign IBAN refused in France: your rights and the quick fix
European regulation forbids refusing an IBAN from another SEPA country. In practice refusal is common: what to reply, who to write to, and when to open an account.
A non-resident's borrowing capacity: the calculation the bank makes
Discount on foreign-currency income, 35 % debt-service ratio, residual income: the step-by-step calculation of a non-resident's borrowing capacity, with a worked example.
Mortgage charge or guarantee: what security for a non-resident borrower
Guarantee institutions often refuse non-residents. Lender's legal mortgage, conventional mortgage, pledge: what the bank will take, and what it costs.
A French mortgage according to your country of residence
United Kingdom, United States, Switzerland, euro area, Gulf, Brazil, Asia: what the country of residence changes in a French mortgage file, usual down payment and documents expected.