Buying property in France from abroad: a step-by-step guide for overseas buyers

Buying a property in France while living abroad is entirely feasible — thousands of overseas buyers do it every year on the Côte d'Azur. What surprises most of them is not the price or the paperwork: it is the sequence. French purchases follow a fixed legal timetable, and the steps that matter for a non-resident are not the ones you would expect.

I am Audrey Hurelle, an independent mortgage broker based on the French Riviera. I work in French and in English with buyers who live in the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Belgium and beyond. Here is the process, in order, with the points where overseas buyers most often lose weeks.

1. Establish your budget before you view anything

In France, the estate agent and the seller will ask how the purchase is financed before they take an offer seriously. If you are financing with a French mortgage, you should know your borrowing capacity before your first viewing trip — not after you have fallen in love with an apartment.

2. Understand what a French bank expects from a non-resident

• A deposit that is typically higher than for a French resident, plus purchase costs on top.
• Proof of income over the last two to three years: payslips, employment contract, or accounts if you are self-employed.
• Tax returns from your country of residence.
• Bank statements, and clear evidence of where the deposit comes from (source-of-funds checks are mandatory).
• Life insurance covering the loan — this is required in practice and its cost matters as much as the rate.

Documents in a foreign language are often accepted, but not always, and not by every lender. Knowing in advance which bank accepts what avoids a translation round-trip that can cost two weeks.

3. The offer and the compromis de vente

Once your offer is accepted, you sign a preliminary contract — usually a compromis de vente — and pay a deposit, generally held by the notaire. This contract is binding, with two protections built in for you: a cooling-off period of ten days after you receive it, and the mortgage condition.

The condition suspensive de prêt means the sale is conditional on you obtaining your mortgage. If the loan is refused within the agreed period, the sale falls through and your deposit is returned. This clause is your single most important protection — never waive it to make an offer look stronger.

The period given is typically 45 to 60 days. For an overseas buyer that window is tight, which is why the financing work should already be underway before you sign.

4. The notaire: one legal professional, not your negotiator

In France the notaire is a public officer who guarantees the legality of the transfer, collects the taxes and registers the deed. The same notaire can act for both parties; you may also appoint your own at no extra cost, as the fee is shared.

The notaire is not a solicitor advising you commercially, and not a mortgage adviser. They will not chase your bank. That part of the process is yours — or your broker's.

5. Financing: where a broker actually saves you time

You can approach French banks directly. Living abroad, the practical difficulty is that branch appointments are in person and in French, policies on non-residents vary widely from one bank to another, and a refusal never comes with an explanation you can act on.

A broker builds one clean file, presents it to the lenders that genuinely finance your profile, and negotiates the rate, the life insurance and the guarantee together. On a non-resident file, the insurance and the total cost of credit often move the final figure more than the headline rate.

One important rule in France: instruct a single broker. Local banks are few, and the same file arriving twice through different intermediaries is regularly closed by the underwriter rather than arbitrated.

6. Opening a French bank account and paying

A French lender will normally require a French current account for the loan repayments. Plan for the currency question too: if your income is not in euros, the exchange rate applies both to your deposit transfer and to your monthly instalments. Some buyers use a currency specialist rather than a high-street transfer to reduce that cost.

7. Completion (acte de vente)

Completion takes place at the notaire's office, usually two to three months after the compromis. You do not have to travel: you can sign by power of attorney, arranged in advance through the notaire. Many of my overseas clients complete without flying to France at all.

8. After the purchase

• Local property taxes: taxe foncière, and taxe d'habitation where it still applies to second homes.
• Rental income from a French property is taxable in France, whatever your country of residence.
• Insurance for the property is compulsory for a co-owned apartment and strongly advised otherwise.
• Utilities and building charges are usually set up by the notaire or the managing agent at completion.

Tax treatment depends on your personal situation and on the double-taxation treaty between France and your country of residence — always confirm with a qualified tax adviser.

A realistic timetable

• Before viewing: financing assessment, 1 to 2 weeks.
• Offer accepted to compromis signed: 2 to 4 weeks.
• Mortgage application to formal offer: 6 to 8 weeks, longer for a non-resident file.
• Mandatory cooling-off on the loan offer: 11 days before you can accept it.
• Compromis to completion: 3 to 4 months in total is a realistic expectation.

Talk it through first

If you are considering a purchase in Nice, Antibes, Cannes, Cagnes-sur-Mer, Villeneuve-Loubet, Menton or anywhere on the Riviera, the discovery call is free and in English. You will leave it knowing what is financeable, on what terms, and what documents to start gathering.