# Portugal mortgage for non-residents — qualcredito > Buying a home in Portugal from abroad: a bigger deposit, 7.5% IMT, NIF, bank account, foreign documents and signing by power of attorney, with an example. URL: https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/portugal-mortgage-non-residents If you are not tax-resident in Portugal you can still get a mortgage from a Portuguese bank, under the same Banco de Portugal rules — payments on all loans up to 45% of income, measured at a higher rate, and a term of up to 40 or 35 years depending on age — but with three differences that matter: banks lend less against the price, often 60% to 70% and never more than 80% on a home that is not your main residence; IMT is 7.5% on the whole value, with no exemptions; and the process needs a Portuguese tax number (NIF), almost always a Portuguese bank account, documents from the country you live in and, if you cannot be there, a power of attorney for the deed. Expect a 30% to 40% deposit plus about 10% of the price in taxes and costs. Updated 2026-11-03. ## Who counts as a non-resident Tax residence is what counts, not nationality or passport. A Portuguese citizen who files taxes in another country is a non-resident to the bank and to the tax authority; a foreigner who lives and files taxes in Portugal is a resident and should follow the guide for people living in Portugal. Buying a home no longer gives you a residence permit: golden visas through property purchase ended with Law 56/2023, in October 2023. ## The three rules that decide how much you can borrow They come from the Banco de Portugal’s [Macroprudential Recommendation 1/2026](https://www.bportugal.pt/sites/default/files/documents/2026-07/Recomendacao_Macroprudencial_n.1-2026.pdf) (in Portuguese), which applies to every application assessed since 1 August 2026, resident or not. They are recommendations, but banks almost always follow them: they may exceed the payment limit on only 10% of what they lend each half-year. - Debt-to-income (taxa de esforço) up to 45%. The payments on every loan of every borrower — the new one and the ones you already have, from the car to a personal loan — are added up and divided by net monthly income. The new loan’s payment is not the one on the offer: it is priced at a higher rate, 1.5 percentage points up on a term over ten years. A loan that only fits at today’s rate is already refused. - Loan-to-value (LTV) up to 90% on the home you will live in, 80% on a second home or a buy-to-let. It is measured on the lower of price and the bank’s valuation: if the valuation comes in under the price, the deposit goes up. - Term up to 40 years if the oldest borrower is 35 or under, up to 35 if older. If the loan runs past any borrower’s 70th birthday, the bank counts a lower income for them — at least 20% less, in proportion to the years past 70. Income means net of tax and social contributions, per year, divided by 12 — so bonuses and the Portuguese holiday and Christmas pay count too. The bank reads it from your last tax return or your last three months of payslips. ## What is different for non-residents - Deposit. The Banco de Portugal limits are the same, but banks often lend non-residents 60% to 70% of the price, and less still to those earning in another currency. On a holiday home the ceiling is 80%, not 90%. - IMT. Since [Decree-Law 97/2026](https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/97-2026-1124493227) (in Portuguese), non-residents pay 7.5% on the whole value of a home, with no exemption or reduction — no young buyers’ relief either. The normal rules return if you become resident in Portugal within the following two years, or let the home at a moderate rent for 36 months within the first five years. - Public guarantee for young buyers: [Decree-Law 44/2024](https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/decreto-lei/44-2024-871466267) (in Portuguese) requires a tax address in Portugal, so it does not apply. - Income in another currency. The bank discounts it or asks for a bigger deposit, and the exchange-rate risk is yours: the payment is in euros, your salary is not. - The payment ratio. The rule is the same, but some banks are more cautious with non-residents and prefer to see the payment well below 45%. ## Running the numbers, before you talk to a bank - Add up each borrower’s yearly net income and divide by 12. - List the payments you already make: car, personal loan, cards on a repayment plan. - Your maximum payment is 45% of monthly income, minus those payments. - See what loan that payment pays off at the test rate: the average rate on new loans, [3.00% in August 2026](https://bpstat.bportugal.pt/serie/12904069), plus 1.5 percentage points, over the longest term your age allows. - Compare it with what the bank lends against the price — at most 80% on a home that is not your main residence, often less. The lower of the two is what you can borrow; the rest of the price is your deposit. - Add up the cash for the day of the deed: deposit, IMT and stamp duty on the purchase, stamp duty on the loan, the deed and registrations, and the bank’s fees. Do not leave your savings at zero. ## The process, step by step, from abroad - NIF. The Portuguese tax number comes first: without it you cannot open an account or pay taxes. You get it from the tax office, in person, or through a representative holding a power of attorney. Once you own a home you may have to appoint a tax representative in Portugal; the [tax authority’s leaflet on NIFs for non-residents](https://info.portaldasfinancas.gov.pt/pt/apoio%5Fcontribuinte/Folhetos%5Finformativos/Documents/Atribuicao%5Fde%5FNIF%5Fa%5Fcidadaos%5Festrangeiros%5Fnao%5Fresidentes.pdf) (in Portuguese) says when — residents of another EU country avoid it by turning on electronic notifications on the Portal das Finanças. - A Portuguese bank account. The payments come out of it, and the lending bank usually requires one. Several banks open it remotely. Expect questions about where the money you transfer comes from: keep the statements to hand. - Documents from the country you live in. Payslips, tax return and an employer’s letter, proof of tax residence and that country’s credit report — the Banco de Portugal report only lists loans in Portugal. They are often asked for in translation, and official documents with an apostille. - Pre-approval. Ask two or three banks, ideally ones with a non-resident desk. It tells you how much they will lend and with what deposit, before you commit to a home. - Promissory contract (CPCV) and deposit. Once you have chosen the home, you sign the promissory contract and pay a deposit (sinal), often 10% to 20% of the price. Ask for a clause that returns it if the loan is refused: without one, you lose it. - Valuation. The bank sends a valuer to the home and charges you the valuation fee. If the valuation comes in below the price, the loan is worked out on the valuation and the difference comes out of your deposit. - Approval and FINE. The bank approves the loan and hands over the FINE with the terms for your case, together with the draft contract. The law gives you a 7-day reflection period from that moment: this is when to put the FINEs side by side and negotiate. - Insurance. The bank requires life and home insurance, but cannot make you buy them from it. Outside the bank, life cover can cost a good deal less, and the saving sometimes beats the rate discount you give up by not taking the bank’s. - Deed, in person or by power of attorney. Purchase and loan are signed in the same act, once IMT and stamp duty have been paid. If you cannot come, someone signs for you under a power of attorney: made at a Portuguese notary or consulate, or at a notary in your own country with an apostille and translation. A power limited to this purchase is safer than a general one. Many buyers from abroad work with a lawyer or solicitor in Portugal, who checks the land registry, handles the NIF and the power of attorney and signs for them. It is not required, but it saves trips and mistakes. ## Example: a holiday home bought from another euro country One borrower aged 40, living and working in another euro-area country, with €4,200 net a month and no other loans. They want a €250,000 holiday flat, so not a permanent home. - Term: the rule would allow 35 years, but at 30 the loan ends at 70 and the income counts in full. A longer term would lower the payment and cut the income the bank counts. - On income, 45% of €4,200 at the test rate would pay off about €373,000. - On price, at 70% the loan is €175,000. Here income is not the limit: the deposit is. The payment at the average rate would be about €738 a month, but the cash needed on the day is much larger: €75,000 deposit, €18,750 IMT at 7.5%, €2,000 stamp duty on the purchase, €1,050 stamp duty on the loan and about €700 for the deed and registrations — roughly €98,000, plus the bank’s fees, translations and the power of attorney. If they become tax-resident in Portugal within the following two years, the non-resident IMT no longer applies and the normal tables do. These sums say what the rules allow, not what a bank will approve. The decision, the terms and the rate are only written down in the FINE — and once you hold several, qualcredito.com puts them side by side on the same scenario. ## In the glossary - [LTV](https://qualcredito.com/en/glossary#ltv) - [Taxa de esforço](https://qualcredito.com/en/glossary#taxa-de-esforco) - [IMT](https://qualcredito.com/en/glossary#imt) - [CPCV](https://qualcredito.com/en/glossary#cpcv) - [Escritura](https://qualcredito.com/en/glossary#escritura) - [FINE](https://qualcredito.com/en/glossary#fine) ## Other guides - [A mortgage when you live in Portugal: how much you can borrow and how the process works](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/how-much-can-i-borrow-portugal) - [Documents a Portuguese bank asks for a mortgage](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/mortgage-documents-portugal) - [IMT and stamp duty in Portugal (2026)](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/imt-stamp-duty-portugal) To compare offers you already hold, upload each bank's FINE at https://qualcredito.com/en/proposals. ## Pages - [Portugal mortgage comparison — qualcredito](https://qualcredito.com/en) - [Your offers — qualcredito, Portugal mortgages](https://qualcredito.com/en/proposals) - [Example comparison — qualcredito, Portugal mortgages](https://qualcredito.com/en/example) - [Portugal mortgage glossary — qualcredito](https://qualcredito.com/en/glossary) - [About — qualcredito, Portugal mortgages](https://qualcredito.com/en/about) - [Contact — qualcredito, Portugal mortgages](https://qualcredito.com/en/contact) - [Privacy — qualcredito, Portugal mortgages](https://qualcredito.com/en/privacy) - [Terms of use — qualcredito, Portugal mortgages](https://qualcredito.com/en/terms) - [Portugal mortgage guides — qualcredito](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides) - [How to compare mortgage offers in Portugal — qualcredito](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/compare-mortgage-offers-portugal) - [How to read a FINE (Portugal’s ESIS) — qualcredito](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/how-to-read-a-fine) - [Rate discounts in Portugal: worth it? — qualcredito](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/mortgage-rate-discounts-portugal) - [Fixed, mixed or variable rate in Portugal — qualcredito](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/fixed-mixed-or-variable-rate) - [IMT and stamp duty in Portugal (2026) — qualcredito](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/imt-stamp-duty-portugal) - [Mortgage documents in Portugal: the checklist — qualcredito](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/mortgage-documents-portugal) - [Portugal mortgage: how much can I borrow? — qualcredito](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/how-much-can-i-borrow-portugal) - [Portugal mortgage for non-residents — qualcredito](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/portugal-mortgage-non-residents) - [Portugal mortgage repayment and paying early — qualcredito](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/mortgage-early-repayment-portugal) - [Euribor and your Portugal mortgage payment — qualcredito](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/euribor-mortgage-payment-portugal) - [Debt-to-income ratio for a Portugal mortgage — qualcredito](https://qualcredito.com/en/guides/debt-to-income-ratio-portugal) --- This is not financial advice. The figures are estimates and depend on what was read from each PDF, on the assumptions chosen and on rates that change.