This page is for anyone whose home, income or nationality sits outside the UK but who wants to buy or refinance UK property: British expats living and working abroad, foreign nationals purchasing here, and non-UK-resident investors. If you have searched for an "expat mortgage", a "foreign national mortgage" or a "non-resident mortgage" and found that high-street lenders go quiet the moment you mention an overseas address or a foreign-currency salary, this is the page to read. (If instead you are a UK resident looking to finance a property abroad, that is a different problem — see our International Mortgage page, which covers cross-border lending on overseas assets.)
Working across more than 135 lenders, plus private banks that do not advertise to the public, Propertyze is a specialist, criteria-first broker. We start with the question most people skip — who will lend at all on your circumstances — and then present the case in the way each lender's underwriters want to see it. For non-standard borrowers, getting to the right lender and packaging the case correctly is usually the difference between a clean offer and a string of declines.
Key facts at a glance
- Who it suits: UK expats abroad, foreign nationals buying UK property, and non-resident investors, for either a home to live in or an investment property.
- Lender pool is narrower: far fewer lenders consider non-resident or foreign-national cases than consider UK residents, so where you apply matters a great deal.
- Deposits tend to be larger: as a general guide, deposits are often 25% or more, and some cases call for more — the exact figure depends on the lender, the applicant and the property.
- Income and currency: lenders frequently discount foreign-currency income, often counting only a proportion of it, and some set minimum income levels.
- Residency and visa status: your right to remain matters — Indefinite Leave to Remain is viewed differently from a time-limited visa, and this shapes which lenders will engage.
- Enhanced due diligence: expect detailed anti-money-laundering checks, including evidence of your source of funds (the deposit) and source of wealth (how your wealth was built).
- Restricted jurisdictions: some lenders decline applicants connected to certain countries, and sanctioned jurisdictions are excluded entirely.
- Regulation: a mortgage on a property you will live in is normally a regulated residential mortgage; most buy-to-let lending is not regulated by the FCA.
Who this is for — expat, foreign national or non-resident
These three labels overlap but are not the same, and lenders treat them differently.
An expat is typically a British or UK citizen living and working overseas — often on an employment contract, sometimes paid in a foreign currency — who wants to keep a foothold in the UK property market, buy a future home, or build a portfolio. A foreign national is someone who is not a UK citizen buying UK property, whether they live here on a visa or remain resident abroad. A non-resident is anyone, of any nationality, who does not currently live in the UK for tax or residency purposes. A single applicant can sit in more than one category.
The distinction that matters most for this page is the one between financing UK property (covered here) and financing property overseas. If you are buying a UK home or UK investment property, you are in the right place. If you want to raise money against, or buy, a property in another country, the lender landscape, the legal process and the currency considerations are different — start with our International Mortgage page instead.
Expat mortgages for British citizens abroad
An expat mortgage is simply a UK mortgage written for someone who lives overseas. The property is in the UK; you are not. That single fact takes most of the high street out of the picture, because their affordability models assume a UK address, a UK credit file and a sterling salary. What remains is a much smaller field of specialist lenders — a handful of building societies, one or two offshore banks, and the private banks — each with its own published view on who qualifies.
The practical gates on loans for expats are consistent even when the numbers are not. Lenders want to see where you are tax-resident, how long you have been abroad, whether you still hold a UK credit footprint, and what currency you are paid in. Several set a minimum income before they will look at a case at all, and those thresholds are high enough to exclude a good many applicants who would sail through a UK residential application. Some will only lend on buy-to-let, not on a home you intend to occupy.
Foreign-currency income. Earning in a currency other than sterling introduces exchange-rate risk from the lender's point of view, so many lenders apply a "haircut", counting only a proportion of foreign-currency income towards affordability. Some lenders are more comfortable with certain currencies than others. Knowing which lenders treat your particular currency and income type favourably is central to getting the borrowing you need.
The gate that catches people out most often is country of residence. It is not a formality: a lender's restricted-country list can rule out an otherwise strong applicant outright, and those lists change. The most significant recent example is set out in the comparison below — a well-known expat lender has closed to residents of the EU and EEA entirely, which is not something you would discover from its product pages.
Expat buy-to-let mortgages
Most expat lending in the UK is buy-to-let rather than residential, and it is worth understanding why: a property you will not live in is generally unregulated lending, assessed on the rent it produces rather than on your salary. That suits an overseas applicant, because rental income is in sterling and lands in the UK regardless of where you are paid. Two of the specialist lenders in the table below write expat buy-to-let mortgages only — they do not offer an expat residential product at all.
Affordability is assessed on rental cover rather than income multiples. The lender applies an interest coverage ratio — the rent must exceed the mortgage interest by a set margin, tested at a stressed rate rather than the rate you will actually pay. Where a case is tight, some lenders will consider surplus personal income, though appetite for that varies. Portfolio limits also bite sooner than expats expect: caps on the number of mortgaged properties, and in some cases on how many you may hold in a single postcode district.
Many expat landlords hold property through a limited company. The structure is common enough that most specialist expat lenders write to it, and the criteria differ from personal-name lending — see our limited company buy-to-let mortgage page for how SPV lending is assessed, and our buy-to-let mortgages in London page if the property sits in the capital. Whether a company structure helps you is a tax question as much as a lending one, and one to put to your accountant.
Mortgages for foreign nationals (UK)
A foreign national mortgage is a different problem from an expat one. Here the applicant is usually in the UK — living and often working here — but holds a non-UK passport. The lender's question is not "where are you?" but "what is your right to remain, and for how long?"
Residency and visa status. Your immigration position is a key filter, and close to binary for many lenders. Settled status such as Indefinite Leave to Remain, or a right of abode, is generally viewed more favourably than a visa with a fixed end date, and some lenders want a minimum period of UK residence, a UK bank account or a UK tie before they engage. Where a visa has limited time left to run, some lenders will still proceed if it carries a route to extension or settlement — a referral conversation rather than a published rule. The right lender depends on exactly where you stand.
UK credit footprint. If you have lived abroad for years, or arrived in the UK recently, you may have a thin or absent UK credit file. That is not a refusal in itself and it is not an adverse record; it reads as an absence of evidence, so lenders look harder at the rest of the picture. Lenders that write home loans for foreign nationals work around it routinely: we help you assemble the supporting evidence — overseas credit references, banking history and proof of conduct — and package it up front rather than supplying it after a decline.
Non-resident investors
A non-resident investor — any nationality, living outside the UK, buying UK property as an investment — sits across both categories, and lenders treat the combination as the harder case. Expect the restricted-country checks that apply to expats and the identity and source-of-wealth scrutiny that applies to foreign nationals, on the same application. Where the applicant is a UK national the case usually routes to an expat product; where they are not, the field narrows again, and the private-bank route below is frequently the realistic answer for larger loans.
Deposits, minimum income, AML and restricted countries
Because lenders are taking on additional risk, the entry requirements are usually higher than for a UK-resident borrower. As a general guide, deposits often start around 25% and can be higher for more complex cases — the precise level varies with the lender, your country of residence, the currency of your income and the property itself. Some lenders also set minimum income thresholds, and some will not lend to applicants connected to particular countries.
Applicants connected to sanctioned jurisdictions are excluded altogether. These are not fixed rules we can quote as universal numbers; they differ from lender to lender, which is precisely why matching the case to the right lender at the outset saves time and avoids unnecessary declines. As with any mortgage, your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a loan secured on it, and you should weigh the costs and the exchange-rate risk before committing.
AML, source of funds and source of wealth. Cross-border money attracts enhanced anti-money-laundering scrutiny. You should expect to evidence both your source of funds (where the deposit money has come from — for example a documented salary, sale proceeds or a gift with a paper trail) and your source of wealth (how your overall wealth was accumulated). Preparing this properly at the outset prevents delays later, and it is something we coordinate as part of packaging the case.
Which lenders offer expat and foreign national mortgages?
There is no single list of UK banks that lend to expats, because the answer depends on where you live, what you are paid in and what you are buying. What follows is the specialist end of the market — the lenders whose criteria are published, set against what those criteria actually say. It is a starting point for a conversation, not a recommendation: your case may fit a lender not shown here, including a private bank that publishes nothing at all.
| Lender | Expat residential | Expat buy-to-let | Foreign national | What their published criteria say |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skipton International | No — buy-to-let only | Yes | Yes | Applicants must live outside the UK and remain so at completion, and earned income cannot be subject to UK income tax. Sets a minimum income before it will consider a case, applies a minimum loan size, and tapers the maximum LTV downwards as the loan gets larger. Portfolio landlords are assessed on stressed rental cover. Closed to residents of the EU and EEA under the CRD VI rules: no applications accepted after 31 March 2026, and no new products from 11 July 2026. Does not lend to Chinese nationals resident in mainland China, or to applicants resident in Australia. |
| Foundation Lending formerly Foundation Home Loans |
No — buy-to-let only | Yes | Yes | No minimum income, provided the loan is affordable and there is income independent of the rent on the property being mortgaged. Expat applicants must hold a UK bank account, a UK credit footprint, be declaring income for UK tax, and already own at least one UK buy-to-let. Accepts expats resident in the EU, EEA and Switzerland where a UK power of attorney can execute the mortgage deed, or the applicant can execute it in the UK. Not available to applicants resident in Australia or an excluded country; UAE residents subject to additional requirements. Foreign nationals need indefinite leave to remain, right of abode, or settled or pre-settled status; a working visa with a route to settlement may be considered on referral. |
| Suffolk Building Society | Yes | Yes | Not published separately | The widest published product range of the specialist lenders here: expat residential, buy-to-let, holiday let and self-build. Publishes maximum LTVs and maximum loan sizes that differ by product, with its most generous LTV reserved for selected residential cases at a lower loan ceiling. The holiday let product permits limited owner occupancy each year. Minimum income is not published; currency acceptance is assessed case by case. |
| Family Building Society | Yes — via a broker | Yes | Yes — if UK-based | Accepts expat applicants in over 40 countries, including the United States and Canada — a materially wider geographic reach than most of this group. Lends to UK nationals working abroad, and separately to foreign nationals working in the UK who are paid in a foreign currency, where they hold a UK bank account and a sterling repayment vehicle. Owner-occupier expat applications are accepted through an intermediary rather than direct. Property must be in England or Wales. LTV and minimum income are not published. |
| HSBC Expat | Yes | Yes | Not published | The largest name in this market and the one that publishes least. UK residential and UK buy-to-let mortgages for expats are listed as available, but no LTV, income, currency or eligibility criteria are published; the site states only that mortgages on UK property may not be available to residents of all countries. Access in practice is tied to the wider banking relationship, so eligibility is established by enquiry rather than read off a page. |
| Private banks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Publish no criteria at all and do not accept direct applications, so they cannot be compared on this basis. Lending is underwritten against the whole balance sheet rather than a salary multiple, is frequently linked to assets under management, and is individually priced. This is usually the route for complex multi-currency income and for larger loans — see million pound mortgages and high LTV lending. We name individual banks only where the relationship permits it. |
Taken from each lender's own published material and checked on 5 August 2026. This table deliberately describes who each lender will consider rather than quoting loan-to-values, income thresholds or rates. Those move constantly, and a figure published here would be misleading within months — which is exactly why the live numbers are worth asking for rather than reading off a page. Criteria and appetite change; as the Skipton entry shows, an entire region can close. We confirm the live position against your case rather than working from a fixed list. Nothing here is a recommendation or an offer of finance.
Two things in that table matter more than any rate. The first is that two of the specialist lenders above write buy-to-let only — if you are buying a home to return to, the field is narrower than the search results suggest. The second is that the restricted-country position is now the single biggest determinant of who can help a British expat in Europe, and it moved this year. For a wider view of how the lending market is structured — high street, building societies, challenger banks, private banks and non-bank lenders — see the lender landscape. If you would rather set out your circumstances and have us come back with the live options, request indicative terms.
The private-bank route for high-net-worth clients
For high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth expat and foreign-national clients, private banks are often the most natural home for the lending — and this is where Propertyze's access edge is clearest. Private banks tend to be relationship-led and holistic: rather than scoring a single salary against a rigid affordability calculator, they look at the whole balance sheet, and lending is frequently linked to assets under management or a wider banking relationship.
That flexibility can accommodate complex international income, multiple currencies, and bespoke structures that a mainstream lender would simply decline. Private banks do not advertise to the public and generally work through trusted introducers, so the introduction itself has value. We can present a well-prepared case into the private-bank market and manage the relationship from first conversation through to completion. Terms are individually negotiated and depend on the bank, the client and the overall relationship, so they cannot be quoted in advance.
Why a specialist broker helps
Three things make these cases hard, and a specialist addresses each. First, lender selection: only a minority of lenders engage with non-resident and foreign-national applicants, and their appetites shift with country, currency and visa type — knowing who fits before you apply protects your credit profile and your time.
Second, packaging: underwriters for these cases want a clear, complete narrative — income evidenced and converted correctly, residency explained, source of funds and source of wealth documented up front — and a case presented this way moves faster and is far less likely to stall. Third, access: beyond the mainstream panel of more than 135 lenders, we can reach private banks that are not open to the public, which for HNW clients is often where the right answer sits. Our role is to find the lenders who will say yes and then make the strongest possible case to them.
Common complications we handle
- A British expat paid in US dollars, euros, dirhams or another foreign currency, where mainstream lenders discount the income heavily.
- A foreign national on a time-limited UK visa who has been told they need settled status, when in fact some lenders will still consider the case.
- A non-resident investor with a thin or absent UK credit file but strong overseas banking history.
- A self-employed or company-director applicant whose income is earned and taxed overseas.
- A high-net-worth client whose wealth and income span several countries and currencies and who needs a private-bank, relationship-led solution.
- A deposit that has come from overseas and needs a clear, documented source-of-funds and source-of-wealth trail.
- A buy-to-let purchase by a non-resident, where rental cover, currency and lender appetite all need to line up.
The process
- Initial conversation. We discuss your nationality and residency, where and how you are paid, the property, and your goals — and flag anything that will shape lender choice.
- Strategy and lender selection. We identify the lenders, and where relevant the private banks, whose criteria genuinely fit your circumstances, rather than testing your application against the wrong doors.
- Documentation and source-of-funds preparation. We help you assemble income evidence, residency and identity documents, and a clean source-of-funds and source-of-wealth trail before anything is submitted.
- Submission and underwriting. We package and present the case the way each lender's underwriters expect, and manage their questions through to a decision.
- Through to completion. We coordinate with valuers, solicitors and the lender, keeping the case moving until funds are released.
As a general guide, you should be ready to provide proof of identity and residency, evidence of income (often translated and currency-converted), bank statements, and documentation of where your deposit and wider wealth have come from. Timescales vary with the lender, the property, the conveyancing and the complexity of the international checks — cross-border cases can take longer than a standard UK application, and we will give you a realistic view once we know the details.
Frequently asked questions
Which UK banks offer expat mortgages?
Very few high-street banks lend to expats on standard terms. The active specialist lenders are a small group of building societies and offshore banks — Skipton International, Suffolk Building Society, Family Building Society, Foundation Lending and HSBC Expat among them — alongside private banks, which do not advertise and lend by relationship. Their criteria differ sharply on residency, minimum income and country of residence, and are compared in the table above.
Can I get a UK mortgage as an expat?
Yes. British expats can borrow against UK property, though the pool of lenders is narrower and the criteria are stricter than for UK residents. The key is matching your circumstances to a lender that actively supports expat cases.
Do I need a UK credit history?
Not necessarily. A thin or absent UK credit file is common for those who have lived abroad, and some lenders will work with overseas credit references and banking history instead. It does mean lenders look more closely at the rest of your profile.
Can foreign-currency income be used?
Often, yes, but many lenders count only a proportion of foreign-currency income to allow for exchange-rate movement, and some prefer certain currencies. Which lender you approach makes a real difference to how much of your income counts.
How much deposit do I need for an expat mortgage?
As a general guide, deposits are frequently 25% or more, and some cases need more. The exact figure depends on the lender, your residency, the currency of your income and the property, so it is best assessed case by case.
Can a non-resident get a buy-to-let mortgage?
Yes, a number of lenders consider buy-to-let lending for non-residents, subject to rental cover, deposit and country-of-residence criteria. Most buy-to-let mortgages are not regulated by the FCA.
What is source-of-funds evidence?
It is documentation showing where your money comes from: source of funds is the origin of the deposit (for example salary, the sale of an asset, or a documented gift), while source of wealth is how your overall wealth was built. Lenders require this as part of enhanced anti-money-laundering checks, and preparing it early prevents delays.
Speak to a specialist
Whether you are a UK expat abroad, a foreign national buying here, or a non-resident investor, the right approach starts with finding the lenders who will genuinely consider your case — and for high-net-worth clients, that often means the private-bank market. Call 020 7126 8574 or request a call back, and we aim to reply within one working day.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage secured on it.
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