Does it exist?
Yes — two free PDF checklists, one for Spain and one for Portugal, plus the full document list openly on this page.
Checklists · Spain & Portugal
Mortgage Spain & Portugal for Non-Residents — Checklist
Which documents do you bring to the bank? Two compact PDF checklists for Spain and Portugal, free.
Short answer
Is there a checklist? Three quick facts
What does it cover?
Identification, proof of income, proof of equity, property documents, and the extra papers for the self-employed, civil servants, pensioners, non-German EU citizens or a German property as security.
Mortgage in Spain: what does it cost?
Nothing — the PDFs are free and without obligation.
Which documents do I need as a non-resident — what belongs on the checklist?
For a mortgage in Spain or Portugal, banks require a fixed set of documents from non-residents: proof of income for the last two to three months (employees: payslips and employment contract; the self-employed: two annual financial statements), recent bank statements, proof of equity, the foreign tax number — the NIE in Spain, the NIF in Portugal — and the preliminary contract (contrato de arras in Spain, CPCV in Portugal). The two PDF checklists bundle exactly this list to tick off, together with the key facts on loan-to-value, equity and purchase costs and an overview of which banks finance non-residents at all. If one building block is missing, it is rarely “the bank” that declines — usually it is just the wrong bank, and the choice among several houses is what decides.
The checklists summarise what banks in Spain and Portugal require from non-residents: proof of income, proof of equity, NIE or NIF, preliminary contract.
Choose Spain, Portugal or both. You receive the PDFs by email.
This checklist complements the property purchase process — that page covers the order, this one the documents.
Complete · as at July 2026
Spain Spain Spain Spain
Portugal Portugal Portugal Portugal
What the bank asks for — Spain and Portugal side by side
This is the content of both checklists. It sits openly on the page, because it is of no use to anyone while it is locked in a PDF: knowing what will be asked means gathering once instead of supplying three times. Follow-up requests, not creditworthiness, are the most common reason a financing drags on for weeks.
Spain
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Loan-to-value for non-residents | up to 70 % of the appraised value |
| Own funds | around 30 % plus purchase costs |
| Purchase costs | 10–13 % of the price |
| Term | calculated: repaid by age 75; with two borrowers the younger age counts; in practice not much below 10 years |
| Fixed-rate period | fixed, variable or mixed |
| Fixed rate with bonificación (purchase loan) | from 2.50 % to 3.20 % |
| Repayment | annuity loan with a level payment |
| Tax number | NIE, required before signing |
| Preliminary contract | Arras Penitenciales, typically a 10 % deposit |
Identification — Spain
- Identity card and passport, copies
- NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) — to be applied for at the Spanish consulate before signing
- Current certificate of registered address
Proof of income — Spain
- Last 3 payslips plus the December payslip of the previous year
- Employment contract and current confirmation that the employment is not under notice
- Tax assessments for the last 2 years
- Bank statements for the salary or joint account, last 6 months — complete and unredacted
Assets and creditworthiness — Spain
- Proof of equity: around 30 % of the price plus 10–13 % purchase costs, held in an account or portfolio
- SCHUFA self-disclosure under Art. 15 GDPR — not the simple score, no more than 1 month old
- Tenancy agreement for your current home, or title deeds and loan agreements for property you own
- Where you own property: the last 2 annual interest certificates and evidence that nothing is in arrears
- For financing without own capital (e.g. using a German property as collateral): proof that the funds for the deposit (Arras) are available at short notice until the follow-up financing is disbursed — before the bank review begins, not afterwards
If the property is already chosen — Spain
- Arras contract (deposit agreement) — to be reviewed before signing
- Nota Simple, the current land registry extract, no more than 3 months old
- Community rules where the property is an apartment
Portugal
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Loan-to-value for non-residents | up to 80 % of the appraised value |
| Own funds | at least 20 % plus purchase costs |
| Purchase costs | around 10 to 11 % of the price |
| Term | calculated: repaid by age 75; with two borrowers the younger age counts; in practice not much below 10 years |
| Fixed-rate period | fixed, variable or mixed |
| Repayment | annuity loan with a level payment |
| Tax number | NIF, required before signing |
| Preliminary contract | CPCV, deposit (sinal) customarily 10 % |
Identification — Portugal
- Identity card and passport, copies
- NIF (Número de Identificação Fiscal) — obtainable online or in person
- Current certificate of registered address
- Proof of address: utility bill, tenancy agreement or bank statement
Proof of income — Portugal
- Last 3 to 6 payslips plus the December payslip of the previous year
- Employment contract and confirmation that the employment is not under notice
- Tax assessments for the last 2 years
- Bank statements for the salary account, last 6 months — complete and unredacted
Assets and creditworthiness — Portugal
- Proof of equity: at least 20 % of the price plus around 10 to 11 % purchase costs, held in an account or portfolio
- SCHUFA self-disclosure under Art. 15 GDPR, no more than 1 month old
- Tenancy agreement for your current home, or title deeds for property you own
- Where you have existing loans: the last 2 annual interest certificates
- For financing without own capital (e.g. using a German property as collateral): proof that the funds for the deposit (Sinal) are available at short notice until the follow-up financing is disbursed — before the bank review begins, not afterwards
If the property is already chosen — Portugal
- Draft CPCV (Contrato Promessa de Compra e Venda) — to be reviewed before signing
- Caderneta Predial, the tax office record for the property
- Certidão Permanente, the land registry extract from the Conservatória, no more than 3 months old
- Ficha Técnica de Habitação, the technical building record
Not on this page: which institutions write which structure. That is part of the mandate. The fixed-rate range above is guidance with a representative example — not an offer; your actual rate depends on creditworthiness, property and bank.
In addition
What is added depending on your status
The list above applies to every applicant. These documents come on top as soon as one of the following applies — in Spain and in Portugal alike:
Self-employed and freelancers
- Business registration, entry in the trade register or professional licence
- Last 2 sets of accounts (cash-basis statement, or balance sheet with P&L)
- Current interim financial statement and trial balance
- Self-disclosure, private and business
Civil servants
- Certificate of appointment as a permanent civil servant
- Most recent monthly salary statement
Pensioners
- Most recent pension notice
- Bank statement showing the latest pension payment
- Evidence of private pension provision, if any
EU citizens who are not German
- Residence permit or EU identity card
- Home-country tax assessment instead of the German one
- Home-country credit report instead of SCHUFA
Using a German property as security
- Current land registry extract for the German property, no more than 6 months old
- Valuation or market value estimate — we can have one commissioned
- Current release of charges, or the free portion of the land charge
The figures you enter into these documents are gathered on three pages by the bilingual self-disclosure form. What the purchase costs on top is set out in the purchase cost overview.
Free checklists
Mortgage checklist Spain & Portugal — what do I bring to the bank?
Two compact PDF checklists for your mortgage in Spain or Portugal: all documents, key facts and terms as at July 2026 — straight from practice. Choose Spain, Portugal or both countries.
Already concrete? Get the self-disclosure form (DE/EN) via a quick form.
What you get:
- Mortgage key facts · LTV, equity, costs, terms as at July 2026
- Rate ranges · fixed, variable and mixed — every figure with its source
- Tax rates · ITP by region in Spain, IMT and stamp duty in Portugal
- Document checklist · to tick off before you go to the bank
- Special case · the extra documents needed when a German property serves as security
15–20lenders approached per case
3 days – 4 weeksprocessing with a complete file
success onlyfee — no advance payment
Open the PDF directly — no form: Spain property purchase checklist — mortgage documents (PDF, 4 pages) · Portugal mortgage checklist — documents for non-residents (PDF, 4 pages). The German editions and every other document are listed in the toolbox (German).
FAQ
What does the checklist cost?
Nothing. The PDFs are free and without obligation.
What documents do I need as a non-resident?
Proof of income, bank statements, proof of equity, NIE (Spain) or NIF (Portugal). The checklist lists everything in detail.
Is there a Portugal version?
Yes. A separate variant covers the Portuguese requirements.
Is there a checklist for buying property in Spain as a non-resident?
Yes — this page is that checklist. It lists everything a bank asks for as a non-resident: identification, proof of income, proof of equity, property documents, plus the extra papers required for the self-employed, civil servants, pensioners, non-German EU citizens, or when a German property is offered as security. See the full document list or request the free PDF below.
Related: the bank's offer only becomes binding with the FEIN — Oferta vinculante: what has to be on the table ten days before the notary.