Jean and Chloé invested in France from Dubai with 0% down payment, without ever travelling. Here is the real process, step by step: the 5 steps, non-resident financing, taxes and the traps that block 80% of applications.
Jean and Chloé live in Dubai. A few months ago, they were asking themselves exactly the same questions as you: “Can we really invest in France from abroad without ever setting foot there?” Today, they own a house share in Île-de-France priced at €533,000, financed with a 0% down payment, with a 24-month deferral and a gross yield of 9,3 %. All of it from Dubai. Property search, preliminary contract, renovation works, getting it rented: remotely, from A to Z.
This is what this guide will show you, step by step. No theory: the real process, the pitfalls that block 80% of applications, and the method we apply with more than 1,000 French people spread across more than 60 countries. Because the real obstacle is not distance, it is not knowing the instructions. For the overview of financing, taxation, choice of city and yield, rely on our complete guide toproperty investment for expats.
First piece of good news, and it is a big one: nothing prevents you from investing in France from abroad. No nationality required, no quota, no special authorisation. Whether you are in London, Montreal, Singapore or Dubai, you have exactly the same right to buy as a French resident. The only area where your status changes the rules is financing and taxation, which we will cover in detail.
Be careful not to confuse two things. Your simple residence is where you live. Your tax residence is the country that has the right to tax you. The two do not automatically coincide.
“Just because you live in one country does not mean you are not required to pay tax in another. You may live in Estonia, but if your family and your school-age children stayed in France, there is a very strong chance that you will be considered a French tax resident.” Frédéric Moreau
Remember the idea: investing in France from abroad means first being clear about your tax residence. It is what will determine how your rents are taxed.
First of all, you set your strategy: type of property, city, target profitability, tax regime. And above all, you choose a city based on four non-negotiable criteria: strong rental demand (your rents are secured over time), a consistent price per m² (a 10% yield on a property that is 20% overpriced is not a good deal), a liquid market (French property, “immobilier”, has the word “immobile” in it, and you do not want to be trapped at resale), and a city large enough to find help on the ground.
This is where distance causes fear. The solution comes in three levels: a relative or friend on the ground for a first scouting, a local contact who visits and gives you a detailed report, and a video visit with the agent. We are lucky to live in a world where WhatsApp video exists: before 2020, this was not feasible.
“With ImmoPourExpat, there is now a local contact in every major French city. They visit for you, send you a report, estimate the renovation works and manage the site. In effect, distance disappears. It is a game changer, and I find it simply magnificent.” Frédéric Moreau
Pitfall to avoid: Clément, who lives in Singapore (since then settled in Australia), thought distance was impossible to manage. He turned to a “turnkey” provider who offered him properties 15 to 20% above the market price, with hidden kickbacks on the renovation works. A simple comparison on Le Bon Coin and SeLoger alerted him. The lesson: remotely, you delegate the eyes and legs, never the decision.
A key step, and a classic pitfall: most people believe you look for financing once the property is found. It is the opposite.
“The financing, you must already have it secured, agreed verbally with your banker, BEFORE even looking for a property. After that, you simply conclude on pre-agreed terms.” Frédéric Moreau
We detail the amounts by profile and country in our guide to thenon-resident mortgage down payment.
No need to take a plane to sign. Four documents are enough to wrap everything up remotely: a valid ID (check its date, an expired national ID card blocks both bank and notary), a proof of address (a simple energy bill), a French bank account (essential to receive the rents and release the mortgage), and an electronic power of attorney : the notary verifies your identity by video call and their office signs the preliminary contract and then the final deed on your behalf.
Client case: Clémence, a non-resident in Montreal for 6 years. She never travelled to France. Mortgage obtained of 150 000 € for a €174,000 project (about 12% down payment), final deed signed remotely from Canada. Result: a property in Saint-Malo as a short-term rental, 17% gross yield, managed from 5,000 km away. She only wants to do it again.
Once the property is let, everything can be managed from anywhere thanks to three systems: automation of cash flows (automatic rent transfer), the delegation of day-to-day management to a local contact, and an emergency network (plumber, locksmith, electrician you trust, identified in advance). The complete system is detailed in our guide to remote property management.
“That is what is magnificent about property: you work once, and it pays you almost for life. After that, it is very little work compared with what we did at the start.” Frédéric Moreau
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This is the most frequent mistake. A non-resident application lengthens everything: accounts to open, documents to gather, final mortgage approval. Here are the orders of magnitude to build into your preliminary contract:
| Step | Observed actual delay |
|---|---|
| Non-resident bank application (preparation + approval) | 6 to 8 weeks longer than a resident application |
| Cooling-off period after the preliminary contract | 10 calendar days |
| Town hall pre-emption right | up to 2 months |
| From preliminary contract to final deed | 3 to 4 months on average |
Starting out with unfurnished rental when the LMNP would have wiped out your tax for years is a pure loss that is hard to recover. The regime is decided BEFORE the purchase, not at the first tax return.
The fear of unpaid rent is the number 1 obstacle. Yet unpaid rent accounts for only 1 à 3 % of cases. The real problem is a lack of method:
“For 50% of landlords, the applicant’s solvency is not even a mandatory criterion! They choose by gut feeling. That is where bad stories begin. Require the last three payslips, the latest tax assessment notice and the employment contract. Full stop.” Frédéric Moreau
This is Clément’s pitfall seen above. A generalist provider knows neither the banks that finance non-residents, nor the electronic power of attorney, nor tax treaties. Your status is not the problem; avoidable support errors are.
French banks classify non-residents as “higher risk”. On your own with your bank, expect a 20 to 30% down payment (sometimes more), a term often capped at 20 years and a debt ratio limited to 35%. But this “non-resident rate” is not inevitable: with ImmoPourExpat support, our members secure terms comparable to those of a resident, with a down payment often reduced to just the notary fees, around 8 %, sometimes zero. For the full instructions (down payment, banks, application, borrower insurance), see our complete guide to mortgages for non-residents.
Your salary is not the deciding factor. What tips an application is a documented monthly saving (a dated transfer to a savings account immediately reassures), a French account kept open and mastery of banking vocabulary. Members obtain financing with 0 to 15% down payment. Jean and Chloé secured 0% from Dubai.
Not all of them finance non-residents. Avoid online banks (they do not lend to expats) and never approach banks without a method: badly approached, you “burn” yourself for good. The right strategy is multi-bank, and that is the whole point of being mortgage for non-residents well supported.
Client case: Axel, self-employed in London for 23 years. No property experience, torn between the fear of investing and the fear of doing nothing for her retirement. With a rock-solid file and three prepared bank meetings, she secures an agreement for a house in Amiens at €130,000, with only 8% down payment. An asset she will never lose.
Your French rents remain taxable in France, at a 20% minimum rate (30% above a certain threshold). Good news on social contributions: if you are affiliated to a social security scheme in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, you only pay the solidarity levy of 7.5% instead of 17.2%.
France has signed more than 120 tax treaties around the world, precisely to prevent you from being taxed twice. But beware:
“The myth of being a tax resident nowhere is impossible. And if your country has no treaty with France, or if it is badly drafted, you can be taxed on both sides. The solution: read the treaty, residence criterion at the start of the text, method for eliminating double taxation generally between articles 23 and 26.” Frédéric Moreau
The LMNP often remains the most advantageous for an expat thanks to depreciation, which sharply reduces tax on rents. Depending on your goal, the SCI under IS (15% up to €42,500 of profit, 25% beyond) or the property deficit in unfurnished rental can complement the strategy.
These choices also affect your taxation on the day you sell: each regime treats the capital gain differently. Our guide on capital gains on property for non-residents details the calculation and the exemptions specific to your status.
Baptiste lives in Montreal. He bought and renovated two studios in Chambéry entirely remotely, by video call, email and WhatsApp, relying on the network of local contacts. Here is his feedback.
Yes, entirely. With a local contact for visits and an electronic power of attorney at the notary, you can search, finance, sign and get the property rented without ever taking a plane. Our members do it from more than 60 countries.
On your own with your bank, count on 20 to 30%. With ImmoPourExpat support, the down payment drops to a resident’s level: often just the notary fees, around 8%, sometimes zero (Jean and Chloé even secured 0% from Dubai).
Allow 3 to 4 months between the preliminary contract and the final deed. A non-resident bank application adds on average 6 to 8 weeks. Anticipating the financing is the key to keeping to the deadlines.
Four are enough for the essentials: a valid ID, a proof of address, a French bank account and an electronic power of attorney to sign at the notary.
France has signed more than 120 tax treaties. Check the tax treaty with your country of residence : tax residence criterion at the start of the treaty, method for eliminating double taxation generally between articles 23 and 26.
Not if you automate cash flows, delegate day-to-day management to a local contact and prepare an emergency network. Unpaid rent accounts for only 1 to 3% of cases when tenant selection is rigorous.
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The information on this page is general and does not replace tax, legal or financial advice suited to your situation.
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