Investing in property
in France from Norway

In practice, it is a French bank that finances your property in France, with the HCSF standard: 35% debt-to-income ratio, insurance included, and 25 years at most. It looks at your income in Norwegian kroner with caution, because their value in euros varies with the rate: a fall in the krone makes your monthly payment in euros heavier. Norway is not in the European Union, and not all banks accept non-residents; the choice of banks, the order in which they are approached and the presentation of the application make the difference. A loan in kroner from a French bank is only possible if you mainly receive your income or hold assets in that currency; most applications are financed in euros.

Also read: which banks lend to expats and how much down payment to plan for.

The 1980 treaty covers, on the French side, only income tax and wealth tax: nothing guarantees that Norway deducts the 7.5% solidarity levy. Above €50,000 of taxable capital gain, a surcharge of 2% to 6% is added in France. The €150,000 exemption on the capital gain (French or European national, domiciled in France for at least two years) remains open, under conditions. So does the exemption for a former main residence sold by 31 December of the year following departure at the latest: Norway has signed the required assistance conventions with France. Warning: these exemptions apply only in France. If you are a Norwegian resident in the year of the sale, Norway may tax the capital gain on a property that was not your home, with no French tax to deduct.

Also read: how the rents of a non-resident are taxed.

Warning, in Norway: a French SCI may be treated differently there than in France, for income tax as well as wealth tax. To be studied with Norwegian advice before buying through a company.

The right choice depends on your project and your country: compare with the rental income tax calculator.

Norway taxes the wealth of its residents, property abroad included. For 2025, the tax is 1% of net wealth above 1,760,000 kroner per person (double for a couple), and 1.1% above 20.7 million; the threshold rises to 1.9 million kroner in 2026 (1.1% above 21.5 million). A home located abroad is in principle counted at 30% of its purchase price or market value, under the rules for leisure homes; a property let on a large scale may follow other rules. The treaty allows France to tax property wealth located in France; it then provides that Norway deducts French wealth tax, up to the amount of Norwegian tax on that property. This applies only if you pay the IFI, that is, above €1.3 million of property assets.

Your French rents are declared in your Norwegian return (skattemelding), net of expenses: the profit is taxed at 22%, or more if the rental is substantial enough to be treated as a business. To obtain the deduction for French tax (kreditfradrag), you claim it yourself in the return; keep your French tax notice and proof of payment, to be produced if the tax authority asks for them. The unused portion can be carried forward for five years. French property tax does not give entitlement to this deduction, but is deducted from the rents. The property is also declared at 31 December for wealth tax.

The steps of the ImmoPourExpat method, from the first call to letting →