First of all, the good news: you as a foreign citizen can also take loans in Hungary. However, you have to meet certain conditions.
What are these conditions?
As a foreign citizen, you must prove that you are lawfully resided in the territory of Hungary.
If you are an EU member, you are in a better position as you just need a registration card to certify your permanent stay.
In case you are a 3rd-country national, you need to apply for a permanent residence permit which is available after at least 3 years continuous stay in the country.
Both applications are handled by the immigration office: www.bmbah.hu For further information pls contact them or contact a lawyer for help.
As soon as you have the respective document, you are eligible for a Hungarian address card. This document proves your permanent residence address which is again mandatory for all loan applications in Hungary.
The address card is issued by the local government office.
In other respects, the same conditions apply to everyone: you need to have verified income and – in case of mortgages – a property with market value.
Special regulations for 3rd-country nationals
If you arrived out of the EU, you will need an official permit for the acquisition of real estate in Hungary. It's more of a formality but it takes time, 45 days to obtain it. As the purchase is not valid until the permit is available, the loan application cannot be started without it – this has to be calculated when setting the deadlines. Fortunately, the permission can also be requested on a pre-contract basis. An attorney who will draw up the purchase contract will help you with the administration.
Which bank will finance me?
Financial institutions are free to determine the terms on which they are willing to grant credit. For this reason, the lending practice in financing foreigners is very different among Hungarian banks.
There are banks that do not finance non-Hungarian speaking customers at all. Others apply the same rules as for Hungarian borrowers.
Am I eligible for state supports?
There are currently many types of state supports in Hungary related to property plans. These are mainly aimed at families and couples planning to have children.
The good news is that in case you are eligible for bank loans you will most probably also have the right to take advantage of these family benefits as well.
Under the current rules, those are entitled to the family state supports who:
- are Hungarian citizens,
- are EEA nationals (citizens of the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) and exercise the right of free movement and residence for more than three months in the territory of Hungary, or
- have been recognized as stateless or have immigrant or settled status in accordance with the law on the entry and residence of third-country nationals.
That means having the necessary documents to apply for a loan is also a good starting point for qualifying for family benefits.
If you want to know more about taking a loan in Hungary, would like to check your creditworthiness or find the best offers for you on the market, ask the help of our English-speaking credit experts at money.hu.
