Foreigners can get a mortgage in the Czech Republic: EU citizens on the same terms as Czechs, non-EU citizens with permanent or long-term residence and income in Czechia. The binding limit for everyone is LTV 80 % (90 % if one applicant is under 36), and new mortgages averaged 5.00 % in August 2026.
The type of residence decides, not citizenship as such. Non-EU nationals need permanent residence (trvalý pobyt), or long-term residence (dlouhodobý pobyt) with an address and income in Czechia, and banks often lend them only 70–80 % of the property's value. On a flat for CZK 5,500,000, the gap between LTV 70 and 80 % is CZK 550,000 in cash.
The ČNB (Czech National Bank) rules make no distinction for foreigners at all. The stricter terms are the banks' own policies, which is why shopping around pays. DSTI and DTI, which some English-language guides still present as legal limits, are bank rules too: the ČNB deactivated them on 1 July 2023 and 1 January 2024, and banks typically let repayments take up to 45 % of net income.
Which residence status do you need for a Czech mortgage?
| Residence / citizenship | What the bank requires | LTV in practice | Extra documents | More detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU citizen, Slovaks included | as for Czechs, no permanent residence needed | 80 %, 90 % under 36 | usually none; at most a certificate of temporary residence | Mortgages for Slovaks in Czechia |
| Permanent residence, non-EU country | almost as for Czechs; some banks want a longer history in Czechia | up to 80 %, 90 % under 36 (ČNB limit); less at some banks | permanent residence card, translated civil-status documents | further down this article |
| Long-term residence: employee card, EU Blue Card, residence for business or family reasons | only some banks; they look at how long the permit remains valid, how long you have been employed and your Czech income | 70–80 % | a permit with enough validity left, employment contract, salary paid into a Czech account | further down this article |
| Special long-term residence (since 2025, for holders of temporary protection) | a new 5-year permit; check in advance how the particular bank treats it | depends on the bank | residence permit, proof of Czech income | see temporary protection |
| Temporary protection | only a few banks; they want extended protection and Czech income, often a co-applicant | 70–80 % | proof of protection, rodné číslo (birth number) if one was assigned | mortgage for Ukrainians with temporary protection |
| No residence in Czechia, income abroad | only exceptionally, with a larger deposit and conversion from the foreign currency | lower, depends on the bank | proof of foreign income and debts, translations | Mortgage with foreign income |
Citizenship on its own matters only rarely. Some banks have internal restrictions for nationals of countries under international sanctions, or of jurisdictions they rate as high-risk under anti-money-laundering rules. Ask about this before you pay for a valuation.
Can Russian and Belarusian citizens get a Czech mortgage?
Yes, at banks whose own rules allow it: EU sanctions contain no blanket ban on lending to Russian or Belarusian citizens. Council Regulations (EU) No 833/2014 (Article 5b) and No 765/2006 (Article 1u) do, however, prohibit banks from accepting deposits of more than EUR 100,000 per bank from Russian and Belarusian nationals and residents, and from issuing them payment cards and other payment instruments.
These bans do not apply to anyone holding a temporary or permanent residence permit in an EU or EEA country or in Switzerland. An applicant with a Czech long-term or permanent residence permit, without which banks lend only exceptionally anyway, is therefore not restricted by the sanctions on this point.
Whether a bank lends, and on what terms, depends on that bank's own anti-money-laundering and sanctions-screening rules. Ask before you pay for a valuation, and have proof of where your own funds came from ready.
Can you get a mortgage without permanent residence?
Yes, with long-term residence, but only at some banks, and each sets its own conditions. Most often they want an open-ended Czech employment contract with probation behind you, at least a year with the same employer, your salary paid into a Czech account and an address in Czechia. They also watch how long your permit has left to run and whether you have renewed it before.
An employee card (zaměstnanecká karta) is tied to a specific job, and a change of employer has to be reported to the Ministry of the Interior. A bank therefore sees a recent job change as a double risk: a new probation period and uncertain residence. If you are planning to buy, stay in your job for the year before you apply.
Permanent residence opens up much more of the market. You can usually apply for it after 5 years of continuous residence in Czechia (§ 68 of the Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals), so if you are a year away, waiting may pay off. Most banks lend to permanent residents, on terms close to those for Czech applicants.
A family on employee cards buys a flat
Rahul and Priya, both on employee cards (a flat for CZK 5,500,000 and a 30-year mortgage at 5.00 %, annuity repayments; the bank allows at most 45 % of net income for repayments; no other loans):
- A bank with LTV 70 %: loan CZK 3,850,000, own funds CZK 1,650,000, repayment CZK 20,668. At the 45 % threshold they need household net income of at least CZK 45,928.
- A bank with LTV 80 %: loan CZK 4,400,000, own funds CZK 1,100,000, repayment CZK 23,620 and required income CZK 52,489.
Between the two banks lies CZK 550,000 in cash. On top come the valuation (CZK 3,000–6,000), CZK 2,000 to register the lien and certified translations of documents. Under ČNB rules the LTV 90 % exception for applicants under 36 applies to everyone, but a bank with a lower ceiling for foreigners will not grant it automatically.
A family on a decent income, then, runs short of cash here rather than of income. How much of your own money to have ready, and where it can come from, is covered in How much of a deposit you need for a mortgage.
Can you buy in Czechia if no bank will lend to you?
Yes, for cash: buying property in Czechia is not restricted by citizenship. The last remnants of the foreign-exchange rules, which had stopped foreigners buying agricultural land, for example, were lifted in 2011. A foreigner with no residence here can buy a flat for cash; the limits apply only to financing. Our guide on how to buy property in Czechia as a foreigner walks through the steps, costs and taxes.
If you don't live in Czechia and work abroad, income is the main obstacle. The bank has to convert it from a foreign currency and check both your employer and any debts abroad, which Czech registers show only in part (BRKI exchanges data with Slovakia's SBCB and Germany's SCHUFA, and only with your consent). Some banks don't take such applicants at all; others want a larger deposit.
The reverse case, financing a flat abroad from Czechia, is a separate topic. Czech banks generally accept only property in Czechia as collateral; the options are described in our article Mortgage for property abroad.
Which documents and translations does a foreign applicant need?
- passport and residence permit card; for EU citizens, possibly a certificate of temporary residence;
- an income confirmation from your Czech employer, payslips and statements from your Czech account;
- documents on your marital status (marriage certificate, children's birth certificates); if they are not in Czech, with an official translation by a court-appointed translator and, depending on the country of origin, an apostille or superlegalisation;
- a sworn statement about your liabilities abroad, or a report from a foreign credit register;
- property documents, the same as for any applicant; the list is in Documents for a mortgage.
The loan agreement is in Czech. If you don't understand it, plan for an interpreter at the signing; many banks insist on one for foreigners. Allow an extra 2–3 weeks for translating and certifying documents.
Before you sign, you have 14 days to consider the offer like any other consumer, and during that time the bank may not change or withdraw it (§ 111 of the Consumer Credit Act). Use those days to get the contract translated and checked.
Sources
- Act No. 326/1999 Coll., on the residence of foreigners in the Czech Republic, § 68 (permanent residence after 5 years of continuous residence), § 42g (employee card)
- Act No. 219/1995 Coll., the Foreign Exchange Act, § 17 (restrictions on property acquisition by foreigners, repealed by an amendment effective from 19 July 2011)
- Act No. 257/2016 Coll., on consumer credit, § 111 (reflection period before signing)
- ČNB – upper LTV limits for housing loans
- Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014, Article 5b (deposits and payment services, Russia); likewise No 765/2006, Article 1u (Belarus)