To a Czech bank, a Slovak citizen is an EU citizen and gets a mortgage on the same terms as a Czech. That means LTV up to 80 % (90 % if at least one applicant is under 36), the same rates (the average on new mortgages was 5.00 % in August 2026) and the same internal limits on how much of your income the payments may take.
You need neither permanent residence (trvalý pobyt) in Czechia nor a residence permit. The differences are in the detail. If you work in Czechia and are paid in koruna, there are practically none. Euro income from Slovakia is another matter: the bank converts it and often knocks off a percentage for exchange-rate risk. A Czech bank will generally not take a flat in Slovakia as collateral, and a Slovak bank will rarely finance a property in Czechia.
Four situations and how the bank sees them
| Your situation | How the bank assesses it | What to watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| You live and work in Czechia, salary in CZK | like a Czech; income without conversion | a probation period (zkušební doba) after moving, a short history on a Czech account |
| You live in Czechia and work for a Slovak company (home office), salary in EUR | foreign income: converted at an exchange rate, some banks apply a haircut | documenting the employer and contributions, exchange-rate risk |
| You live in Slovakia and are buying a flat in Czechia for yourself or a child | foreign income; assessment of the purpose (own housing or investment) | a flat to let = investment mortgage, with the ČNB recommendation of LTV 70 % and DTI 7 |
| A Czech + Slovak couple | joint application, each income assessed separately | agree who will be the owner and how you will settle the shares |
Euro income is the easiest foreign income for banks to read. Some take it in full, others apply a haircut according to their own methodology. The general rules on currency conversion and haircuts are covered in Mortgage with income from abroad.
Can a Slovak loan pay for a flat in Prague?
Rarely, because the loan follows the collateral. People often ask whether it would be cheaper to borrow in Slovakia, where euro-area rates are usually lower, and the answer depends on where the property is.
A flat in Czechia is in practice financed only by Czech banks. Slovak banks generally will not take Czech collateral, because the land registry, the law and enforcement are all different. It works the other way round too: Czech banks rarely accept a Slovak flat as collateral, so if you want to pledge property in Slovakia you will be borrowing from a Slovak bank, in euros.
Slovak housing support for young people is tied to housing and a loan in Slovakia, so it will not help with a flat in Prague. In Czechia you get the higher 90 % LTV under 36 instead.
For an ordinary buyer, a euro mortgage on a Czech flat is the exception. You will be comparing Czech banks with one another, and in October 2026 their individual offers mostly fall between 4.7 and 5.8 %, depending on LTV, the fixed-rate period (fixace) and insurance.
Martin earns koruna, Zuzana earns euros
One household, two currencies
Martin (33) works in Prague for CZK 45,000 net. Zuzana (31) works remotely from Prague for a Bratislava company and earns EUR 1,600 net. They are buying a flat for CZK 6,000,000. For illustration we use an exchange rate of CZK 25/EUR and a 15 % haircut on the euro income; the bank sets the real values.
- Zuzana's income: 1,600 × 25 = CZK 40,000; after the 15 % haircut the bank counts CZK 34,000.
- Household income for the bank: 45,000 + 34,000 = CZK 79,000. At the usual internal threshold of 45 %, the payment can be up to CZK 35,550, which over 30 years at 5.00 % supports a loan of ≈ CZK 6.6 million.
- Both are under 36, so the LTV limit is 90 %: a loan of CZK 5,400,000, with own funds of CZK 600,000 plus costs.
- The payment over 30 years at 5.00 % is CZK 28,988, or 37 % of the income the bank counts.
Applying alone, Zuzana's euro income after the haircut would support a loan of only ≈ CZK 2.85 million. The currency risk is real, too. The CZK 28,988 payment costs her EUR 1,160 at CZK 25/EUR, EUR 1,260 if the koruna strengthens to CZK 23/EUR, and EUR 1,074 if it weakens to CZK 27/EUR.
Which documents are easier, and which are extra
- Identity: a Slovak ID card or passport. Banks usually want two documents, as they do from Czechs.
- Language: Czech banks usually accept Slovak documents (employment contract, income confirmation, tax return) without translation. Check with your bank first.
- Address: some banks want a contact address in Czechia or a certificate of temporary residence for an EU citizen (potvrzení o přechodném pobytu), issued by the Ministry of the Interior's Department for Asylum and Migration Policy.
- Credit history: the Czech registers show your Slovak bank loans only through BRKI's data exchange with the Slovak SBCB register, and only with your consent. The bank may ask for an extract from the Slovak registers or a sworn statement of your obligations in Slovakia. List everything, because any discrepancy will come out and ends in rejection.
- Euro income: payslips, bank statements showing the salary arriving, an employer's confirmation, and a tax return (if the income is taxed in Slovakia, a Slovak return or annual tax reconciliation, ročné zúčtovanie).
Where do Slovaks working in Czechia pay tax?
In Czechia, as a rule. Under Article 14 of the Czech–Slovak double taxation treaty, a Czech tax resident's salary is taxed only in Czechia unless the work is physically done in Slovakia, so a Slovak who lives in Prague and works from here, even for a Slovak employer, pays income tax in Czechia. That matters for the mortgage, because the interest deduction on your own home (up to CZK 150,000 a year for loans from 2021, a tax saving of up to CZK 22,500) can only be set against income taxed in Czechia.
Martin from the example can use it, and so can Zuzana: her employer is Slovak, but she lives and works in Prague, files a Czech tax return and claims the deduction too. If the company still withholds Slovak tax, sort it out with a tax adviser; when the work is done in Czechia, social and health insurance are as a rule paid in Czechia too.
Rent from a flat in Czechia is taxed in Czechia under § 9 (actual expenses or a 30 % flat-rate allowance), even if you live in Slovakia. How to report it in your Slovak return without paying tax twice is governed by the double taxation treaty, and a tax adviser is worth the fee here.
Selling a flat in Czechia is tax-free if you have owned it for at least 10 years (for acquisitions from 2021), have lived in it for 2 years, or put the proceeds towards your own housing. Property acquisition tax (daň z nabytí nemovitých věcí) has not been payable since 2020.
Before you apply
- Decide whether you are buying to live in or to let, since that changes the LTV and the choice of banks.
- If you are paid in euros, ask 2–3 banks which exchange rate and which haircut they will use.
- Use your age: under 36, 10 % own funds is enough.
- Open a Czech account and have your income paid into it for at least a few months before you apply.
- Get an extract or a statement of your Slovak obligations ready.
- Work out your limit in the How much can I borrow calculator with your income after the haircut, not the full amount.
Sources
- ČNB – LTV limit 80/90 % and recommendation for investment mortgages from 1 April 2026
- Act No. 586/1992 Coll., on income taxes, § 4 (exemption on sale), § 9 (rental), § 15 (interest deduction)
- Czech–Slovak double taxation treaty, No. 100/2003 Sb. m. s., Article 14 (income from employment)
- ČBA Hypomonitor – average rate on new mortgages, August 2026
- Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic – residence of EU citizens