Mortgages in Hungary

Not every Hungarian bank grants loans to non-EU citizens, and some of those that do impose restrictions with respect to property types. For instance, Sberbank Hungary Ltd. offers mortgage loans to foreigners who wish to buy flats and homes in the country’s newly-built and existing property markets. The bank will not, however, provide loans for real estate exceeding €130,000 in value or illiquid residential properties, i.e., those that would take more than 12 months to sell, or properties that – if sold quickly – would bring in less than €13,000.

*1 HUF=0.0032 EUR (as of 1 February 2016)

Additional borrower requirements:

• Additional borrower requirements:
• salary deposited in a bank account
• the applicant assumes the commitment to transfer 120% of the monthly mortgage loan payment every month
• the borrower is not blacklisted as a loan debtor.

The terms are less rigorous for EU nationals

Lending terms depend on the client's solvency and the length of the loan period.

The rates are calculated personally for each client on the basis of the Budapest Interbank Offered Rate (BUBOR: 0.42% as of 20 December 2016) and the surcharge of the bank. The rates quoted in the article are approximate.

Documents

Non-EU mortgage applicants submit the following documents to Hungarian banks:

• passport
• proof of income, bank statements for three months
• employment agreement (for employees)
• articles of association (for company owners)

Documents for EU nationals:

• registration address in Hungary (the applicant can register at a rental or a friend´s flat)
• salary slips or proof of permanent income (bank statements) and tax receipts.

Foreign-language documents must be translated into Hungarian and notarised.

The mortgage loan approval process typically takes 1-3 months.

Extra costs

Non-recurring mortgage costs amount to about 1% of the loan amount. In addition, borrowers must cover annual property insurance payments. The minimum coverage amount is equal to the property's market value. This insurance is to be taken out either indefinitely or for the term of the loan.