Non-resident mortgage in Spain: 70% or 60% LTV in 2026, by bank

You arrive in Alicante on a Thursday in February, a fine Levante drizzle wetting the taxi windows. You have liked the apartment since the first afternoon looking at the sea from Playa de San Juan. You want to sign before summer arrives. The concrete question, the one that weighs more than the carpet or the views, is this: how much will a Spanish bank lend you if you live outside the country.

60% or 70%: the real range for a non-resident

The figure you will hear at any branch is the same. Between 60% and 70% of the appraised value or the purchase price, whichever is lower. A resident with a Spanish payslip and seniority can aim for 80%, and in a specific campaign 90%. You are not in that tier. The 30 or 40% that is missing comes out of your savings on the day you sign before the notary, plus an additional 10 to 12% for taxes, notary, land registry, and gestoría.

The number is not a whim. When enforcing a guarantee abroad is slow and expensive, and the only real collateral the bank has is the property in Spain, the risk committee keeps a margin. The difference between 60 and 70 is not cosmetic: on a 300,000 euro apartment, it is 30,000 euros more of down payment, or 30,000 less of mortgage. Room for a car, or a year of monthly payments.

BBVA, CaixaBank, Sabadell, Bankinter: the four names that matter in 2026

In January 2026 the four large networks updated their non-resident mortgage lines at the same time, each with a different accent.

BBVA

Holds its 70% cap for second residence, the category that covers most non-resident purchases on the Costa Blanca. The standard fixed-rate product is designed for residents with income in euros, so the non-resident file goes through the international unit. Official appraisal commissioned by the bank and risk committee sign-off.

CaixaBank

Handles non-residents through its international unit and issues a viability study in 72 hours. It runs dedicated programs for Latin American buyers, the so-called Hispano products, with LTV up to 70% and a documentary process adapted to the country of origin. Fixed rates that start around 3.5% in February 2026.

Sabadell

Publishes a step-by-step non-resident mortgage guide on its website and offers service in English, French, and German at branches with an international profile, especially along the Altea, Calpe, and Jávea stretch. It is the agile option for the European buyer arriving with a payslip in euros.

Bankinter

Offers its Dual Mortgage, which splits the balance between a fixed tranche and a variable tranche. Useful for profiles that accept some risk in exchange for a lower initial payment. It is sold explicitly to foreign buyers and documentation in English is accepted.

Santander, which for years was the agile option for non-residents in the retail network, has tightened the tap since 2024. If you walk into a branch, they redirect you. Through private banking, with relevant assets, the door is still open.

EU or non-EU: the silent line that trims the tier

A German, French, or Italian buyer earns in euros, files taxes in a country with a tax treaty with Spain, and leaves the bank with zero exchange-rate risk. For that buyer, 70% is reachable if income holds up. A British buyer after Brexit, a Swiss, American, Mexican, or Argentine buyer earns in another currency and depends on the conversion coefficient the bank applies when valuing the payslip. The tier defaults down to 50 or 60%.

The line is not legal, it is commercial, and each bank draws it differently. But it holds with fair regularity. The exception is specific programs such as the Hispano range at CaixaBank, which reopen the 70% door to Latin American profiles under their own criteria.

What pushes you from 60% to 70%

The file that reaches the risk committee reads three things: how much you earn, how stable that income is, and how much you already owe elsewhere. Net income above 2,500 euros per month, a debt ratio below 35%, two years of income tax returns from your country of origin, and a banking history without overdrafts move you towards 70%. A tight payslip, an interrupted work history, or a short year as self-employed leave you at 60%.

The maximum term is almost always 25 years, and the bank does not want to see the borrower hit 75 with the last payment due. If you are 55, the term shortens to 20 years and the payment rises. If you walk in at 35, you play with room.

Interest rates follow the same pattern. In February 2026, fixed rates for non-residents range between 3.8% and 4.8%, against the 2.5 to 3.5% a comparable resident sees. Variables sit at Euribor plus 0.7 to 1.2 points.

The papers the bank will ask for

The list is long but finite. NIE in hand, valid passport, the last two income tax returns from your country of residence, six to twelve months of bank statements, a work contract or equivalent employment record, proof of prior savings in accounts in your name, a credit bureau report if one exists in your country, and the nota simple of the property you intend to buy.

If you are married, the matrimonial economic regime affects who signs and how each spouse is liable. It is worth clarifying before you start gathering documents. If the purchase is made in the name of a company, the bank asks for audited accounts and treats the file as corporate financing, with different criteria.

What is not the mortgage but still has to be paid on signing day

The official appraisal is commissioned by the bank, costs between 300 and 500 euros, and expires after six months. The purchase tax (ITP on resale, VAT and AJD on new build) comes out of your savings, not the mortgage. Notary and land registry add between 1,000 and 1,500 euros. The gestoría that processes the transaction adds another 300 to 600.

For a 300,000 euro property with a 70% mortgage, that is around 90,000 euros of down payment plus around 33,000 in costs. Total cash on signing day: 123,000 euros. If the bank drops you to 60%, it becomes 153,000. That number decides whether the operation moves forward or stays in your head.

The whole process, from the first email to the bank to the signature at the notary, takes between six and ten weeks when the papers arrive in order. It is not an advisory chat, it is a conversation with a risk analyst who decides whether your profile clears the 70 tier or whether you have to settle for the 60.

If you are weighing a purchase in Alicante or on the Costa Blanca and want to see properties that fit the financing a Spanish bank will give you, you can explore our properties or contact us to work through the specifics of your case.