Last updated: September 2026
A foreign national mortgage is simply a UK mortgage for someone who does not hold British citizenship. Some lenders treat you exactly like a UK national. Others want a bigger deposit, a minimum time in the country or a certain amount left on your visa. A few will not lend at all. The whole job is knowing which is which before anyone runs a credit check, and that is what we do every week for clients from dozens of countries.
There is no special product called a foreign national mortgage. It is a standard residential or buy to let mortgage, assessed under each lender's own rules for non UK citizens. Those rules cover your residency status, how long you have lived in the UK, where your income is paid and what UK credit history you have built. Get those four things in front of the right lender and the rate and product are the same ones everyone else gets.
Where it gets harder is that every lender draws the lines differently. One high street bank lends at 95% to skilled worker visa holders after twelve months in the UK. Another will not look at anyone without indefinite leave to remain. A specialist lender will take income paid in euros or dollars but knocks 20% off it first. None of that is written on the front of their websites.
That is why a whole of market broker matters more here than almost anywhere else in mortgages. We place foreign national cases with mainstream banks, building societies, specialist lenders and international banks, and we know which one fits your passport, your visa and your payslips. If you are a first time buyer as well, all the usual schemes are still open to you.
Broadly, lenders sort applicants into two camps, and which camp you sit in decides how much choice you have:
The biggest group we help. Skilled worker and health and care visa holders are well served, with several lenders going to 90% or 95% loan to value once you have been in the UK for around a year with a UK bank account and payslips.NHS staff should also see our NHS mortgages page for lenders that treat health service income generously.
On a spouse, partner or family visa? If you are buying with a British or settled partner, most lenders assess the application on their status and your combined income, which opens up almost the whole market. Applying alone is closer to a skilled worker case.
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals with settled status are treated as UK residents by virtually every lender. With pre settled status most lenders still lend, sometimes with a slightly bigger deposit or a minimum time in the UK, and it converts to settled status for most people anyway.
Living abroad and buying in the UK, whether to live in later, for family or as an investment? Mainstream banks rarely help, but specialist lenders and international banks do, with a 25% to 40% deposit, an accepted countries list and a closer look at foreign currency income.
You live and work in the UK on a visa, pre settled or settled status, or indefinite leave to remain. With ILR or settled status you get the full market at standard rates. On a visa, expect a 10% to 25% deposit, a minimum time in the UK of around twelve months and, at some lenders, a minimum income or minimum time left on the visa.
You live outside the UK, including British expats. Fewer lenders, bigger deposits of 25% to 40%, a list of accepted countries and income usually assessed with a currency haircut. Identity checks are done remotely or through a notary, so the legal side takes longer. Buy to let is often the easier route because the rent, not your salary, does the heavy lifting.
Most declines we see were avoidable. They come down to four things, and every one of them can be planned around if you know about it before you apply:
UK lenders cannot see the credit history you built in your previous country. If you have only been here a few months with no UK bank account, phone contract or bills in your name, an automated credit score can come back too thin to pass. Open a UK account on day one, get on the electoral roll if you are eligible and use a credit card lightly.Our guide to improving your credit score covers the rest.
Many lenders want six to twelve months remaining on your visa at the point of application, and a few want two years. If yours is close to renewal, we look for the lenders that focus on your route to settlement rather than the date stamped on the card.
If part of your income is paid in dollars, euros, dirhams or anything other than sterling, the lender has to allow for exchange rate movements. In practice they cut the sterling value by around 20% to 25% before working out affordability, and only certain currencies are accepted. It is workable, but the pool of lenders is smaller.
Several lenders set a minimum income for visa holders, anywhere from £25,000 to £75,000 depending on the lender and deposit. Some waive it entirely with a bigger deposit. If you have been quoted a threshold you cannot meet, it is almost never the whole market talking, just one lender. Once your status has matured you can usually remortgage onto a standard deal at the end of your fixed rate.
Deposits gifted by family abroad are fine with most lenders, but the paper trail matters. We will tell you exactly how the gift needs to be evidenced before the money moves, so it does not hold up the application later.
A ten minute chat about your visa or residency status, how long you have been in the UK, your income and where it is paid, and what you want to buy. This tells us which lenders are realistic before anyone touches your credit file.
Rather than applying to your own bank and hoping, we check your circumstances against the published and unpublished criteria of the lenders that accept your visa type, your time in the UK and your income type. That includes the international banks for overseas applicants.
We secure a decision in principle with the chosen lender, normally with a soft credit check, so you can make offers with confidence. Most come back the same working day.Our agreement in principle page explains what you need to have ready.
We package the application with your passport, residence permit or share code, payslips, bank statements and proof of deposit, and deal with the underwriter's questions directly. Foreign national cases are more likely to be looked at by a human, which is an advantage when the file is well presented.
The lender values the property and issues the offer, your solicitor handles the legal work and you complete. Expect four to eight weeks from application to offer, a little longer for overseas applicants because of the remote identity checks.
Every lender publishes its own criteria for non UK citizens and they change often. These are the four that decide the outcome almost everywhere:
Indefinite leave to remain, settled status or permanent residency opens the whole market. Skilled worker, health and care, spouse and family, graduate and pre settled status applicants all have good options but a smaller pool. Lenders will want your biometric residence permit or a digital status share code.
Most lenders want at least twelve months in the UK, some prefer two or three years. The real reason is credit data rather than the calendar, so a strong UK footprint built quickly can shorten the wait. Some lenders will also consider an international credit report from the US, Canada, Australia and parts of Europe.
With ILR or settled status, 5% to 10% deposits are possible. On a visa, many lenders cap loan to value at 75% to 85%, although a handful still go to 90% or 95% for applicants with a strong UK presence. Non UK residents living abroad should budget for 25% to 40%. A bigger deposit always widens lender choice and lowers the rate.
Salaried income from a UK employer, paid in sterling into a UK account, is the easiest to place. Most lenders want you past probation, some accept a signed contract for a new role. Self employed applicants usually need one to two years of UK accounts. If you work for yourself, the way each lender treats your accounts matters just as much, which we cover on our self employed mortgages page.
A residential mortgage is not the only route either. Foreign nationals on a visa can access buy to let mortgages from a good number of lenders at up to 75% loan to value, and overseas investors can buy UK rental property through specialist lenders. See our buy to let mortgages page for how the rental calculation works. If you would rather see the numbers first, our borrowing calculator gives you a starting point, then get in touch and we will run it properly against real lender criteria.
A quick way to see which is holding you back, your deposit or your income. Pick your residency status, tell us how you are paid and it applies the loan to value cap and currency haircut most lenders use. It is a guide, not an offer, and a proper agreement in principle from us is free and usually back the same day.
Some of the lenders we place mortgage applications with
Fee free advice for most customers. Whole of market, including specialist and international lenders. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. There may be a fee for mortgage advice. The actual amount you will pay will depend on your circumstances. The fee is up to £995 but typically we are fee free. Alexander Southwell Mortgage Services Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA no. 1011890).
Speak to one of our specialist advisers about your foreign national mortgage today. Whatever your visa or residency status, we will tell you quickly and honestly which lenders will consider you and how much you could borrow.
