Non-resident mortgages on the Costa Brava

The short answer

The Costa Brava has sold homes to buyers from abroad for decades. According to the Spanish land registrars, foreign buyers signed 25% of home purchases in the province of Girona in 2025, the fifth-highest share of any Spanish province and well above the national 13.82%.

For a non-resident, three figures shape the budget: the deposit, because Spanish lenders typically finance 60–70% of the lower of price and valuation; the Catalan transfer tax, which rises in bands above €600,000; and the timetable, which is longer than for a resident. On a €650,000 resale home with 70% financing, the cash you bring is about €270,250.

How much a lender finances

A resident buying a main home can usually borrow up to 80% of the lower of price and valuation. A non-resident starts lower. It is not an arbitrary penalty: the property is in Spain, but your income, credit history and the lender’s ability to recover a debt are in another country.

The percentage is calculated on the lower of the price and the valuation. A valuation above the price does not increase the loan; a valuation below it reduces it.

Catalan transfer tax in bands

Since 27 June 2025, Catalonia has charged transfer tax (ITP) on resale homes on a progressive scale, published by the Catalan Tax Agency. Each rate applies only to its own slice of the value, like income tax bands:

Below €600,000 the tax is a flat 10%. Above it, which is common for villas and homes near the most sought-after coves, the tax has to be calculated slice by slice:

Reduced rates exist for specific buyers, but they are generally linked to a main residence, so a holiday home does not normally qualify. The Catalan Tax Agency also lists a higher 20% rate for certain large holders and purchases of whole residential buildings. If you buy through a company that owns several Spanish properties, have your lawyer check it before you sign anything.

A new build bought from a developer pays 10% VAT instead of transfer tax, plus stamp duty (AJD) on the deed at the Catalan rate. Our purchase costs calculator includes both.

A worked example: €650,000 resale, non-resident buyer

Plan the 60% column until a lender has assessed your case and the valuation is known. Under Law 5/2019, the lender pays the notary fees for the mortgage deed, its registration and the agency that processes it; you pay the valuation. Run your own figures in the purchase costs calculator, set to Catalonia.

What the lender asks for

The list is longer than for a resident, and this is where weeks are lost:

1. Identity and NIE. A valid passport and the NIE, the Spanish foreigner identification number. Without it, you cannot complete the purchase or pay the taxes.
2. Income. Recent payslips or their equivalent, your employment contract and the tax returns from your country, usually for two years.
3. Bank statements. Six to twelve months for the accounts where your income arrives.
4. Existing debts. Loans and mortgages in your country, with payments and balances.
5. A credit report from your country, where one exists.
6. Origin of funds. Anti-money-laundering rules mean the lender must be able to trace where the deposit comes from.
7. Translations of documents the lender cannot read, and an apostille on foreign public documents where required.

Affordability is tested on all your commitments: the lender adds the new payment to what you already pay at home. The Bank of Spain’s responsible-lending principles put your capacity to repay at the centre, not the value of the house. Our guide to foreign income and a Spanish mortgage explains how lenders read salaries, pensions and business income from abroad, and the non-resident mortgage checklist lists every document.

Three timing traps on the Costa Brava

A deposit contract with a 30-day deadline. This is the most expensive mistake. A non-resident mortgage with foreign documents rarely completes in less than six weeks. If the deposit contract does not allow for it and the lender is late, you can lose the deposit. Catalan law offers some protection when the financing condition is properly worded; our guide to arras and mortgages in Catalonia explains how.

The season. Much of the Costa Brava market moves between spring and early autumn, when buyers are here. Valuers, notaries and lenders’ risk teams are busiest in the same months.

A house with a planning history. Extensions built without a licence, buildings on non-developable land, differences between the Land Registry and the Cadastre, or coastal restrictions are more common in seaside towns than buyers expect. A valuation or a registry extract with surprises can stop the whole purchase. Our partner lawyer checks this before the deposit, when it costs little to find out.

Buying from a non-resident seller

Some Costa Brava sellers are themselves non-residents. When the seller is a non-resident without a permanent establishment in Spain, the buyer must withhold 3% of the price and pay it to the Spanish Tax Agency, under article 25.2 of the Non-Resident Income Tax Act. On €650,000 that is €19,500. It comes out of what the seller receives, but if it is missed, the property remains liable. Our partner lawyer confirms the seller’s status before completion.

How RCG coordinates it

RCG Finance is a real-estate credit intermediary registered with the Bank of Spain under number E760. Our office is in Salou, on the Costa Daurada, and we work with non-resident buyers across Catalonia, including the province of Girona, in English, Spanish and Catalan. Most of the work happens by video call and email, and our team attends the notary signing in person.

We prepare the file once and present it to the lenders that genuinely finance non-residents, which is not all of them. Around the mortgage we coordinate:

• our partner lawyer, for the NIE, the Spanish bank account, a power of attorney if you cannot travel, the planning and registry checks, the withholding and the review of the contracts;
• a currency exchange partner, to convert and send the deposit and costs in euros, and provide transfer confirmations that form part of the payment trail the lender and notary ask for.

Our initial assessment is free, and any fee is explained in writing before you contract anything. We do not give legal or tax advice.

What to do next

Size the cash with the purchase costs calculator set to Catalonia, and gather your documents with the non-resident mortgage checklist. If you are still choosing where to buy, the areas guide compares prices and taxes from the Costa Brava to the Costa del Sol.

The general non-resident mortgage guide covers the rest of the process. When the numbers work, our non-resident mortgage service puts the file in front of the right lenders.