Investing in France from abroad in 4 steps

‍How to invest in France from abroad? This is a question faced by many expatriates and non-resident investors who wish to maintain a connection with France while enhancing their assets. While the solidity of the French market and the country’s art de vivre are undeniable strengths, succeeding in a long-distance property purchase requires a clear methodology: understanding the fiscal and banking framework, choosing the right property, and surrounding yourself with trusted partners.

With mortgage rates among the most competitive in Europe — around 3.1 % over 15 years, 3.22 % over 20 years and 3.30 % over 25 years on average (source: HelloPrêt) — France offers a favourable context for real-estate investment.
Yet, knowing how to turn this opportunity into a concrete project remains essential.

At Maison Kyka, we guide those who wish to bring their real-estate ambitions to life — wherever they are in the world — and provide them with the keys to invest confidently in France.

Buying property in France from abroad can be summarised in four key steps:

1. Define a purchase project compatible with life outside France.
2. Find the ideal property remotely.
3. Anticipate the financial requirements of an investment in France from abroad.
4. Buy and manage your property without leaving your home country.

Define a purchase project compatible with life abroad

Before investing from abroad, the first step is to define a property project coherent with your lifestyle and wealth objectives:

• What type of property best fits my project?
• How will French taxation influence my investment?
• What kind of rental investment suits my profile?

Identify the right property to buy from abroad

Investing in France from abroad begins with choosing the right asset — one aligned with your investment strategy, distance constraints and risk tolerance.

The first key factor is how location aligns with your intended use :

• If your goal is to prepare a permanent return to France or acquire a pied-à-terre, focus on properties located in large cities such as Paris, in historic centres or sought-after residential areas. These addresses guarantee stable value and strong resale potential.
• If you are targeting rental yield, look to dynamic sectors where purchase prices are more accessible and demand remains strong — for example, the 18^th arrondissement of Paris.

In all cases, a successful long-distance investment relies on a well-mastered location: transport connections, shops, economic attractiveness and quality of life must combine naturally.

Next comes the choice between new and old properties. New builds appeal through their comfort, energy standards and ease of management: no immediate work required, a ten-year warranty, and limited running costs. However, they are often sold at a higher price, and their resale value tends to evolve more slowly. Conversely, purchasing an older property offers lower entry prices and greater potential for appreciation, especially when it is paired with a renovation project.

Another decisive aspect is the property type:

1. Studios, one-bedroom or two-bedroom apartments are compact, easy to maintain and attractive on the rental market; they are perfectly suited to an investment or a pied-à-terre.
2. Family apartments (three- or four-bedroom) located in residential neighbourhoods are aimed at those planning a return to France or looking for a property capable of evolving with their household.
3. Houses and properties with gardens, synonymous with space and charm, appeal for a main or secondary residence. It is nevertheless advisable to favour an accessible location — close to a TGV station or an airport — and to anticipate maintenance from afar.

Thus, buying remotely means betting on solid, well-located assets, capable of adapting both to the evolution of your life and to that of the market. Maison Kyka supports you in this unique project, thanks to its all-in-one expertise, from property sourcing to renovation.

Renting out your property: the preferred solution to maximise your investment’s profitability

Investing in a property with the aim of renting it out appears to be the most advantageous solution in light of the current situation in France. The country, and especially its major cities such as Paris, is characterised by strong rental demand and therefore minimal vacancy rates. Buying an apartment to rent guarantees almost immediate income and the amortisation of any renovation work undertaken.

It is therefore essential, before the purchase, to think carefully about your rental strategy:

• Unfurnished rental provides a certain degree of stability — leases of at least three years, low risk of unpaid rent or vacancy. On the other hand, the gross yield is generally more moderate.
• Furnished rental makes it possible to target a broader range of tenants — students, young professionals, mobile employees — while benefiting from the LMNP tax status. Rents are on average 15 % higher (source: INSEE and Observatoire des loyers) than for unfurnished rentals. However, tenant turnover is more frequent, and the property must remain in impeccable condition to maintain its rental value.
• Short-term rental offers the highest gross yield, but it is also the most demanding. Strict regulations must be followed — declaration at the town hall, limitation to 120 days per year for secondary residences — and impeccable logistics are required, including cleaning, key handovers and maintenance.

The real rental yield therefore depends on your ability to balance income, taxation and management time. It is not simply a question of seeking the highest rent, but of choosing the most sustainable and coherent formula according to your lifestyle abroad. Maison Kyka supports its clients precisely in this search for balance, by defining the rental strategies best suited to each profile.

“A huge thank-you to Maison Kyka, who allowed us to realise the investment we would never have dared to make alone! The team perfectly identified the right property, proposed a unique decoration concept and ensured exemplary follow-up of the renovation work. They met both the announced deadlines and budget, and always remained available to advise us and answer our questions.” Amélie Trinh

Understanding taxation related to real-estate investment from abroad

With its favourable fiscal framework, France stands out as a strategic destination for real-estate investments from abroad. However, understanding its rules is essential to guide your purchase.

The basic principle is simple: rental income earned in France is taxable in France, even if you reside abroad. In practice, you must declare your rents each year to the French tax authorities, who calculate your tax according to rates specific to non-residents:

• 20 % up to €27,794 of taxable income,
• 30 % beyond that amount.

You may also opt for the average rate, calculated on all of your income — French and foreign. This option often allows you to reduce your tax bill, particularly for French expatriates living in countries with low tax pressure.

To this taxation are added social contributions:

• If you reside in the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, you benefit from a reduced rate of 7.5 %.
• For residents outside the EU, the full rate of 17.2 % applies.

Taxation also depends on the type of rental you choose. In the case of unfurnished rental, rents are taxed under the category of revenus fonciers. You may choose:

• The micro-foncier regime (a flat deduction of 30 %) if your annual rents do not exceed €15,000;
• The régime réel, which allows you to deduct all your expenses — loan interest, maintenance work, property tax, insurance, management fees;
• Or the creation of a déficit foncier, deductible from your other French income, if your expenses exceed your receipts.

In the case of furnished rental, you fall under the BIC regime (industrial and commercial profits). The Loueur Meublé Non Professionnel (LMNP) status offers considerable advantages: under the régime réel, you may deduct all expenses related to the rental activity (bills, maintenance and repair costs, etc.) and apply depreciation. This mechanism reduces taxable income — sometimes even to zero — for several years.

The other taxes related to property ownership are the same as for a resident:  

• the property tax (taxe foncière),
• the residence tax (taxe d’habitation) if the dwelling is not rented out on a permanent basis,
• the Real Estate Wealth Tax (Impôt sur la Fortune Immobilière – IFI) if the net value of your French real-estate assets exceeds €1.3 million.

ADVICE

France has signed more than 120 international tax treaties to avoid double taxation. Before making a purchase, check whether such a treaty exists between France and your country of residence, and how it applies to your real-estate income.

Finding the ideal property without leaving home

When buying remotely, several options are available to you:

• The search often begins online, although this solution limits your ability to find the truly ideal property. 
• Engaging a local real-estate expert is therefore highly recommended to ensure the success of your purchase project.

Finding a property online — a useful but limited solution

When living abroad, searching for a property in France almost always begins behind a screen. Real-estate portals, virtual tours and online valuation tools have made long-distance purchasing more accessible than ever. Yet finding the right property requires the ability to read between the lines.

Today’s real-estate listing platforms allow you to filter results by property type, budget, surface area or estimated yield. Combined with rental-yield simulators, they provide a useful first approach to refining your strategy. In just a few hours, you can map the market of a Parisian arrondissement or compare purchase prices between different towns. Some agencies even offer immersive virtual visits — ideal for an initial selection.

However, even if remote buying has become technically simple, the information available online remains incomplete and often biased:

• Photos, usually optimised for presentation, reveal neither true light levels nor the condition of neighbouring views, and rarely highlight defects.
• Virtual tours do not show noise nuisances, humidity smells, or the quality of the neighbourhood.
• Online estimates are based on market averages that do not always reflect the disparities of a micro-district.
• Confidential properties and the best opportunities often circulate off-market, within private networks of agents or investors.

Delegating the search to a local real-estate professional

Entrusting the search for your property to a local professional when you live abroad is, above all, a guarantee of success — especially when it comes to a first property purchase.

Having someone present on site offers many advantages:

• Privileged access to the field: a local partner works daily with agencies, notaries and property traders. They benefit from internal networks, assess the relevance of advertised prices, the quality of the building and the condition of the co-ownership.
• A saving of time and energy: you delegate the contact with agencies, the verification of diagnostics and the organisation of visits. You intervene only when the opportunity matches your criteria. Your process becomes more efficient, yet you remain the decision-maker at every stage.
• Protection against mistakes: buying property in France from abroad involves specific legal and administrative particularities — electronic signatures, non-resident financing, fund transfers, tax obligations. An experienced local professional understands these mechanisms and guides you to avoid unpleasant surprises. The result: a smooth acquisition, completed within deadlines and without unnecessary stress.

In short, delegating the search to a local professional means transforming a complex purchase into a controlled and peaceful project.

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Anticipating the financial requirements of purchasing property from abroad

Because of the distance, the financial requirements for a purchase made from abroad differ from those of a French resident:

• A non-resident must provide additional financing guarantees to French banks in order to obtain a loan.
• In the event of a loan refusal in France, a non-resident investor must find alternative solutions if they wish to pursue their purchase project.

Providing strong financing guarantees to French banks

Obtaining a mortgage in France from abroad is entirely possible, but the conditions are stricter than for a borrower residing in France. French banks, more cautious in view of distance and fiscal differences, raise their requirements on three levels:

1. Income stability: a French bank will more readily finance a borrower with a permanent contract (CDI), an executive position, or a liberal profession employed by a reputable company — these statuses, whether under a local or expatriate contract, are reassuring. If your income comes from a local contract abroad, you will need to prove its regularity and sustainability with translated and certified documents — payslips, bank statements, employment contracts, tax returns.
2. Personal contribution: whereas a resident can borrow up to 90 % of the property price, a non-resident generally needs to provide between 20 % and 30 % of the purchase price (excluding notary fees). This contribution reassures the lender and demonstrates your ability to save. Some banks may also require you to open an account or a savings product within their network (life insurance policy, savings account) as a counterpart to the loan.
3. Loan structure: loan terms are often shorter — between 15 and 20 years — and the debt ratio must not exceed 35 % of your monthly income. Borrower insurance, which is mandatory in France, is given particular attention for non-residents: the cost may be higher, and the bank may require a more detailed medical questionnaire.

NOTE

These requirements can be viewed as a negotiation lever. A solvent and well-prepared client may obtain interest-rate conditions close to those offered to a resident.

To make the process with banks easier, using a specialised mortgage broker is a major advantage. The broker can shorten the time needed to obtain a loan offer by several weeks, optimise your file to maximise your chances of approval, and save you from endless exchanges with different banks.

Finally, it is advisable to prepare your financing before signing the preliminary sales agreement. In France, financing deadlines are strictly regulated, and failure to meet them may result in the loss of your deposit. A preliminary approval or a bank simulation demonstrates your seriousness and strengthens your position during negotiations.

In the event of a loan refusal from a French bank: consider alternative solutions

Even with a solid application, it sometimes happens that French banks refuse to finance a non-resident buyer. This refusal does not call into question the quality of the project but often reflects an internal policy: some banks simply do not process non-resident applications or require guarantees that you cannot provide.

In this case, several solutions exist to overcome the obstacle and make your real-estate purchase from abroad a reality:

1. Apply to a bank in your country of residence: some foreign institutions have a subsidiary or partnership in France, allowing them to finance property located on French territory. These banks often offer euro-denominated loans, secured by the French property, with reasonable interest conditions. However, beware of currency risk if your income and your loan are not in the same currency: an unfavourable exchange-rate fluctuation can increase the overall cost of the credit.
2. Use the pledge of financial assets: if you have invested capital (savings, life insurance, securities portfolio), you can offer to pledge it as partial or full collateral for the loan. In exchange, the bank will be more inclined to grant financing or even relax the borrowing conditions.
3. Buy in cash and set up deferred financing: this strategy, known as a post-acquisition loan, allows you to purchase a property quickly with your own funds, then apply for financing in the following months, once the property is rented and rental income stabilised. You thus recover part of the capital invested.
4. Invest as a family: some investors choose family co-investment within a Société Civile Immobilière (SCI), bringing together several partners. This structure allows you to pool contributions, share expenses and simplify remote management.

A loan refusal is therefore not a dead end, but an opportunity to rethink your strategy. The key is to remain proactive and surround yourself with the right partners to move forward without losing time. Specialised in property acquisitions — even from abroad — Maison Kyka’s real-estate project managers are at your disposal to guide you towards the most suitable financing solution.

Answer a few questions and receive a personalized estimate for your real estate project

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Buying and managing your property remotely

Investir en France depuis l’étranger est désormais largement facilité, de l’achat à la gestion du bien : 

• Administrative procedures have been fully digitalised, allowing complete remote monitoring.
• Working with a local partner after the purchase ensures centralised management of the property.

Carrying out administrative procedures digitally

Buying real estate in France from abroad no longer requires you to travel: almost all procedures can now be completed remotely and securely. What used to be a bureaucratic headache has become a smooth process — provided that you are rigorous in the transmission of documents.

Electronic signature is one of the most decisive advances for non-residents. Since 2020, French notaries have been able to finalise a preliminary contract or an authentic deed remotely, using a certified system compliant with the standards of the Conseil Supérieur du Notariat. You receive a secure link, attend the signing by videoconference, then validate the documents using a unique code. This procedure, strictly regulated, has the same legal value as a signature in person. It allows you to complete the purchase from your country of residence, without interrupting your professional activity or multiplying trips back and forth.

Another option is to grant power of attorney to a trusted person — a relative, a collaborator of your notary, or a legal representative. This solution is frequently used when the deed must be signed within a short timeframe or when the time difference makes organising an electronic signature difficult. The power of attorney is drawn up as a notarised act, often signed electronically as well, and gives your representative the authority to act on your behalf to sign the final deed.

The transfer of funds is also strictly regulated. The sums intended for the acquisition must necessarily pass through the notary’s escrow account, ensuring their traceability and compliance with French regulations on anti–money laundering (TRACFIN).

At the same time, certain logistical steps can be anticipated online, such as opening a French bank account or declaring your rental income.

Finally, digitalisation extends to the day-to-day management of the property. Platforms now allow the centralisation of all real-estate documents: diagnostics, quotes, rent receipts, insurance contracts and maintenance invoices. In this way, the long-distance investor can keep an eye on their property portfolio without relying on paper or postal mail.

Partnering with a local expert after the purchase

Once the purchase is completed, the success of a long-distance real-estate investment depends on the ability to monitor and enhance the property without being physically present. This is where the role of the local partner comes in — a true operational relay who transforms your acquisition into a sustainable, profitable project that is simple to manage from abroad.

A good partner goes beyond the transaction: they become the conductor of the entire real-estate project, supervising renovation work and ensuring that both the schedule and the budget are respected. This assistance is particularly valuable in the case of renovating a Haussmann-style apartment or bringing a property up to energy standards: an expert eye on site guarantees a result that meets your expectations.

In the case of a rental investment, you can entrust the same partner with property management: administrative formalities, tenant selection, or rent collection.

Working with a local partner also means benefiting from an integrated professional network — tradespeople, architects, decorators, concierge services, and wealth managers. Together, they form a reliable ecosystem capable of enhancing your property’s long-term value and maintaining its profitability.

At Maison Kyka, this philosophy lies at the heart of our approach: after acquisition, our teams orchestrate the renovation, interior design and rental launch of your property. Everything is designed to offer non-resident investors a turnkey project combining aesthetics, comfort and rental performance — as if you were there yourself.

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