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PROPERTY

Buying property in Switzerland: Can foreign nationals get a mortgage?

If you are a foreign national and want to buy property in Switzerland, you may be wondering whether you are eligible for mortgage. The answer depends on several factors.

Published: 22 August 2022 16:41 CEST
Updated: 22 November 2023 14:46 CET
Buying property in Switzerland: Can foreign nationals get a mortgage?
Depending on your passport, you may need permission to apply for a Swiss mortgage. Image by Randy Jost from Pixabay

The most important condition for being able to obtain a Swiss mortgage is your residency status. So the question should be not whether you qualify for a mortgage but, rather, if you can purchase property in Switzerland in the first place.

Logically, if you are allowed to buy a house or an apartment in Switzerland, then you can apply for a mortgage as well.

Who can and can’t buy a house / get a mortgage?

A citizen of an EU / EFTA state can freely purchase real estate (home or land) in Switzerland. This applies to both primary residence and holiday homes.

The same is true for third-country citizens, say US or UK nationals, who have a valid permanent residency B or C status — there are no restrictions placed on them either.

However, rules are in place for people from outside Europe who don’t have either of the two above-mentioned residency permits.
They will need a permission to purchase housing in Switzerland — a measure intended to prevent Swiss properties from falling into foreign hands.  

Additionally, they can only buy a house which will be used as the primary residence — this means that they can’t buy it as an investment and rent it out.

And if you are a cross-border worker in Switzerland (G permit), you can buy a second home in the vicinity of your  place of employment without authorisation. However, you are not allowed to rent out this property for as as long as you work in the region as a cross-border commuter.  

Conditions are even stricter if you a foreigner living abroad — rules for such purchases are set out in a law called Lex Koller and are quite complex.

Unless you are looking to buy holiday homes in Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Bern, Freiburg, Glarus, Grisons, Jura, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, St. Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Ticino, Uri, Vaud and Valais, you will need a special permission as well.

READ MORE: ‘Lex Koller’: What are Switzerland’s rules for foreigners buying property?
 

Where can you ask for authorisation to buy a house?

If you are among those who need a special permission to own a house, you should apply for permission to cantonal authorities in the municipality where the property located.

Page 13 of this PDF document indicates contact addresses for each canton.  Officials will indicate what paperwork you need to submit for consideration of your case.

What about mortgages?

Needless to say, if your application is rejected, you will not be given a mortgage either.

If it is approved, then you can apply in pretty much the same way as Swiss citizens do, though you will be asked to provide additional documents, such as your work / residency permit, for example, along with the canton’s authorisation.

From then on, it is up to you and your financial abilities to choose the mortgage that suits you best from among several types available in Switzerland, such as SARON and LIBOR mortages, which are detailed here:

EXPLAINED: What is Switzerland’s ‘SARON’ mortgage

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PROPERTY

Where in Switzerland are most second homes located?

Whether mountain homes or other types of residences, some areas of Switzerland have more ‘holiday’ dwellings than others. Where is the highest number found?

Published: 3 May 2024 14:41 CEST
Where in Switzerland are most second homes located?

Many people associate the term ‘second home’ with chalets in the Swiss Alps.

And while many people do own properties there, which they use on weekends or during holidays, official data shows that many of these accommodations are located elsewhere as well.

This information comes from the Swiss Office for Spatial Development (ARE), which keeps track of the second-home situation throughout Switzerland.

But first: What are the rules on owning a second home?

Since Switzerland is a small country with a limited supply of land, the constructions priority is given to main residences, especially considering the acute housing shortage in many parts of the country.

For that reason, second homes can’t exceed 20 percent of any community’s overall housing stock.

Right now, “it is impossible to build second homes in 340 municipalities,” which had already reached this threshold, according to ARE. 

What are these areas?

At the end of 2023, these eight communities were added to the list of municipalities where construction of new second dwellings is no longer allowed:

  • Leissigen (BE)
  • Lauwil (BL)
  • Jussy (GE)
  • Pregny-Chambésy (GE)
  • Movelier (JU)
  • La Côte-aux-Fées (NE)
  • Démoret (VD)
  • Le Lieu (VD)

Where are most second homes located in Switzerland?

They are primarily concentrated in the southern part of the country, in traditionally tourist areas of Valais, Ticino, and Graubünden.

But a number of them are also located in other regions, like the Bernese Oberland and St. Gallen.

You can see each individual region on a map, here.

Note that in many of these areas, the proportion of holiday homes exceeds 50 percent.

That’s because the legislation limiting these properties to 20 percent went into effect in 2016, while many houses in tourist areas were built before that date. 

Does this mean you can no longer buy a second home in these communities?

No. You can purchase existing properties, but you can’t build new ones.

Also, if you happen to own a primary residence in these towns, you can’t all of a sudden decide to convert it into a holiday home.

This, in fact, has proven to be a problem in several cities, including Geneva, where primary residences have been transformed into holiday homes, which means they can no longer be rented out to permanent tenants.

This ‘transformation’ exacerbates the overall housing shortage.

Last but not least: does owning a second home in Switzerland allow you to live here full time?

Good try, but no.

Buying a home in Switzerland does not generally give any additional rights with regard to residency. 

If you are a EU citizen or national of EFTA (Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein) , then you will be able to live in Switzerland, as long as you have enough money to support yourself.

Non-EU / EFTA citizens will usually only be able to spend time in Switzerland under the 90/180 rule — which means a  maximum of 90 days in Switzerland out of 180 consecutive days.

READ ALSO: Can second-home owners extend their stay in Switzerland? 

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