Mortgages for emigrants: how to get a home loan in Albania with income from abroad

Yes, you can get a mortgage in Albania even if you live and work abroad. On 1 October 2026 six banks published a home loan for emigrants: BKT, OTP Bank, Tirana Bank, Union Bank, ProCredit Bank and Fibank, the last of which also lends to foreigners. Raiffeisen Bank and Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, on the other hand, require residence in Albania for their home loans.

The financing, maximum term and documents of each bank are in the tables of the loans for emigrants section of our Home loans page, while the power of attorney, apostille, notary and payment from abroad are covered in the guide how to buy a home from abroad. Here we fill in what is missing there: the rates banks publish for emigrants, how much you can borrow with income from abroad, who you need in Albania and how to handle the process from a distance.

Banks with a home loan for emigrants, checked on 1 October 2026

6

Financing published by five of the six banks; BKT also up to 100%, at a rate 1 point higher

70% to 80%

Bank of Albania cap on a foreign-currency loan against value (70% for a second home)

75%

Cap on repayments against income for a foreign-currency loan

35%

Mortgage rates banks publish for emigrants

BTh 12M is the rate on 12-month Treasury Bills (Bonot e Thesarit), the index for loans in lek; euro loans follow the 12-month Euribor. After the fixed period the rate is reset with the index, but it does not fall below the minimum rate.

Some important conditions:

• BKT: the rates apply when the collateral is an apartment or land with a building in your name, with financing up to 80%; when the collateral is the home you are buying and financing is from 81% to 100%, the rate is 1 point higher.
• OTP Bank: the rates in the table are for income from salary or rent. For business income and other income, the margin and the fixed rate are higher (for example 4.50% and 5.00% for the fixed rate in euro).
• Compare with residents. At some banks the rates for emigrants are higher: Union Bank publishes from 4.0% fixed in euro for two years for its standard loan, but from 5.7% for emigrants; ProCredit Bank publishes for its salaried clients a margin of 3.5% in lek and 4% in euro, with a minimum of 5%, but 5% and a minimum of 6% for emigrants.

For comparison, according to the Bank of Albania, new home loans in the second quarter of 2026 had an average rate of 3.8% in lek and 5.2% in euro. Offers for residents are on Home loans and in the article home loans in autumn 2026.

Which currency, and how much you can borrow

If you are paid in euro, a euro loan protects you from exchange rate changes. Tirana Bank, for example, advises in its pre-contractual information that the loan be taken in the currency in which the client earns their income, because a move in the exchange rate can raise the monthly repayment considerably.

For foreign-currency loans, the Bank of Albania limits are stricter than for loans in lek: the loan up to 75% of the home's value and repayments on all debts up to 35% of income, or 70% and 30% for a second home or one to rent out (decision no. 25 of 7.5.2025). The calculation also includes other debts the bank has reliable information about, including those you have abroad; Tirana Bank and Fibank also ask for the credit register report from the country where you live. The Bank of Albania recommends that the loan run no longer than 30 years or beyond retirement age.

An example: with an income of 2,000 € a month and no other debts, repayments on a euro loan cannot exceed 700 €. At 5.2% over 25 years, 700 € a month covers a loan of about 117,000 €. With 75% financing, that corresponds to a home of about 156,000 € and a down payment of about 39,000 €; at banks that finance up to 70% for emigrants, the down payment rises to about 50,000 €. Homes in this price range are among the apartments for sale in Albania. On top of that come the notary, ASHK (the State Cadastre Agency) and the fees: the costs of buying a property. The bank decides for itself how it counts your income.

Who you need in Albania

• A guarantor at BKT: a guarantor is a person who undertakes to repay the loan if the borrower does not. The bank considers the guarantee of a relative of the applicant who lives and works in Albania an important criterion for this loan.
• A contact person at OTP Bank: a person resident in Albania is mandatory for bank notices on behalf of the emigrant, and if you are married, your spouse must be a co-borrower.
• Insurance: OTP Bank requires life insurance for 100% of the loan and property insurance for 110%; Union Bank property and life insurance for 100% of the loan, with a policy renewed every year; at BKT life insurance is optional, but without it the rate rises by 0.5 points up to age 45 and by 1 point above 45; Fibank states that life insurance is not mandatory. What the policy covers and what to check in it is explained in the article on home insurance and the mortgage.

The documents, in brief

The bank-by-bank list is on the Home loans page. Essentially you need an identity document, proof that you live and work abroad (residence permit and work permit), proof of income (payslips, tax returns, bank statements: OTP Bank asks for the last 12 months) and the property documents. A few details worth knowing: Tirana Bank and Fibank require a permanent residence permit; Tirana Bank asks for an original family certificate issued within three months and a utility bill from the last three months; the self-employed submit their tax returns for the last two years at OTP Bank, Tirana Bank and Fibank.

How to handle the process from abroad

1. A written offer. Ask for the bank's offer and standardised pre-contractual information, with the effective rate, fees and insurance.
2. The application. Ask how an application is accepted remotely: Fibank, for example, states that the form is filled in at one of its branches.
3. The property valuation. It is done by a valuer approved by the bank and you pay for it; Tirana Bank states that it costs 65 to 150 €.
4. The contracts at the notary. The loan contract and the mortgage contract are signed at the notary (noteri). The mortgage contract costs 2,000 to 15,000 lek depending on the loan amount, and registering it with ASHK 8,000, 17,000 or 30,000 lek. If you cannot come, ask the bank whether it accepts a notarised power of attorney; how to make one from abroad is explained in the special power of attorney from abroad.
5. Disbursement. For the purchase of a home, Tirana Bank states that the loan is paid out to the seller's account.

Frequently asked questions