Buying An Overseas Home
If you’ve been planning to own a property right next to a vineyard, live in the same country as royalties, or simply expand your property portfolio, you can apply for an overseas property loan through us. Major banks in Singapore offer mortgage for international property to Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents, and foreigners to help finance their investment in major cities across the globe.
Before you think about buying a house overseas, bear in mind that you can’t just randomly drop a pin on a map or choose any location in a heartbeat. Financing for overseas properties only applies to major cities located in a handful of countries. Moreover, not every bank in Singapore has the same loan package. One bank may offer overseas property loan packages for 5 countries, while another bank may only have packages for 2 countries. Good thing, we’re here. So if you’ve been daydreaming about owning a property in Australia, UK, USA, Japan, Thailand or Malaysia, let us know, and we’ll take care of all the groundwork for you. Since every country has its own set of restrictions, it’s best to be well-informed and guided.
Eligibility and Documents Required
Eligibility
Your credit history plays a big role in getting an overseas property loan approved. If you’re an onshore foreigner, you must have a good credit score to avoid roadblocks during your application. If you’re based overseas, you’ll be required to submit your proof of income and net worth statement for bank approval.
Documents Required
You’ll need to provide the latest certified true copy of your proof of income (payslips and bank statements for the last 3 months), and Notice of Assessment. A copy of your passport, NRIC and property’s Reservation Form or Sales and Purchase Agreement will be needed too. On the other hand, self-employed applicants must submit their proof of earnings and net worth statement.
Fees and Charges
As a non-resident foreigner, you must be aware that there will be other expenses on top of the standard legal & valuation fees. Banks usually charge an application fee of $500 - $1,000. Aside from this, there are other country- or city-specific fees that you need to be aware of.
Australia
When you have found a property you wish to purchase, you will first have to apply for approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB). You will also need to pay a four- or five-figure application fee to FIRB which is pegged to the value of the property you are buying. The approval process can take up to 4 weeks, but 2 weeks tends to be typical. The amount you need to pay depends on the property’s value – $5,000 for properties below $1 million; and $10,000 for properties that cost more than $1 million. Every additional million dollars in property value will increase the fee by another $10,000.
UK
Stamp Duty Land Tax for foreigners who are planning to purchase a residential property in the UK is set to increase. At the moment, stamp duty rates range from 0% - 12%, depending on the property value and the number of properties you already own in the UK.
Malaysia
Foreigners are required to apply for state consent before they can proceed with the property purchase. This imposed State Consent fee foreigners vary per state.
Things to Consider when Buying Overseas Property
Minimum Occupation Period (MOP)
HDB flat owners are required to fulfil the Minimum Occupation Period of 5 years before they can purchase their dream home in another country. On the other hand, if you plan to buy an HDB flat after completing an overseas property purchase, you’ll need to sell your Singapore or overseas property within 6 months.
Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR)
When it comes to overseas property financing, buyers have two options – to borrow from a local bank or engage a financial institution in the country where you plan to purchase your property from. If you go with a local bank, your Total Debt Servicing Ratio will be taken into consideration. In practice, the rate shouldn’t exceed 55% of your income. To check the maximum loan amount you can get, use our TDSR Calculator.