Authored by the expert who managed and guided the team behind the Hungary Property Pack
Everything you need to know before buying real estate is included in our Hungary Property Pack
Yes, foreigners can get a mortgage in Hungary in 2026, but the process depends heavily on your residency status, income source, and how well you document everything.
Hungary's central bank sets strict rules on how much you can borrow, and most banks add their own extra requirements for foreign applicants.
This guide breaks down exactly what you need to know to get approved, from down payments to interest rates to which banks are most likely to say yes.
And if you're planning to buy a property in Hungary, you may want to download our pack covering the real estate market in Hungary.
Can foreigners get a mortgage in Hungary right now?
Can a foreigner get a residential mortgage in Hungary right now?
Yes, foreigners can get a residential mortgage in Hungary in 2026, though approval depends more on your documentation quality and income stability than simply holding a foreign passport.
EU and EEA citizens with stable, verifiable income typically have the easiest path to mortgage approval in Hungary because banks can process their applications using familiar documentation standards.
The most common restriction Hungarian banks impose on foreign applicants is requiring a larger down payment, often 30% to 40% instead of the standard 20%, especially when income comes from abroad or the applicant has no Hungarian address.
By the way, we have a whole document dedicated to mortgages for foreigners in our property pack about Hungary.
Can I get a mortgage in Hungary without residency?
Non-residents can obtain a mortgage in Hungary, but most banks treat these applications as higher-risk and respond with stricter terms.
Banks in Hungary generally work with four categories: Hungarian residents with local income get the smoothest approvals, EU residents with documented foreign income come next, non-EU residents with work permits are evaluated case-by-case, and pure non-residents face the toughest scrutiny.
When you apply without permanent residency in Hungary, banks typically require a larger equity contribution, more extensive income documentation, and sometimes a longer processing timeline to verify your financial situation abroad.
By the way, we've written a blog article detailing residency and citizenship options that exist when you buy property in Hungary.
Do banks require a local work contract in Hungary right now?
Hungarian banks do not legally require a local work contract, but having one makes approval significantly faster and easier because it simplifies income verification.
If you lack a local Hungarian contract, banks in Hungary typically accept foreign employment contracts paired with translated payslips, tax returns from your home country, and bank statements showing consistent salary deposits over at least six months.
When a local work contract is present, most Hungarian banks prefer to see at least six to twelve months of continuous employment with the same employer before approving a mortgage application.
Can self-employed foreigners qualify for a mortgage in Hungary?
Self-employed foreigners can qualify for a mortgage in Hungary, but they face stricter scrutiny than salaried applicants because banks worry more about income stability and consistency.
Most Hungarian banks require self-employed applicants to show at least two years of consistent declared income, supported by tax filings and accountant-prepared financial statements that demonstrate steady earnings.
Is foreign income accepted for mortgages in Hungary right now?
Yes, Hungarian banks can accept foreign income for mortgage applications, and the MNB regulations explicitly allow income documentation from foreign employers and tax authorities.
When your income comes from abroad, Hungarian banks typically require official translations of employment contracts, six to twelve months of payslips, tax returns from your home country, and bank statements showing regular salary deposits in a traceable account.
Can I buy a primary home (and an investment property?) with a mortgage in Hungary as a foreigner?
Foreigners can obtain a mortgage in Hungary for a primary home, and this is generally the easier scenario because banks view owner-occupied properties as lower risk.
Investment property mortgages are also available to foreigners in Hungary, but many banks respond to the higher perceived risk by requiring larger down payments or applying stricter affordability calculations.
If you're buying for investment, you might want to check our blog article about buying and renting out in Hungary.
We did some research and made this infographic to help you quickly compare rental yields of the major cities in Hungary versus those in neighboring countries. It provides a clear view of how this country positions itself as a real estate investment destination, which might interest you if you’re planning to invest there.
What are the eligibility rules banks actually use in Hungary?
What minimum monthly income do I need in Hungary as of 2026?
As of early 2026, there is no fixed minimum income requirement set by Hungarian regulators, but banks effectively require enough income to keep your mortgage payment within the DSTI cap, which for most borrowers means at least 600,000 HUF net monthly (around 1,500 EUR or 1,600 USD) for a typical Budapest apartment loan.
In practice, most approved mortgage borrowers in Hungary earn between 700,000 and 1,500,000 HUF net monthly (roughly 1,750 to 3,750 EUR or 1,850 to 4,000 USD), which gives them comfortable room under the debt-service limits.
The minimum income you need in Hungary rises directly with your target loan amount: if you want a bigger mortgage, you need proportionally higher income to stay within the 50% or 60% DSTI ceiling that Hungary's central bank enforces.
Hungarian banks do allow combining household incomes from multiple applicants, such as spouses or partners, to meet the income threshold, which can significantly expand your borrowing capacity.
What debt-to-income limit do banks use in Hungary right now?
Hungary uses a DSTI (debt-service-to-income) system rather than a simple DTI ratio, and for HUF mortgages with at least 10 years of fixed interest, the cap is 50% of net income for earners below 800,000 HUF monthly or 60% for those earning above that threshold.
When calculating your DSTI in Hungary, banks include all existing monthly debt payments such as car loans, personal loans, credit card minimum payments, and any other mortgages you already hold.
Do I need a local credit score in Hungary right now?
Hungary does not use a single credit score system like some countries; instead, banks query the KHR (Central Credit Information System), which records your borrowing history within Hungary rather than generating a numerical score.
Hungarian banks can accept foreign credit reports as supporting evidence of your creditworthiness, but these reports do not replace the KHR check because lenders are required to verify your local credit behavior through Hungary's official registry.
Do banks require a local guarantor in Hungary right now?
Hungarian banks do not require a local guarantor under the MNB regulations, and most mortgage approvals proceed without one if your income and down payment meet the bank's requirements.
Banks in Hungary are most likely to request a guarantor or co-borrower when your income is partially foreign, your employment history is short, or your down payment sits at the minimum allowed level.
If a guarantor is requested, Hungarian banks typically require that person to have stable Hungarian income, a clean KHR record, and sufficient earnings to cover the loan payments independently if needed.
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How much cash do I need upfront in Hungary as of 2026?
What's the minimum down payment in Hungary right now?
The regulatory minimum down payment in Hungary is 20% for standard HUF mortgages (based on the 80% LTV cap) or just 10% for first-time home buyers who qualify for the 90% LTV allowance.
In practice, foreign buyers in Hungary often face down payment requirements ranging from 20% to 40% or more, depending on their residency status, income source, and which bank they approach.
You may secure a lower down payment requirement in Hungary if you have EU/EEA residency, local Hungarian employment with documented income, a strong relationship with a Hungarian bank, or are purchasing as a first-time buyer under the subsidized program.
What loan terms can I realistically get in Hungary as of 2026?
What mortgage interest rates are typical in Hungary as of 2026?
As of early 2026, typical mortgage interest rates in Hungary for HUF loans with longer fixed periods range from about 6% to 8%, depending on your down payment size, income stability, and chosen fixation length.
The factors that most significantly influence your rate in Hungary include your loan-to-value ratio (bigger down payment means better rate), the length of your interest rate fixation period, and your overall risk profile as assessed by the bank.
Foreigners in Hungary sometimes receive slightly higher interest rates than local residents, typically 0.25% to 0.5% more, particularly when their income documentation is more complex or they have no prior Hungarian banking relationship.
The interest rate is one of the factors we look at when assessing whether now is a good time to buy a property in Hungary.
Are fixed-rate mortgages available in Hungary right now?
Yes, fixed-rate mortgages are available to foreigners in Hungary, and in fact choosing a longer fixed period is strategically important because Hungary's DSTI caps become more generous when you lock your rate for 10 years or more.
Hungarian banks typically offer fixed-rate periods of 5, 10, 15, or 20 years, with the 10-year fixed option being particularly popular because it unlocks the highest DSTI ceiling (50% or 60% depending on income) while providing meaningful rate stability.
We created this infographic to give you a simple idea of how much it costs to buy property in different parts of Hungary. As you can see, it breaks down price ranges and property types for popular cities in the country. We hope this makes it easier to explore your options and understand the market.
How do I maximize approval chances in Hungary right now?
What financial profile gets "yes" fastest in Hungary right now?
The ideal profile for fast mortgage approval in Hungary is someone with stable salaried employment, clean documentation where all papers match perfectly, no existing debt eating into their DSTI allowance, and a down payment larger than the minimum required.
Hungarian banks consider an ideal applicant to have net monthly income of at least 800,000 HUF (around 2,000 EUR or 2,100 USD) with total debt payments staying well below 40% of income, leaving comfortable headroom under the caps.
Banks in Hungary most favor applicants with permanent salaried employment (rather than contract or self-employed work) and at least 12 to 24 months of continuous work history with the same employer.
A down payment of 30% or more signals a strong applicant profile in Hungary and often unlocks better interest rates, faster processing, and more flexible terms from banks.
We give more detailed tips in our pack covering the property buying process in Hungary.
What mistakes make foreigners get rejected in Hungary right now?
The most common mistake that leads to mortgage rejection for foreigners in Hungary is submitting documents with inconsistencies, such as name format variations between passport and payslips, or address mismatches that make banks doubt the paperwork's authenticity.
The financial red flag that most often disqualifies foreign applicants in Hungary is having existing debt obligations (car loans, credit cards, other mortgages) that push their total monthly payments above the DSTI ceiling, especially when combined with income that is difficult to verify.
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Which banks say yes to foreigners in Hungary right now?
Which banks are most foreigner-friendly in Hungary as of 2026?
As of early 2026, the banks most commonly recommended for foreign mortgage applicants in Hungary include OTP Bank, Erste Bank Hungary, K&H Bank, UniCredit Bank Hungary, Raiffeisen Bank, CIB Bank, and MBH Bank.
These banks are more accessible to foreign applicants in Hungary because they have larger retail mortgage operations with established procedures for handling international documentation, and several have international parent companies familiar with cross-border income verification.
Which banks accept non-resident borrowers in Hungary right now?
Several Hungarian banks including OTP, Erste, K&H, and UniCredit will consider non-resident borrowers, though acceptance depends heavily on the individual application and is never guaranteed.
When these banks accept non-resident applicants in Hungary, they typically impose additional requirements such as higher down payments (often 30% to 40% or more), more extensive income documentation, and longer processing times for verification.
Do international banks lend more easily in Hungary right now?
International banks with Hungarian subsidiaries sometimes lend more easily to foreigners, particularly when the applicant has an international profile such as EU income, employment with a multinational company, or strong documentation from a Western European country.
International banks with mortgage operations in Hungary include Erste (Austrian parent), UniCredit (Italian parent), Raiffeisen (Austrian parent), and K&H (Belgian KBC parent), all of which have experience processing cross-border applications.
The main advantage of using an international bank for a mortgage in Hungary is that their underwriting teams may be more familiar with foreign documentation standards and income verification from other EU countries, potentially speeding up approval.
We made this infographic to show you how property prices in Hungary compare to other big cities across the region. It breaks down the average price per square meter in city centers, so you can see how cities stack up. It’s an easy way to spot where you might get the best value for your money. We hope you like it.
What sources have we used to write this blog article?
Whether it's in our blog articles or the market analyses included in our property pack about Hungary, we always rely on the strongest methodology we can... and we don't throw out numbers at random.
We also aim to be fully transparent, so below we've listed the authoritative sources we used, and explained how we used them and the methods behind our estimates.
| Source | Why it's authoritative | How we used it |
|---|---|---|
| Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) - Borrower-based measures | Hungary's central bank explaining the binding debt brake rules. | We used it to pin down the official LTV and DSTI caps in force in early 2026. We also referenced regulatory changes effective from January 2026. |
| MNB Trends in Lending (February 2025) | Official central bank report on actual lending conditions and pricing. | We used it as a hard datapoint for market mortgage pricing in Hungary. We built realistic early 2026 rate estimates from this official source. |
| MNB Decree (NJT legal repository) | Hungary's official legal text repository hosting the binding decree. | We used it to ground the article in actual regulation that banks must follow. We treat bank policies as stricter than law, not instead of law. |
| MNB Decree PDF (income definitions) | Central bank document including key definitions for certified income. | We used it for the definition of certified net income that allows foreign documentation. We explained why foreign income can be acceptable when properly documented. |
| MNB - KHR Credit Registry Explainer | Central bank consumer guidance on Hungary's credit information system. | We used it to explain what local credit history really means in Hungary. We clarified how KHR affects approvals and what foreigners can expect. |
| BISZ - KHR Consumer Overview | Official operator of Hungary's credit registry describing how it works. | We used it to cross-check the purpose and role of KHR in credit decisions. We clarified what you can and cannot import from foreign credit reports. |
| Government Decree on Foreign Real Estate Acquisition | Official legal text for foreign property acquisition permits in Hungary. | We used it to explain who needs a permit to buy property. We noted why banks care about permit timing for non-EU buyers. |
| Government Offices - Permit Procedure Guidance | Practical guidance from Hungarian government offices on the permit process. | We used it to translate the law into simple steps a buyer will face. We described realistic process timelines and documentation requirements. |
| KSH - Housing Price Publication | Hungary's national statistics agency publishing official housing price data. | We used it to set expectations about Hungary's fast-moving housing market. We justified being careful with early 2026 assumptions on property values. |
| MNB Housing Market Report (May 2025) | Central bank market monitoring report for housing conditions. | We used it to cross-check market context on price growth and momentum. We kept it as background for understanding bank risk appetite. |
| Eurostat - Housing Price Statistics | EU's official statistical agency providing comparable housing data. | We used it to benchmark Hungary against the EU average. We helped readers understand what is Hungary-specific versus typical for Europe. |
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