Financing up to three quarters of the price
Financing of up to 75% of the price is available on a rental property purchase, with loans to $1.5 million at that level. As of 11 October 2026; reviewed by 11 November 2026.
Foreign national loans
Foreign national mortgage loans: finance a US rental property from abroad.
With a foreign national mortgage, buyers who live outside the United States can finance a rental property here without US income, US tax returns or, at some programs, any US credit history. The loan can be qualified on the property’s expected rent. For business purposes only.
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Fidelity Residential · NMLS #103098 · Equal Housing Lender
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- Several foreign national programsWe compare programs to find the rules that fit your property and your file.
- Apply online or by phoneStart a quote, apply online or call 732-686-9999.
The basics
What a foreign national loan is
A foreign national loan is a mortgage for someone who lives and works outside the United States and wants to buy or refinance a rental property here. It is a business-purpose loan: nobody on the loan will live in the property. Buyers who live abroad can finance a rental without US income, US tax returns or, at some programs, any US credit history.
Most programs qualify the loan on the property’s expected rent rather than on the buyer’s income. The rent must usually cover the full monthly payment, with taxes, insurance and any association dues; one program accepts rent covering as little as three quarters of the payment at a lower loan amount. A US credit score is not required: a foreign credit report or bank reference letters can be used, and some programs need neither.
Some programs also lend to a buyer who lives abroad on a vacation home here; that is a consumer loan with its own rules, so ask a loan officer about it separately.
Who it suits
- Investors who live outside the United States buying a US rental property for the first time or adding to a portfolio
- Owners who live abroad refinancing a rental they already hold, including to take cash out
- Buyers with no US credit history, using a foreign credit report, bank reference letters, or at some programs neither
- Buyers who hold title in a company, such as a US limited liability company, with a personal guarantee
Business purpose investor loans are for investment property only.
Foreign national loans at a glance
- What it is: a business-purpose mortgage on a US rental property for a buyer who lives outside the United States, qualified on the property’s expected rent.
- Who it is for: investors abroad buying or refinancing a rental, with or without a US credit history.
- What you need: a passport and, where it applies, a visa; a foreign credit report or bank reference letters where the program asks; bank statements, converted to US dollars and translated; and an appraisal with a rent schedule.
- The down payment: larger than for a US buyer; the figures on this page are dated and reviewed monthly.
- Not: a loan for a home you will live in, and not available to buyers from countries under US sanctions.
The terms
What the programs offer
Each program has its own limits. The figures below are the most generous among the programs we work with, as of 11 October 2026, and are reviewed by 11 November 2026; they are not an offer, and no single program offers all of them together.
Loans up to $3 million
Loans up to $3 million are available on a rental property at a larger down payment, of at least 40% of the price. As of 11 October 2026; reviewed by 11 November 2026.
A portfolio program to $5 million
Through a portfolio program kept on the lender’s own books, a buyer who lives abroad can finance a rental property up to $5 million with income and assets documented, at 70% financing with a foreign credit report and 50% without one. As of 11 October 2026; reviewed by 11 November 2026. These loans are adjustable: the rate is fixed for a set number of years and then can change, so the payment can rise.
Portfolio adjustable-rate loansCash out on a rental you own
A cash-out refinance is available on a rental property owned by a foreign national at up to 70% of its value. As of 11 October 2026; reviewed by 11 November 2026.
Qualified on the rent
The property’s rent must usually cover the full monthly payment, with taxes, insurance and any association dues. One program accepts rent covering as little as three quarters of the payment, at a lower loan amount.
How rental-income (DSCR) loans workInterest-only and prepayment options
Interest-only payment options exist at some programs; the payment rises when the interest-only period ends. A prepayment charge usually applies for the first years where state law allows, with a no-charge option at some programs.
How investor prepayment charges work
Requirements
Foreign national loan requirements: what the programs look at
Each program has its own rules. These are the ones they share, in words; a loan officer can tell you which program fits you.
- Credit: a US credit score is not required. A foreign credit report or bank reference letters can be used, and some programs need neither. If you have US credit, it is reviewed.
- The rent: an appraisal with a rent schedule and, on a refinance, the lease and proof the rent is received. The rent must usually cover the full monthly payment.
- Funds: documented with bank statements, converted to US dollars and translated. Closing funds are moved into a US account or wired to the closing agent before closing.
- Reserves: most programs want twelve months of payments in reserve after closing, some six.
- Title: in your own name, or at several programs in a US limited liability company with a personal guarantee.
- Signing: documents can be signed abroad at a US consulate or, at some programs, by apostille.
- Eligibility by country: buyers from countries under US sanctions are not eligible, and some states restrict buyers from certain countries. Every party is screened.
How it works
The steps to a foreign national loan
Tell us about the property
Where it is, the price or value, the rent it earns or is expected to earn, and whether you will hold title in your own name or in a company.
Identity and credit
Your passport and, where it applies, your visa; a foreign credit report or bank reference letters if the program asks; and the screening every party goes through.
Funds and the appraisal
Bank statements are converted and translated, closing funds are moved to a US account or wired to the closing agent, and the property is appraised with a rent schedule.
Terms and closing
You sign a statement that the loan is for business purposes and that nobody on the loan will live in the property, and a personal guarantee if a company holds title. Documents can be signed abroad at a US consulate.
A worked example, in words. Say you live and work outside the United States, you have no US credit history, and you want to buy a single-family house here to let on a lease, with title in a US limited liability company.
- The rent. The appraiser’s rent schedule gives the expected rent. It must usually cover the full monthly payment, with taxes, insurance and any association dues.
- Your credit. In place of a US credit score, a foreign credit report or a reference letter from your bank at home, translated into English; some programs need neither.
- Your money. Bank statements for the down payment, closing costs and reserves, converted to US dollars and translated. Closing funds are moved into a US account or wired to the closing agent before closing, and a US bank account is set up for the monthly payment.
- Title. The company holds title and its owners give a personal guarantee; you send the company papers.
- Closing. You sign a statement that the loan is for business purposes and that nobody on the loan will live in the property. Documents can be signed abroad at a US consulate or, at some programs, by apostille.
- Your advisers. Questions about your immigration status, your taxes in either country and how you hold title go to a licensed immigration attorney, a CPA and your own attorney. A lender coordinates the financing and does not give immigration, tax or legal advice.
The rental deal analyzer tests the rent against the payment with your own figures, and the DSCR calculator works out the ratio; both are estimates, not decisions. A New Jersey rental? See our non-QM lender page for New Jersey.
Documents
What to prepare
Each program has its own list. Most buyers can start with these.
- Your passport, and your visa where one applies
- Proof of your home address abroad, such as a lease, a utility bill or a bank statement
- A foreign credit report or bank reference letters, if the program asks for them, translated into English
- Bank statements for the down payment, closing costs and reserves, converted to US dollars and translated
- The lease and proof of rent received on a refinance, or the purchase contract on a purchase
- Company papers if a US limited liability company will hold title, and a US bank account for the monthly payment
Before you apply from abroad: moves that keep the file moving
- Decide clearly whether the property will be a rental or a second home, because the rules differ: a rental is a business-purpose loan, a second home a consumer loan
- Ask your bank at home whether it can issue a reference letter describing the relationship, the balance, the account’s standing and how you have paid
- Line up a certified translator for documents and figures that need converting
- Choose the US bank account that will pay the monthly payment, and plan when the money for closing moves, because closing funds must be in a US account or with the closing agent before closing
- Allow for the exchange rate: the loan and its payments are in US dollars, so a change in the rate changes what the down payment, closing costs and reserves cost you in your own currency
- If a company will hold title, ask your loan officer how the program wants it set up before you form it, and settle the rest with your own attorney and CPA
Questions
Common questions about foreign national loans
Can I buy a US rental property if I live outside the United States?
Yes. Buyers who live abroad can finance a rental property here without US income, US tax returns or, at some programs, any US credit history. The loan is for business purposes: nobody on the loan will live in the property.
Do I need a US credit score?
No. A foreign credit report or bank reference letters can be used, and some programs need neither. If you have US credit, it is reviewed.
How is the loan qualified without my income?
On the property’s expected rent, from the appraiser’s rent schedule and, on a refinance, the lease. The rent must usually cover the full monthly payment; one program accepts rent covering as little as three quarters of the payment at a lower loan amount. How rental-income loans work.
How much do I need for a down payment?
More than a US buyer. Financing of up to 75% of the price is available on a rental property purchase, with loans to $1.5 million at that level, and larger loans call for a larger down payment. As of 11 October 2026; reviewed by 11 November 2026.
Can I take cash out of a rental I already own?
Yes. A cash-out refinance is available on a rental property owned by a foreign national at up to 70% of its value. As of 11 October 2026; reviewed by 11 November 2026.
Where does my money need to be?
Funds are documented with bank statements, converted to US dollars and translated. Closing funds are moved into a US account or wired to the closing agent before closing. Most programs want twelve months of payments in reserve, some six.
Can I hold the property in a company?
At several programs, yes: a US limited liability company with a personal guarantee from the owners. Buying a rental in an LLC.
Do I have to travel to the United States to close?
Not usually. Documents can be signed abroad at a US consulate or, at some programs, by apostille. Your loan officer arranges the details with the closing agent.
Is anyone not eligible?
Buyers from countries under US sanctions are not eligible, and some states restrict buyers from certain countries. Every party to the loan is screened.
What is a foreign national loan?
A mortgage for someone who lives and works outside the United States and wants to buy or refinance a rental property here. It is a business-purpose loan: nobody on the loan will live in the property. Most programs qualify the loan on the property’s expected rent rather than on the buyer’s income, and a US credit score is not required.
I live in the United States on a visa. Is this the right loan?
Usually not. A foreign national loan is for someone who lives and works outside the United States. If you live here, other programs fit better: non-permanent residents with an eligible visa are eligible at many full documentation non-QM programs, and people who file US taxes with an ITIN instead of a Social Security number can look at ITIN loans. A loan officer can tell you which programs accept your status; questions about the status itself are for an immigration attorney.
Do I need a US bank account?
For the monthly payment, yes: you need a US bank account to pay it from. Closing funds are moved into a US account or wired to the closing agent before closing. Your funds are documented with bank statements, converted to US dollars and translated; ask your loan officer what the program for your property asks.
Does the exchange rate matter?
It can. The loan and its payments are in US dollars. If your savings or income are in another currency, a change in the exchange rate changes what the down payment, the closing costs, the reserves and each monthly payment cost you in your own currency. Plan with a margin, and ask your own bank or adviser about the timing of moving money.
Who should I ask about taxes, immigration or how to hold title?
A licensed immigration attorney for your status, a CPA for your taxes, and your own attorney for how you hold title. A lender coordinates the financing and does not give immigration, tax or legal advice. See no US credit? still financeable.
Do you lend in my state?
Fidelity Residential is licensed in many states. The full, current list is on NMLS Consumer Access (opens in a new tab), or call us at 732-686-9999.
Have a US property in mind?
Get a quote, apply online, or talk it through with a licensed loan officer.
This page is general information, not a commitment to lend. Programs, terms and eligibility depend on credit, property, rent and underwriting review and are subject to change without notice. The figures on this page are as of 11 October 2026 and are reviewed by 11 November 2026. Business purpose investor loans are for investment property only.
Reviewed by Robert Shamie, CEO, NMLS #241428 · Last reviewed:
Fidelity Residential (PFN Lending Group, Inc., NMLS #103098) is a direct mortgage lender licensed in 40 states and the District of Columbia, with 26 years in business.