The three tests that matter for an expat
Each scheme looks at the same three things, worded differently:
- Your status. Most ask for citizenship or permanent residency, and the 5% Deposit Scheme says a former citizen or permanent resident who has not resumed that status does not qualify.
- Where you will live. Most require the home to be your principal place of residence, with a time limit for moving in.
- What you already own. Some schemes look only at Australian property. Others count a home anywhere in the world, so a house in your country of residence can matter.
Get your loan roadmap
Answer a few questions and see the documents, cash, timeline and tax points that apply to your situation, worked out on screen straight away. Free, about two minutes.
Federal schemes
| Scheme | Who qualifies | Living in the home | Property already owned |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5% Deposit Scheme (information guide dated 1 July 2026) | Every borrower must be a citizen or permanent resident on the Home Loan Date. A couple where only one qualifies does not meet the test | Start living there within 6 months of settlement, or of the occupancy certificate for a new build, and keep living there while the scheme supports the loan. Turning it into a rental is not allowed | A first home buyer, or someone who has not owned property in Australia in the last 10 years |
| Help to Buy (customer guide dated 1 July 2026) | All applicants must be Australian citizens. Income is taken from your ATO Notice of Assessment, with a cap of $103,000 for an individual and $165,000 for joint applicants or a single parent | It must be your principal place of residence. Renting needs Housing Australia approval. Temporary absences also need approval | You cannot currently own any property in Australia or overseas |
| First Home Super Saver Scheme (ATO pages updated 8 July 2026) | The ATO says you do not need to be an Australian citizen or tax resident. You must be 18 or over | For buying or building residential property in Australia to live in as your first home. The eligibility page sets no move-in deadline, so check the ATO's release steps | You must never have owned property in Australia, and your name must be on the title |
Two further points from the federal pages:
- The 5% Deposit Scheme guide has no provisions on overseas work or residence. It says you must also meet your participating lender's credit policy, so scheme eligibility and a loan approval are separate decisions. Which lenders deal with overseas applicants at all is covered in our guide to which lenders lend to expats.
- Help to Buy lists approved reasons for a temporary absence, including Defence Force postings, employment relocations after 12 months with an employer, serious illness and other compassionate circumstances. The guide read does not say how an overseas move is treated, so ask Housing Australia.
For the First Home Super Saver Scheme, the ATO says you can contribute up to $15,000 in a financial year and $50,000 in total. Three years at the maximum is 3 x $15,000 = $45,000, so only $50,000 - $45,000 = $5,000 more counts towards the limit. You must request a determination before settlement. The ATO page does not say how contributions work for someone living abroad, so ask your super fund and the ATO.
New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria
| Scheme | Who qualifies | Living in the home | Property already owned |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme (contracts from 1 July 2023): no duty up to $800,000, concession below $1 million; vacant land exempt up to $350,000 | Individual buyers 18 or over, at least one a citizen or permanent resident | Move in within 12 months of settlement and live there as your principal place of residence for at least 12 continuous months | You and your spouse or partner must never have owned or co-owned residential property in Australia |
| NSW First Home Owner (New Homes) Grant: $10,000 (page updated 30 January 2026) | At least one applicant a citizen or permanent resident. New homes only, up to $600,000, or $750,000 for land plus a building contract | Move in within 12 months and live there for 12 continuous months (contracts from 1 July 2023) | Not eligible if you or your spouse previously received a first home owner grant in Australia, or if you owned residential property in Australia before 1 July 2000 or lived for 6 continuous months or more in an Australian home you owned on or after that date |
| Victoria: First Home Owner Grant of $10,000 (page updated 29 September 2026), and first home buyer duty exemption or concession for homes up to $750,000 (page updated 15 September 2026) | The eligibility text on both State Revenue Office pages could not be read for this guide | Check the State Revenue Office pages | Check the State Revenue Office pages |
| Queensland First Home Owner Grant: $30,000 (page updated 5 August 2026) | Citizen or permanent resident, or applying with one. New homes only | Move in within 1 year and live there continuously for 6 months. You can rent it out before moving in and keep the grant, but may lose the first home concession | Not eligible if you or your spouse owned residential property in Australia before 1 July 2000, or owned and lived in residential property in Australia on or after that date, or previously received a first home owner grant in any state or territory |
| Queensland first home concession (page updated 31 July 2026): homes valued under $800,000, saving up to $24,525 | From 1 August 2026, a citizen, permanent resident or specified foreign retiree | Live there on a daily basis within 1 year of settlement, which cannot be extended. You cannot lease the whole property in the first year after moving in | You must never have held an interest in a residence anywhere in Australia or overseas |
Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory were not reviewed for this guide, and neither was Victoria's eligibility text. Our guide for visa holders lists headline grant and duty figures for each, with their citizenship tests, but the occupation and prior-ownership rules for those places need checking on each revenue office's page.
What the move-in deadlines look like
The starting event differs by scheme, so these dates assume a settlement on 1 March 2027:
| Scheme | Move in by | Then |
|---|---|---|
| 5% Deposit Scheme | 1 September 2027 (6 months) | Keep living there while the scheme supports the loan |
| NSW assistance scheme and grant | 1 March 2028 (12 months) | At least 12 continuous months |
| Queensland grant and concession | 1 March 2028 (1 year) | 6 continuous months (grant); daily occupation (concession) |
If you plan to return to Australia after those dates, the published conditions would not be met unless a discretion or exemption applies. The pages mention these only in limited cases: Housing Australia approval under Help to Buy, and Queensland's discretion in exceptional circumstances for its grant. How the rules fit your own plans is a question for the scheme administrator or the state revenue office.
If your partner is not a citizen
The tests treat couples differently:
- 5% Deposit Scheme: both borrowers must be citizens or permanent residents.
- Help to Buy: all applicants must be citizens, so a permanent resident partner is outside it.
- NSW and Queensland grants: at least one applicant has to qualify (Queensland also accepts an applicant who applies with a citizen or permanent resident). Victoria's pages were not readable for this guide, so check its partner rules, including any foreign purchaser additional duty, with the State Revenue Office.
The surcharge is separate from the first home benefit. Citizens living abroad are not foreign persons under the state definitions checked in our guide on whether expats pay the foreign buyer surcharge. The wider duty picture is in the stamp duty guide, and the return side is in the returning expat guide.
Keep reading
- Returning to Australia: getting a home loan as a returning expat
- What first home buyer help can visa holders get in Australia?
- Do Australian expats pay the foreign buyer stamp duty and land tax surcharges?
- Which lenders lend to Australian expats and non-residents?
- Stamp duty for expats and non-residents buying in Australia
- Buying an investment property in Australia from overseas: citizens abroad and foreign buyers
Frequently asked questions
Can an Australian citizen living overseas get the First Home Owner Grant?
The NSW and Queensland grants reviewed need at least one applicant to be a citizen or permanent resident, so citizenship is met. They also cover new homes only and require you to live in the home, with a move-in deadline of 12 months in NSW and 1 year in Queensland. Victoria also has a $10,000 grant, but its eligibility text could not be read for this guide. A state revenue office can confirm how your circumstances are treated.
Can I use the 5% Deposit Scheme while living overseas?
The information guide says nothing about overseas residence. It requires citizenship or permanent residency on the Home Loan Date, an owner-occupier loan, and a start to living in the home within 6 months of settlement. A participating lender must also accept you under its own credit policy, which may turn on where you live and where your income is paid.
Does a home I own overseas stop me being a first home buyer?
It depends on the scheme. Help to Buy says you cannot currently own property in Australia or overseas. Queensland's concession asks that you never held an interest in a residence anywhere in Australia or overseas. The 5% Deposit Scheme, NSW and the Super Saver Scheme refer to property in Australia.
I owned a home in Australia before moving abroad. Can I still claim?
Rules differ. The 5% Deposit Scheme looks back 10 years from the Home Loan Date, so earlier ownership does not necessarily exclude you. NSW asks that you and your partner never owned residential property in Australia, and the Super Saver Scheme says never owned property in Australia, with a hardship exception. Check the page for each scheme.
Can I use the First Home Super Saver Scheme from overseas?
The ATO says you do not need to be an Australian citizen or tax resident to use it. You must be 18 or over, a first home buyer who has never owned property in Australia, and named on the title, and you must request a determination before settlement. Whether your fund accepts contributions from overseas is a question for the fund.
Sources
- Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme Information Guide, First Home Buyers
- Help to Buy Customer Guide, First Home Buyers
- Eligibility for the FHSS scheme, Australian Taxation Office
- About the FHSS scheme, Australian Taxation Office
- First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme, Revenue NSW
- First Home Owner (New Homes) Grant, Revenue NSW
- Understanding the First Home Owner Grant, State Revenue Office Victoria
- First home buyer duty exemption or concession, State Revenue Office Victoria
- First home owner grant eligibility, Queensland Revenue Office
- First home concession, Queensland Revenue Office
Checked 7 October 2026.
Expat Finance is an independent guide. It is not a lender, mortgage broker or credit provider, it does not hold an Australian credit licence, and it does not give credit, legal, tax or migration advice. It is not affiliated with any bank, the ATO or the Foreign Investment Review Board. General information only, not legal, tax, migration or financial advice.