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Checked 7 October 2026

NAB home loan for Australians living overseas: what NAB publishes

NAB does not publish an expat or non-resident home loan. A note on its home loan pages says NAB's home loan products are not available to applicants who reside overseas, whatever their citizenship, or to applicants who need Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval to buy residential property in Australia. This guide reflects NAB's pages as at 7 October 2026.

The note covers citizens as well as foreign nationals, and it does not define "reside overseas". It appears on several NAB pages but not all, so ask NAB how it applies to your situation before relying on any reading.

What the NAB note says and where it appears

The sentence sits in the "important information" section at the foot of NAB's Tailored variable rate with offset page, its fixed rate home loan page and its refinance page. Each of those pages is marked as correct as at 5 October 2026. The home loan top-up page carries the same sentence under an older date, 18 July 2025, so the wording is not new.

The sentence did not appear on NAB's Base Variable Rate page or its main home loans page when they were read for this guide. The note is worded for NAB's home loan products generally, and NAB does not say why it is missing from those two pages.

Because the note also appears on the refinance and top-up pages, it is not written only for purchases.

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What the note leaves open

The note is short, and several questions are not answered on the pages read:

  • "Reside overseas". NAB does not say whether this turns on your current address, your tax residence or how long you have been away.
  • Joint applications. The note refers to applicants. It does not say what happens if one borrower lives in Australia and another lives abroad.
  • Existing customers. It is written about applicants and products, so it does not say how NAB treats a borrower who already holds a loan and then moves.
  • FIRB. The second part of the note is a separate exclusion, for applicants who need FIRB approval. Whether approval is needed is a federal question that depends on citizenship, residency and the property. FIRB Approval's guide to whether foreigners can buy property in Australia covers the basics.

What NAB's other documents say

Target market determinations. NAB's TMDs for the Base Variable Rate Home Loan (start date 28 July 2023), the Defence Force Home Loan (26 July 2024) and the Tailored Home Loan (26 June 2026) were read. None mentions residency, citizenship or living overseas. They describe who a product is designed for in general terms, so the product-page note is the only place found where NAB states a position.

The home loan application form. NAB's printable form (code 79936A-0725, copyright 2025) says to return it to a NAB branch or complete the application by phone. For each applicant it asks whether they are a permanent Australian resident, whether they are a US citizen or resident for tax purposes, and whether they are a resident of any other country for tax purposes, with tax identification numbers where relevant. The form does not say how the answers affect eligibility.

The non-resident individual checklist. NAB publishes a document checklist for non-resident individuals under its banking forms. It sets out what NAB needs to establish a non-resident as a customer:

  • an overseas address, any other country of tax residence, source of wealth, the purpose of the banking relationship, occupation and countries of citizenship;
  • one primary photographic ID such as a passport, or one primary and one secondary non-photographic ID document;
  • copies certified by an approved certifier, such as a notary public, an Australian consular or diplomatic officer, or a person overseas who is authorised to administer oaths;
  • an English translation from an accredited translator for any document in another language.

The checklist does not mention home loans. It describes customer identification, so it should not be read as a lending pathway for people who live abroad. For how identity and income documents are usually handled across lenders, see documents for an overseas home loan.

If you already have a NAB home loan and move overseas

NAB's Home Loan General Terms say to tell NAB as soon as possible if your contact details change, including email, postal address and phone number, and that you can update them in NAB Internet Banking or the NAB app. They also say that if NAB reasonably needs more information about your financial position or the security property, you agree to provide it as quickly as possible. Notices can go by post to the address NAB holds on file.

The terms read for this guide do not mention living overseas. NAB's "Move your banking to another country" page says that people leaving Australia for a country other than New Zealand can learn how to close their NAB accounts. It does not mention home loans. For the wider picture, see moving overseas with an Australian mortgage.

What NAB does not publish

Among the pages read, NAB gives no list of countries or currencies, no deposit or loan-to-value rule for overseas borrowers, and no foreign income policy for home loans. NAB's own pages give its home loan phone hours in AEST or AEDT (Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm, weekends 9am to 6pm), so convert them for your time zone.

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Frequently asked questions

Does NAB lend to Australian citizens living overseas?

NAB's published wording says its home loan products are not available to applicants who reside overseas, whatever their citizenship, so a citizen living abroad is within the note as written. NAB does not publish how it applies the note in individual cases, so anyone in this position should ask NAB directly and keep the reply.

Does NAB offer a non-resident or expat home loan?

No page read for this guide describes one. The product pages say the opposite for applicants who reside overseas, and none of the three target market determinations mentions overseas customers. Our page on non-resident home loans explains how other lenders and loan types differ.

Does the NAB note apply to refinancing and top-ups?

The same sentence appears on NAB's refinance page and its home loan top-up page, as well as on the product pages. The note is written for home loan products generally, so it is not confined to new purchases. How it applies to a loan you already hold is not stated; see our guide to refinancing while overseas.

What is NAB's non-resident document checklist for?

It lists the identification and background details NAB needs to establish a non-resident individual as a customer, including certified ID copies and translations. It sits under banking forms and does not mention home loans. It is not a statement that NAB will lend to someone who lives overseas.

What if I already have a NAB home loan and move abroad?

NAB's pages do not address it directly. The General Terms ask you to keep your contact details up to date and to provide further financial information when NAB reasonably asks. Contact NAB before you move and ask in writing whether your loan, its features and its security are affected.

Sources

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.