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Checked 7 October 2026

Which lenders lend to Australian expats and non-residents?

No single list of expat-friendly lenders exists, because each lender sets its own residency rules and the rules differ even between the big banks. As at 7 October 2026, the lenders' own pages show three broad positions: some name Australian citizens and permanent residents who live and work overseas as eligible customers, some say home lending is not available to non-resident borrowers or to applicants who reside overseas, and some publish nothing specific.

A published rule describes who a lender targets or how it assesses an application. It is not an offer, and every lender still runs its own credit assessment.

What five major lenders publish

The table covers only what each lender's own pages say, taken from the pages listed under Sources. It is not a ranking or a recommendation.

LenderWhat its own pages sayWhere it says it
Commonwealth BankTarget market determinations (TMDs) for its variable, fixed, Simple and Digi home loans list Australian citizens and permanent residents living and working overseas as eligible customers.TMDs with 2026 start dates
WestpacOnline applicants must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident. Several customer pages and its broker pages say residential lending is not available for "Non-Australian Resident" borrowers, a term they do not define.Application page, product page notes, broker pages
ANZThe online application asks for an Australian or New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, over 18, with primary income in Australian dollars.Application page
NABIts home loan pages say its home loan products are not available to applicants who reside overseas, regardless of citizenship, or to applicants who need Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval to buy residential property.Product, refinance and top-up pages
MacquarieOnline applicants must be Australian tax residents living in Australia. Broker guidelines (version 14.1, 10 September 2026) put citizens and permanent residents with no current Australian residential address "outside guidelines".Application page, broker guidelines

Each lender has its own guide: Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, ANZ, NAB and Macquarie.

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Why the same person gets different answers

Published rules turn on a few questions, and lenders answer them differently.

  • Status. Most of the pages above are written around citizens and permanent residents. Temporary visa holders are handled separately, as covered in our temporary visa guide.
  • Where you live. Macquarie's broker guidelines ask whether you hold a current Australian residential address. Commonwealth Bank's TMDs name people living and working overseas, while NAB's pages say its home loan products are not available to applicants who reside overseas.
  • Where your income is paid. ANZ asks for primary income in Australian dollars. Macquarie counts foreign income at 80 per cent and publishes a currency list for PAYG employees of foreign entities who hold an Australian address, so its foreign income rules sit alongside its Australian-address requirement.
  • What you are asking for. A purchase, a refinance and an investment loan can each be assessed under different conditions, so a lender's answer on one does not settle the others.

What lenders commonly ask of borrowers abroad

The published checklists give a picture of the paperwork.

  • Identity. NAB's checklist for non-resident individual customers is a customer identification document, not a lending policy, and it does not mention home loans. It asks for an overseas address, any other country of tax residence, source of wealth, occupation and countries of citizenship, with ID copies certified by an approved certifier such as a notary public or an Australian consular officer, and English translations from an accredited translator.
  • Foreign income. Westpac's broker checklist asks for the last two consecutive foreign payslips, or one year-to-date payslip covering two pay cycles, plus account statements covering at least three months of salary credits. ANZ asks for evidence of foreign income, generally the last three months.
  • Savings held elsewhere. Commonwealth Bank says it may ask for documents on savings and investments held outside the bank.

Our pages on documents for an overseas home loan and foreign-income home loans go through these in more detail, and how lenders assess foreign income covers currencies and haircuts.

How to check any lender's current position

  1. Find the product's TMD. Lenders say the law requires them to prepare one for each product, and they post them online. Read the eligibility paragraph. Some TMDs name overseas customers. The ANZ and NAB ones read for this guide say nothing about residency, and NAB states its position elsewhere, in the important information at the foot of its product pages.
  2. Read the "who can apply" box on the application page and the small print at the foot of product pages. ANZ, Westpac and Macquarie state conditions on application pages, and NAB and Westpac carry residency notes in their footnotes.
  3. Look at broker-facing pages and policy documents. Macquarie's credit guidelines and Westpac's broker document checklist go into more detail than their customer pages.
  4. Ask the lender in writing and keep the reply. Policies change: Macquarie's guidelines were last updated on 10 September 2026, and Commonwealth Bank's Standard Variable Rate TMD is due for review on 17 November 2026.
  5. Ask a broker which lenders it works with. Moneysmart suggests asking a broker what sort of lenders it works with and which it cannot access. See questions to ask a mortgage broker.

Second-tier banks, mutuals and non-bank lenders

This guide checked the five lenders above. Smaller banks, mutuals and non-bank lenders publish their own criteria, but those pages were not verified here, so none is named. The same five checks apply to them. Our pages on expat home loans and non-resident home loans explain how the loan types differ.

Keep reading

Frequently asked questions

Do the big banks lend to Australians living overseas?

Their published positions differ. Commonwealth Bank's TMDs list citizens and permanent residents living and working overseas as eligible. Westpac's pages say residential lending is not available to non-Australian-resident borrowers, and NAB's say its home loans are not available to applicants who reside overseas, regardless of citizenship. Macquarie's broker guidelines place citizens without an Australian address outside its guidelines. Read each lender's guide above before assuming anything.

What does "outside guidelines" mean?

It is Macquarie's label, in its broker credit guidelines, for applicant types that fall outside its standard lending policy, and the guidelines do not spell out what happens next for such an application. It describes that lender's policy only. It says nothing about what other lenders do, and it is not a judgement on the applicant's finances.

Is a target market determination a promise of a loan?

No. A TMD describes the customers a product is designed for. Commonwealth Bank's TMDs state that all customers must meet its credit assessment criteria, including the ability to service the loan. Being in the target market starts the assessment and does not end it.

Does a broker give access to every lender?

No. Moneysmart says brokers must act in your best interests when suggesting a loan, and suggests asking which lenders they cannot access. Ask which lenders the broker uses, whether any are excluded, how the broker is paid, and whether the broker has placed loans for borrowers who live overseas.

What if I am a foreign national rather than a citizen abroad?

The pages above are mostly written for citizens and permanent residents. Westpac says residential lending is not available to non-Australian-resident borrowers, NAB says its home loans are not available to applicants who need FIRB approval to buy residential property, and Macquarie's matrix lists temporary visa holders as outside guidelines. See non-resident home loans for how the position differs.

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.