The arras contract when buying with a mortgage in Girona

In Girona, as anywhere in Spain, the first document a non-resident buyer usually signs is not the mortgage deed but a private reservation contract, known as the arras. It commits both sides to the sale, fixes the price and sets a date for completion at the notary, and it normally requires a deposit to be paid on signing.

For a buyer who still needs a Spanish mortgage to complete, the question is simple but important: what happens to that deposit if the bank's answer, once the file is studied, is not the one you hoped for? The answer depends almost entirely on how the arras contract is worded before you sign it.

Girona province covers the Costa Brava coastline as well as inland countryside toward the Pyrenees, offering both beach towns and rural stone villages. Its proximity to France draws French, Belgian and Dutch buyers, alongside others wanting a quieter alternative to busier Spanish coasts.

Girona-Costa Brava airport serves the coast directly, with Barcelona airport also within reach for wider connections. Coastal areas see strong summer activity, while inland towns remain calmer, and property types range from apartments and townhouses near the sea to farmhouses further inland.

What follows are measured, dated figures for Girona (province) — who lives there, what homes are advertised for, how to get there and the climate — each one sourced. They help you build a realistic picture of Girona (province) as you work out the budget for a Spanish mortgage.

According to the INE annual census, 830,429 people were registered as living in the whole of Girona province on 1 January 2025. The count takes in every town and village across the province, not only its capital. Across the province of Girona, 181,899 residents carry a foreign nationality, near 22 of every 100. This is a solid but moderate presence, one that differs a great deal from town to town across the province.

INE counted only 3,372 British nationals registered in the whole province of Girona on 1 January 2025, a small number of compatriots. Remember that the padrón only reflects people living there most of the year, not second-home owners. The table below lists the largest foreign nationalities registered in Girona (province) on 1 January 2025, among those INE publishes for every municipality.

This second table covers nationalities the census does not itemise separately, such as Germans, Italians, Dutch, Belgians or Scandinavians, across Girona province. The data come from 1 January 2022, the latest INE edition with full nationality detail, a year different from the table above.

Across the province of Girona, 5,315 homes currently listed carry a median price of €2,840/m² and a median ticket of €290,000. These figures sit mid-range, near the €3,135/m² median recorded across the 130 towns we track nationwide. Prices vary considerably from one listing to the next, though the bulk of the market, its middle half, falls between €1,930 and €3,820 per square metre.

Based on €290,000, the median asking price in Girona (province), transfer tax at 10 % comes to roughly €29,000; add about €3,500 for notary, registry and gestoría costs and the total reaches approximately €32,500. This amount sits outside the mortgage and has to be available in cash before completion. The figures reflect asking prices in listings live on 2026-11-01, rather than prices actually paid. Final amounts are agreed through negotiation and vary with the state, location and orientation of each property.

To illustrate how varied property markets can be within a single province, this table compares the towns we monitor in Girona by population, foreign residents per 100 inhabitants and median price per square metre.

Girona (province) showed 20,821 estimated holiday-let dwellings in 05/2026, per INE's experimental platform-based statistic, totalling 116,320 bed places and about 25 per 1,000 residents. This points to a moderate holiday-let presence, with a regional licence still required for tourist letting.

As Girona is served by only one commercial airport, Aeropuerto de Girona-Costa Brava (GRO), buyers near the provincial border should also weigh up whether an airport just across the boundary might be more convenient. Because Girona is where these climate figures were measured, other parts of the province, further inland, at higher altitude or on separate islands, can feel quite different. With January averaging 7.1 °C (minimum 1.1 °C) and August averaging 23.4 °C (maximum 29.8 °C), winters here are genuinely cold for Spain. That makes heating and insulation a meaningful part of the running costs of any home. Rainfall is comparatively high for coastal or central Spain: about 728 mm a year, spread over roughly 66 days with measurable rain. Damp is something worth checking in any home here. These figures are the official climate normals (1981-2010) from AEMET, Spain's state weather agency, at its Girona Aeropuerto station, about 9 km away; conditions at the exact property can differ slightly, especially inland or at altitude.

15,239 home sales were registered in the province of Girona in the twelve months to 07/2026, according to INE. A market of this size usually means more comparable sales and a wider choice of homes for buyers. These figures describe the province of Girona as a whole and can change considerably from one town to another, and from one property to the next. Tell us what you are looking for and we will go through the numbers together.

The transfer tax on a resale home is set by each Spanish region. In Girona the general rate is 10 %, and on top of it come notary, land registry and gestoría (roughly one more percent). On a new build you pay 10 % VAT plus stamp duty instead of the transfer tax. This money is not lent by the bank.

The arras is a private contract between buyer and seller, agreed before the notary and before the bank hands over any funds. It usually names the agreed price, the completion date, and the deposit paid as a down payment on account of that price. Spanish law recognises more than one kind of arras: penitenciales, which allow either party to withdraw under agreed penalties, and confirmatorias, which bind both sides more tightly and leave less room to walk away. The wording matters as much as the amount.

For a buyer who is financing the purchase with a Spanish mortgage, the arras should never be treated as a formality. Once it is signed, the deposit is at stake, and the seller will expect you to complete within the agreed weeks, whether or not your mortgage has been approved by then.

The safest structure for a non-resident buyer is an arras contract that includes a suspensive condition: the sale, and the loss of the deposit, apply only if the buyer fails to complete for reasons other than a lender's decision on the loan. In practice this means the contract states plainly that completion is subject to the buyer obtaining mortgage approval within a stated period, and that if no Spanish bank approves the loan on reasonable terms within that period, the buyer can withdraw and recover the deposit.

Without that clause, a buyer who signs the arras before any bank has reviewed the file is taking on the seller's risk as well as their own. If the loan does not come through in time, the seller can usually keep the deposit under a standard penitential arras, even though the buyer did nothing wrong beyond trusting that financing would arrive. This is why we recommend starting the mortgage study in Girona before, or at the very latest alongside, the negotiation of the arras text.

Once the mortgage is approved and the arras deposit is applied to the price at the notary, the obligations do not end. As a non-resident owner you will file an annual Modelo 210 tax return in Spain, and because Spain and the United Kingdom have a double taxation agreement, a tax adviser can confirm how any Spanish rental income or future gain should also be reported to HMRC. If you ever sell, the buyer will withhold 3% of the price against your Spanish tax bill.

Because you are paying in euros from a sterling income, it is also worth tracking the exchange rate between signing the arras and completing at the notary; a shift in GBP/EUR between those dates can change what the deposit and the final payment actually cost you.

Spain is a relatively short flight away from most UK airports, making regular visits to a Spanish property straightforward for owners based in Britain. Many British buyers are drawn to Spain for its climate, coastal lifestyle and established expatriate communities. One practical point to bear in mind is that Spanish inheritance law differs from UK rules, so it is worth taking specific advice on how it may affect the property and one's estate. Currency movements between sterling and the euro can also affect the overall cost of purchase and ongoing expenses.

Spain and the United Kingdom have a double taxation agreement in place, and a local tax adviser should confirm how rental income or gains from Spanish property must be declared and reported to HMRC.

As the United Kingdom is no longer an EU member state, British citizens may stay in Spain for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, and must apply for a visa or residence permit for longer stays.

Since the United Kingdom uses the pound sterling (GBP) rather than the euro, buyers should factor in exchange-rate movements and currency conversion costs when paying for a property or transferring funds to Spain.