Buying a Villa in Girona: The Mortgage Steps for a UK Buyer

Girona attracts a steady flow of British buyers looking for a villa with space, a garden and often a pool. The property side moves fast once you find the right house, but the financial side needs to be lined up in advance, because a Spanish bank cannot study your file, and a notary cannot complete a sale, without certain documents already in place.

This guide sets out the practical sequence for a non-resident buyer from the United Kingdom: what has to happen before you make an offer, what the bank needs once you do, and what happens on completion day. None of it replaces independent legal and tax advice, but it should help you understand what to expect and when.

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.

Girona's Costa Brava draws a steady flow of French, Belgian and Dutch buyers, many of whom can reach the province in a single short trip thanks to its position near the border. That proximity changes how the early steps of the mortgage process tend to unfold: buyers often handle the NIE application and the first meeting with the bank during a weekend visit timed around Girona-Costa Brava airport, rather than planning a long stay. For anyone who needs wider flight connections, Barcelona airport remains within reach and is often used for the completion trip once notary and bank timings are fixed.

Because so many buyers here are already used to crossing into Spain for shorter periods, the practical challenge is less about distance and more about sequencing: getting the NIE and account open on an early trip so that, when a villa or townhouse you like comes up, you can move to an offer without having to schedule another cross-border visit first.

The Costa Brava towns in Girona see strong activity through the summer, while villages further inland toward the Pyrenees keep a steadier, quieter pace all year. This seasonal split matters for the offer and valuation stage: in coastal towns, notaries, gestorías and bank branches can be busier in the months around summer, so an offer on a coastal villa may take a little longer to move through valuation and decision if it lands during peak season. Inland, around the stone villages, appointments are generally easier to schedule regardless of time of year.

If your target property is on the coast, it can help to prepare your file — NIE, account, income documents — well before summer, so that when the right villa appears you are ready to offer immediately rather than queuing behind other buyers doing the same paperwork at the same time. For inland farmhouses, this pressure is far lower, and the order of tasks can move at a more even pace.

Girona province offers two quite different kinds of property, and each brings its own checks before a bank will move to a decision. Stone farmhouses further inland often come with older registry records, and it is common for the registered description, the cadastral record and the actual building to differ after years of extensions or renovations; a habitability certificate may also need updating before the file is complete. Coastal villas and townhouses nearer the sea tend to have cleaner records but can carry local planning conditions tied to their setting, which a valuer will want confirmed.

Either way, these checks belong to the preparing-the-file and valuation stages already covered in the general process, but the documents involved differ sharply by property type. Buyers looking at farmhouses should expect the file to take a little longer to assemble, simply because more historic paperwork needs to be gathered and, where necessary, put in order before the bank values the property.

Girona falls under the regional government of Catalonia, which sets the transfer tax applied to resale property here; the rate that applies is set out in the table on this page. New-build purchases instead carry the 10% VAT plus the corresponding stamp duty described in the general process. On top of that, notary, land registry, gestoría and bank valuation costs apply in the same way as elsewhere in Spain, whether you are buying a coastal villa or an inland farmhouse.

Catalonia also regulates tourist rental licences separately, and rules can differ between coastal municipalities and inland towns, so check the status of any property you are considering if letting it out is part of your plan. As a non-resident owner you will file the annual Modelo 210 return, and Spain's double taxation agreement with your home country will apply to how that income or gain is treated. If you sell in future, the buyer will withhold 3% of the price on account of your Spanish tax, the same rule that applies across the whole country.

Before you commit to the numbers of a mortgage, it helps to know the place: dated figures on population, asking prices, transport links and climate in Girona (province), each with its source. Together they give a grounded sense of Girona (province) to weigh against your budget.

Girona province, taken as a whole rather than just its capital, counted 830,429 registered residents on 1 January 2025 in the INE census. The number reflects the full territory, large and small municipalities alike, that makes up the province. 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.

On 1 January 2025, the province of Girona had just 3,372 British nationals on its register, a modest figure. Because registration only counts year-round residents, it leaves out second-home owners who spend part of the year in the province. The following table shows the leading foreign nationalities registered in Girona (province) on 1 January 2025, according to the municipal-level data INE makes available.

For nationalities the census groups together rather than listing them individually, such as Germans, Italians, Dutch, Belgians or Scandinavians, we turn to the detailed INE register for Girona province. Unlike the table above, this count dates from 1 January 2022, the most recent detailed edition.

Our price bank includes 3,863 homes for sale throughout the province of Girona, with a median of €2,910/m² and a median ticket of €299,000. Both numbers land close to the €3,210/m² median of the 127 towns we track across Spain. Prices vary considerably from one listing to the next, though the bulk of the market, its middle half, falls between €2,050 and €3,870 per square metre.

In Girona (province), the regional transfer tax rate of 10 % applied to the median asking price of €299,000 gives a tax bill of about €29,900, plus roughly €3,600 for notary, registry and gestoría charges. That puts the total near €33,500, money the mortgage will not cover. The figures reflect asking prices in listings live on 2026-10-05, rather than prices actually paid. Final amounts are agreed through negotiation and vary with the state, location and orientation of each property.

The table below brings together the towns we track across Girona (province), listing inhabitants, foreign residents per 100 people and median asking price per square metre, to show how much these markets differ.

INE's experimental statistic, based on listings from the main holiday-rental platforms, counted 20,821 holiday-let homes in Girona (province) in 05/2026 (116,320 bed places), about 25 per 1,000 residents. That is a moderate presence, and tourist letting still requires a regional licence.

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. The figures that follow reflect conditions in or around Girona, the provincial capital; elsewhere in the province, particularly inland, at altitude or on other islands, the climate can vary considerably. 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. With around 728 mm of rain annually over about 66 days, this area is wetter than much of coastal or central Spain, so it is worth looking for signs of damp when viewing a property. 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.

INE recorded 15,293 home sales in Girona (province) in the year to 06/2026. That level of activity typically gives buyers more comparables to judge a fair price and a broader pool of properties to choose from. These are province-wide figures for Girona, and they can differ substantially depending on the town and the property in question. Tell us about your plans and we will go through the numbers for your case.

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 NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) is the Spanish tax number every non-resident needs to buy property, sign a mortgage or pay taxes in Spain. It can be requested at a Spanish consulate in the United Kingdom or, in some cases, in Spain itself, and it should be one of the first things you sort out, well before you commit to a specific villa in Girona.

Alongside the NIE, you will need a Spanish bank account. This is where mortgage payments, notary fees and running costs such as utilities and community charges will be handled. Since the United Kingdom uses the pound rather than the euro, it is worth thinking early about how you will transfer funds and manage exchange-rate movements between the two currencies.

Spanish banks look at income, existing debts and overall profile before they will consider financing a villa purchase. For a UK buyer this usually means a recent P60 and payslips, your last filed Self Assessment tax return, bank statements covering the last few months, evidence of any existing loans or mortgage commitments, and a valid passport. Some banks also ask for a sworn translation of these documents, and occasionally an apostille, though the exact list varies by bank.

It is sensible to have this file largely ready before you make a formal offer on a villa in Girona. Non-resident buyers are usually asked for a larger deposit than residents, though the exact share always depends on the bank, your country and your personal profile — nobody can quote a fixed figure before studying your case.

Once you have found the villa, a private purchase offer or reservation contract usually follows, setting out price and conditions. At this point the bank will commission its own valuation, or tasación, of the property, which is separate from any survey you might arrange yourself and is used purely to confirm the value against which the loan is considered.

Alongside the valuation, the bank studies your income, debts and the property itself before deciding whether, and on what terms, it can offer a mortgage. Spanish mortgages typically run until the borrower is around 70 to 75 years old, and can be arranged as fixed, variable (linked to Euribor) or mixed rate, depending on the bank and your circumstances.

On completion, the notary formalises the sale and, if there is a mortgage, the loan deed at the same time. Beyond the price of the villa, buyers should budget for transfer tax (ITP) on resale homes, set by the region, or 10% VAT plus stamp duty on new builds, along with notary, land registry, gestoría and bank valuation fees.

Once you own the villa, as a non-resident you will need to file an annual Modelo 210 tax return in Spain. Spain and the United Kingdom have a double taxation agreement, and a local tax adviser should confirm exactly how any rental income or future gains must also be reported to HMRC. If you ever sell, the buyer will withhold 3% of the price on account of your Spanish tax.

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.