Non-Dom Mortgages in the UK: What Lenders Look At After the Tax Changes
The non-dom label has gone from UK tax law. It was scrapped in April 2025, and a different system took its place. Mortgage lenders haven’t forgotten the people it described, though. If you live in the UK but your income, assets or family ties sit overseas, a lender will still want to know how that affects your application.
This page covers the mortgage side. For tax, you’ll need an accountant or tax adviser, as we don’t give tax advice.
What Changed in April 2025
Under the old rules, someone who lived in the UK but called another country home could be taxed on their foreign income only when they brought it into the UK. That remittance basis ended on 6 April 2025.
A residence-based system now applies. People who have been non-UK resident for the previous ten years can claim relief on foreign income and gains for their first four years of UK residence. Inheritance tax moved to the same footing, with worldwide assets in scope once someone has been UK resident in ten of the last twenty tax years. If any of this touches you, speak to a tax professional, because the detail depends on your own history.
Why Lenders Still Care
A lender isn’t assessing your tax position. It’s assessing whether you can repay, and how easily it could recover the money if you couldn’t. Overseas income, foreign assets and an unfamiliar tax history make both questions harder to answer, so those applications go through closer checks.
That’s why the same people who used to be called non-doms still need a broker who knows which lenders will look at their file and which won’t.
Proving Where You Live and What You Earn
Expect to show your right to live in the UK. That means your visa or settled status, and some lenders set a minimum time left on a visa before they’ll lend.
Income evidence is the next step. Foreign payslips, overseas tax returns, employer letters and bank statements all help, and documents in another language may need a certified translation. Self-employed or company-owner applicants will also need accounts for the business. Our list of documents you need for a mortgage application covers the usual paperwork.
A UK credit history helps too. Newcomers sometimes have little or none, and some lenders will accept alternatives, such as a report from a bureau in your home country.
How Lenders Treat Foreign Currency Income
Earn in dollars, euros or dirhams and the lender has to guess what that income is worth in sterling over twenty-five years. Most deal with the risk by trimming the figure. They count only part of your foreign income, and the size of that cut differs from one lender to the next.
Some will ignore foreign income altogether and base the loan on UK earnings. Whether the borrowing itself should be in sterling or your home currency is a separate question, and our page on foreign currency mortgages looks at it.
Deposits and Where They Come From
Lenders ask where your deposit has come from, and they’re stricter when it’s moving between countries. Statements showing the money leaving one account and arriving in another make the check quicker. Some lenders want a bigger deposit from applicants with overseas income, so build in a margin.
Mortgage Types Open to Overseas-Linked Borrowers
Buying a home to live in is the simplest case. A residential mortgage is assessed against your income, with the adjustments above.
Landlords have other routes. Buy-to-let mortgages are judged largely on the rent, though the lender still checks you. Many investors buy through a limited company, and we explain how those loans work on our page on limited company buy-to-let mortgages.
Contractors with overseas clients have their own rules. Some lenders use the day rate, others look at the accounts. Our contractor mortgage page explains the difference.
Complicated Cases
Offshore trusts, income from several countries and large foreign assets don’t fit a standard lender’s checklist. A handful of lenders will assess these cases individually. Our page on complex income mortgages covers how they work.
Get the Right Lender Before You Apply
A full application can leave a mark on your credit file, so applying to the wrong lender first costs you. A broker can check the criteria before anything is submitted and tell you which lenders suit your visa, income and assets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a non-dom get a UK mortgage?
Yes.
The non-dom tax status ended in April 2025, but the people it described can still borrow. The lender will look at your visa or settled status, your income and where it’s earned.
Is non-dom status still a thing?
Not in tax law.
It was replaced by a system based on how long you’ve lived in the UK. Lenders and brokers still use the term as shorthand for borrowers with overseas ties.
Will a lender accept overseas income?
Many will, though they may count only part of it, and some won’t use it at all.
Evidence such as foreign payslips, tax returns and bank statements is needed.
How much deposit do I need?
It depends on the lender and your circumstances.
Some ask for more than they would from a borrower with only UK income, so plan for a larger deposit than the minimum advertised.
Does currency affect my application?
Yes.
Lenders worry that exchange rates could shrink your income in sterling terms, so they usually reduce foreign earnings by a set percentage when they work out what you can borrow.
Do I need a UK credit history?
It helps, but you can still apply without one.
Some lenders will consider overseas credit reports or other evidence, so ask a broker which ones.
Speak to a mortgage specialist
Living in the UK with income or assets overseas? Speak to us before you apply, so the right lenders see your application first.
UK Mortgage Broker is a whole-of-market broker helping clients throughout the UK and globally to secure funding on UK property. We are directly authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Call: +44 1628 969 500 Email: info@uk-mortgagebroker.co.uk
Related Pages
- Foreign Currency Mortgages – whether to borrow in sterling or your home currency.
- Complex Income Mortgages UK – how lenders assess income from several sources.
- Limited Company Buy-to-Let Mortgages UK – buying through a company and what lenders require.
- Contractor Mortgages – how lenders assess contract and day-rate income.
- Documents You Need for a Mortgage Application – what to have ready before you apply.