Under BNR Regulation 17/2012, all monthly loan repayments together may not exceed 40% of net income (Art. 19).
If you earn in one currency and borrow in a foreign one, the foreign-currency repayments are capped at 20% of net income (Art. 19(3)).
The bank counts current income at most 20% above the previous year, unless documents prove the increase will continue (Art. 15).
A Romanian mortgage for the self-employed: the short answer
Romanian banks do lend to people without a payslip: freelancers, owners of a company who pay themselves dividends, and people whose income is earned abroad. The central bank does not forbid any type of income. Under BNR Regulation 17/2012, each bank decides in its own rules which income it accepts and how much of it it counts, using adjustment coefficients based on how certain and how permanent the income is. Salary on a permanent contract is the only income the regulation says must not be reduced.
Then come the hard limits that apply to everyone. All your monthly loan repayments together may not exceed 40% of your net income. On a loan in a foreign currency, when your income is in a different currency, the foreign-currency repayments may not exceed 20%. And the bank may not count this year's income at more than 20% above last year's, unless you document why it grew.
In plain words: the bank does not ask whether you are self-employed. It asks how much of your income it can prove, and how sure it is that the income will still be there in ten years.
The general road map of a Romanian mortgage, the seven stages and the costs, is in our Romanian mortgage guide. This article covers one question: how the bank turns a non-salary income into a number.
What the BNR rules actually say
Regulation 17/2012 of the National Bank of Romania (BNR) applies to every bank and non-bank lender in Romania. These are the rules that matter for an income that is not a salary:
| Rule | What it says | Article |
|---|---|---|
| How the ratio is measured | All monthly loan repayments divided by monthly net income, after tax | Art. 13(1) |
| The general cap | Total repayments up to 40% of net income | Art. 19(1) |
| First home | Up to 45% for a first home loan, for a person who does not own and has never owned a home | Art. 19(2) |
| Foreign-currency loan, income in another currency | Foreign-currency repayments up to 20% of net income (25% for a first home, same condition) | Art. 19(3) |
| Which income counts | Each bank sets its eligible income types and adjustment coefficients by certainty and permanence; no coefficient on salary from a permanent contract | Art. 12(1)(d) |
| Income growth | Current income counted at most 20% above the previous year, unless documents prove the increase will continue | Art. 15(1), (4) |
| How last year is proved | From documents certifying income declared to the tax authorities and/or income received into accounts at the lender | Art. 15(2) |
| Bank's exception quota | A bank may exceed the cap for a limited share of loans (15% of volumes), never above the lei equivalent of €250,000, and only for borrowers earning at least the average net wage | Art. 20 |
Two lines in this table are written almost for the self-employed.
The adjustment coefficient. A bank may count only part of an income it sees as less certain, such as dividends or freelance fees. Each bank sets its own coefficient, so the same file can get two different approvals.
The 20% growth limit. After a very good year, the bank takes last year as the base and adds at most 20%, unless documents show the change is lasting, such as "a significant increase in the volume of business", the regulation's own example.
Which incomes Romanian banks say they accept
Banks publish their lists in general terms. What they say in their own words:
- BCR lists income as a PFA (sole trader), liberal professions or freelancers "with tax documents and bank statements", dividends "with a history of at least 2 years", and income earned abroad "with translated and legalised documents" (BCR, 17.09.2025).
- Banca Transilvania says it accepts pensions, rents, dividends, independent activities, per diems, life annuities, intellectual property rights and salary earned abroad, as long as the income is permanent and can be proved (BT, updated 06.04.2026).
- UniCredit's published document list asks for consent to check income with ANAF, an employer's income certificate only when the income is not reported to ANAF, and "supporting documents" for other types of income. Where dividends or rents are counted, the loan file can include a pledge over that income (UniCredit document list).
None of them publishes, on these pages, the share of each income it counts. Ask for it in writing.
Three profiles, three files
| Profile | What the bank wants to see | Where it usually gets stuck |
|---|---|---|
| Self-employed or freelancer | Annual tax returns or tax assessments for the last years, bank statements showing the fees arriving | One strong year after weaker ones: the 20% growth limit |
| Company owner paid in dividends | Company accounts, the decision to distribute the dividends, proof the dividends were paid and taxed, a history of at least 2 years at BCR | A company that keeps its profit and pays a small salary: the bank counts what you were paid, not what the company earned |
| Employee or contractor paid from abroad | Employment or service contract, payslips or tax assessments from your country, bank statements, all translated and apostilled | Income in one currency and a loan in another: the 20% cap |
The table is a summary of common practice and of the banks' published lists. The binding list is the one your bank gives you.
The bank does not ask whether you are self-employed. It asks how much of your income it can prove.
The company owner's trap: profit is not income
For a bank, your company's profit is the company's money. Your income is what reached you: a salary, dividends that were decided, paid and taxed, or both.
An owner who has left the profit in the company for years can look, on paper, like a person on a modest salary. Talk to your accountant a year or two ahead about how you pay yourself. That is a tax decision in your country, made with a tax adviser, not a banking trick.
Income from abroad: what changes
The currency. If you earn in shekels, dollars or pounds and the loan is in euros, Article 19(3) caps the euro repayments at 20% of your net income. A loan in lei is under the general 40% cap. Which currency the bank offers you is the bank's decision, based on your file. We set out the numbers in a mortgage on a shekel income.
The documents. A Romanian bank cannot query your country's tax authority the way it queries ANAF. Your file has to do that work: tax assessments, contracts and bank statements, translated and, where required, apostilled. Our guide to apostilled documents explains the process.
The ratio. For buyers from abroad, financing is up to 70% of the property's value, subject to bank approval, and your own capital is at least 30%. The cap above then decides whether your income supports the 70% or less.
An illustration: how a haircut changes the loan
Take a company owner with net income of €5,000 a month: €2,000 of salary and €3,000 of dividends. Suppose, only for illustration, that the bank counts dividends at 70%.
| Counted income | Repayment allowed at 40% | |
|---|---|---|
| If all income were counted | €5,000 | €2,000 a month |
| With dividends counted at 70% | €2,000 + €2,100 = €4,100 | €1,640 a month |
The 70% is an assumption, not a figure published by any bank. A coefficient on part of the income lowers the repayment you can carry, and with it the loan. To turn a repayment into a loan amount, use the method in how to calculate a Romanian mortgage payment.
Checklist: preparing the file
- Ask two or three banks in writing: which of your incomes they accept, at what share, and for how many years back.
- Collect two to three years of tax returns or tax assessments, and the bank statements where the money arrived.
- For dividends: the company's annual accounts, the distribution decisions and proof of payment and tax.
- For contracts abroad: the contracts in force, with their end dates. A contract about to end weakens the file.
- Translate and apostille everything the bank asks for, before you choose a property.
- Calculate your existing repayments. Every loan you already have, anywhere, counts against the 40% or 20%.
- Get an approval in principle before signing a reservation or preliminary contract.
- Prepare the source-of-funds file for your own capital; see source of funds.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a mortgage in Romania without payslips?
Yes. BNR rules do not exclude any type of income. Banks such as BCR and Banca Transilvania say they accept income from independent activities, dividends and income earned abroad, provided it is documented and permanent. Each bank decides how much of it to count.
What is the maximum debt-to-income ratio for a mortgage in Romania?
Under BNR Regulation 17/2012, all monthly loan repayments may not exceed 40% of net income, or 45% for a first home for someone who has never owned one. On a foreign-currency loan for a borrower earning in another currency, the foreign-currency repayments are capped at 20% (25% for that first home).
Do Romanian banks accept dividends as income?
Many do, with conditions. BCR states a history of at least 2 years. Banks usually ask for the company's accounts and the decisions to pay the dividends, and they may count only part of them. Ask each bank for its share in writing.
My income rose sharply this year. Will the bank count it?
Not automatically. The bank may count current income at most 20% above last year's, unless documents such as new long-term contracts show the increase will continue.
Does income from abroad count for a Romanian mortgage?
Yes, with translated and legalised or apostilled documents. If the loan is in a different currency from your income, the stricter 20% cap applies to the foreign-currency repayments.
The bottom line
Being self-employed does not close the door to a Romanian mortgage. What decides the amount is how much of your income the bank can prove, and in which currency you earn it.
Start the file a year before you buy: tax returns, statements, the way you pay yourself from your company. Then ask the bank the question that matters, in writing: which of my incomes do you count, and at what share?
If you want to go through your income structure before talking to a bank, book a 30-minute call with me. We will map your incomes against the BNR caps together.
Moti Azulay, Compass Group Romania
Sources: BNR Regulation 17/2012 on certain lending conditions, consolidated form (legislatie.just.ro), Art. 12, 13, 15, 19 and 20 · BCR: mortgage questions · Banca Transilvania: accepted income types · UniCredit Bank: required documents
This article is for general information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. The rules are correct as of 22 October 2026. Each bank sets its own eligible incomes, coefficients and document list, and every mortgage is subject to the bank's approval.
Now you know more.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult local professionals before any transaction.
