Documents for your mortgage: a checklist, fees & costs at a glance
Thinking of buying a property? The Comparis checklist helps you gather all the necessary documents to take out a mortgage.
30.10.2025
iStock / wichayada suwanachun
1. What does the bank check when taking out a mortgage?
Would you like to take out a mortgage? The lender will first determine the market value of the property. It then carries out a credit and affordability check.
The credit check shows whether you are reliable and solvent as a mortgage borrower.
The affordability check shows whether your income is sufficient to pay the mortgage and all ancillary costs in the long term.
Check affordability
The mortgage calculator provides initial information on whether you can finance the property.
2. Mortgage documents checklist
To grant a mortgage, lenders need documents about your financial situation and the property. The dossier includes, depending on the purpose of the mortgage, other documents.
For example, if you use the mortgage to renovate a house, you will need different documents than when buying a house. Furthermore, the documents for a mortgage when buying depend on the type of property (e.g. house or condominium). Below is an overview of the documents you usually need to take out a mortgage.
Our tip: Compare various mortgage offers before choosing a lender. Offers vary significantly between mortgage lenders. Our mortgage partner HypoPlus can help you gather the necessary documents.
Property documents
| Required documents | Source |
|---|---|
| Sales documentation | Seller |
| Current land register extract (situation or cadastral plan), not older than 6 months | Seller, land registry |
| Building insurance certificate stating the volume (cubic metres) and year of construction | Seller, cantonal building insurance, insurance company |
| Photos of the property from inside and outside | Smartphone or camera, seller, photographer, personal documents |
| Building plans, cubic calculations SIA (standard for calculating the building volume) | Seller, architect, client |
| Situation plan, cadastral copy or plan of the floor unit with net living space and adjoining rooms | Management of the condominium owners’ association, possibly seller or land registry |
| List of renovations or conversions (both past and planned) | Seller, architect, client |
| If available: draft purchase contract | Notary’s office, seller |
| For condominium ownership: usage and administrative regulations as well as condominium ownership deed | Seller, management of the condominium owners’ association |
| For multi-family homes: information on net rental income (current signed tenant index) | Seller, management |
| For investment property: rental agreement | Seller, management |
Personal documents
| Documents required | Source |
|---|---|
| For Swiss citizens: copy of ID or passport | Residents’ registration office, passport office |
| For foreigners: copy of ID and copy of residence permit | Residents’ registration office, passport office |
| For employees: payslips, salary statements or copies of tax returns for the last three months (or for the last three years if bonus payments are involved), AHV pension certificate | Employer, tax office |
| For self-employed persons: balance sheets/income statements for the last three years | Trustee |
| List of available equity (bank statements, life insurance policies, pension fund insurance certificates, etc.) | Banks (e-banking balance overview with date), insurance companies, pension fund |
| List of debts (loans, leases, etc.) | Credit institutions |
| Current debt collection information not older than 3 months | Debt enforcement office |
| Current pension fund certificate and pension fund regulations (if advance withdrawal or seizure of 2nd pillar) | Pension fund |
| Proof of 3rd pillar assets (if advance withdrawal or seizure of 3rd pillar) | Pension foundation, bank, insurance company |
| If available: gift promise or certificate for advance inheritance | Handwritten letter with date, amount and signature of the person making a gift |
| If available: divorce agreement or separation agreement | Court |
| If the mortgage is renewed: copy of the mortgage contract with product agreement | Mortgage lender |
Additional mortgage documents for a new build or conversion
| Required documents | Source |
|---|---|
| Building description | Architect, client |
| Cost estimate | Architect, client |
| Possibly a general contractor’s contract | Construction company |
Comparis tip
Start compiling the documents early. This will ensure a smooth mortgage application process.
3. Government fees for mortgage documents
The authorities charge fees for
the debt enforcement report;
and the land register extract.
The costs are manageable: a debt enforcement report costs around 20 to 30 francs, depending on the canton. An extract from the land register is available from 20 francs, depending on the canton.
If the purchase of your desired property is successful, additional costs will be incurred. You can find out more in the article on ancillary purchase costs of a property.
This article was first published on 03.04.2017
