Aged 75 and Want a French Loan? How the Approval Really Works

Turning 75 does not close the door to credit in France. What changes is the question the lender asks. Your career, your employer and your pension history matter far less than one practical issue: if you die before the last instalment, who pays off the balance? Answer that convincingly, keep the term short, and most banks will still listen.

The years from 75 to 79 are a pivot point. The group policies that French banks bundle with their loans usually stop accepting new members, cover for total and permanent loss of autonomy (PTIA, the French equivalent of a total disability benefit) is no longer offered, and only a handful of independent insurers will take you on. On the plus side, many people of this age have cleared their old debts and hold savings they can pledge, and those two strengths deserve to be put front and centre.

Borrower insurance shrinks to death cover only

In practice, from 75 onwards the only protection you can buy is death cover. MetLife, for example, accepts applications for its death guarantee up to 85, with cover able to run to 90, whereas incapacity and disability benefits (known in France as IPT, IPP and ITT) generally end around 70. The standard contracts sold by the banks themselves often stop accepting death-cover applicants at 80.

Expect a full health questionnaire every time. Once the amount borrowed passes a few tens of thousands of euros, the insurer may also ask for blood tests or a report from your doctor. Allow four to six weeks for an acceptance, longer if you are on long-term treatment. British and American retirees should note that a French insurer will want French-format medical evidence, so a recent check-up with a local GP saves time.

The age at which the final instalment must fall

Lenders set the loan end date by the age at which the insurer stops covering you. With cover ending at 85, a 76-year-old can aim for nine years at the very most. Even when cover runs to 90, banks seldom stretch further, because they also weigh life expectancy and the complications of settling an estate. For consumer loans, 36 to 60 months is the usual range.

Affordability checks beyond the insurance question

For mortgages, the HCSF (France's financial stability regulator) caps total borrowing costs at 35% of income, insurance included. Personal loans have no national ceiling, so each lender applies its own grid, but the reste à vivre, the money left each month after all commitments, carries real weight. At this age the calculation now takes in medical bills, home help and service-flat rent, items that a lender would have ignored at 65.

A worked case: a couple aged 76 and 74

Monique, 76, and Gérard, 74, receive 3,050 euros a month in combined pensions and want 18,000 euros for a new kitchen and boiler. Over 48 months at a 6.90% borrowing rate, the instalment comes to roughly 430 euros, or 14% of their income. The bank says yes once Gérard, the younger spouse, is insured for 100% of the loan and Monique for 0%, a split that an outside insurance policy (délégation d'assurance) makes possible.

Options open to borrowers aged 75 to 79, side by side

The formulas available at this age are not equal. The table sets out the most common routes, the constraints each one imposes and how much insurance matters.

What does a loan at 75 cost once everything is counted?

The borrowing rate offered to a 75-year-old is barely different from the one a younger customer would get. Insurance is what pushes the bill up. And the TAEG, the French annual percentage rate including compulsory insurance, must stay below the legal usury ceiling (taux d'usure). For the fourth quarter of 2026, that ceiling is 8.56% for a personal loan above 6,000 euros and 4.09% for a fixed-rate mortgage of under ten years.

Why a short mortgage can become unlawful

An eight-year mortgage taken out at 76 combines a low usury ceiling with an expensive premium. If death cover costs 1.20% of the capital per year, the TAEG may break through 4.09%, and the bank is then legally barred from making the offer. Its usual response is to cut the amount, ask for a larger deposit or switch to a pledged savings guarantee.

Pricing cover on the falling balance

Some policies charge the premium on the outstanding capital, which shrinks month by month, rather than on the original sum. Over eight years this can lower the total cost considerably compared with a flat premium. Always request both quotes and compare the TAEA, the insurance-only annual rate printed on the standard information sheet (fiche standardisée d'information).

Building a file that persuades a French lender

At this stage of life, the bank looks for signs of stability and foresight. Working through the steps below in order avoids weeks of back-and-forth.

1. Collect payment statements from every pension fund, including any UK, US or Irish pension, plus your latest French tax notice (avis d'imposition).
2. List your available savings: Livret A, life insurance policies, a cashed-in retirement plan.
3. Secure an acceptance for death cover from an outside insurer before you apply for the loan itself.
4. Ask for no more than 48 months on a personal loan, or a final mortgage payment before 85.
5. Consider adding a younger co-borrower, such as a spouse or adult child, if the project justifies it.
6. Put your own bank, a specialist lender and a broker in competition.

Common reasons for a refusal after 75

An insurance refusal tops the list, frequently linked to heart disease or treated diabetes. Next comes a term that is simply too long, such as 72 months requested at 78. Some lenders also turn down applicants whose monthly margin becomes too thin once care costs and home help are deducted.

Ways around an insurer saying no

A rejection from one insurer does not bind the others. A broker who specialises in aggravated health risks can present your file to several companies at once. If none accepts, offer the bank an alternative guarantee: a pledge over a life policy, a guarantee from one of your children, or a charge on a property you own outright. The lender is then obliged to consider that equivalent security.

Keeping your heirs out of trouble

An uninsured loan does not vanish when you die; it becomes a debt of your estate. French heirs may renounce the inheritance, but they then give up the assets too. Talking the project through with your children, and sometimes asking them to stand as guarantors, prevents unpleasant surprises when the notaire settles the estate.

Other ways to fund a project between 75 and 79

If the money is for adapting your home, MaPrimeAdapt', the state grant for accessibility works, is open from 70 without any proof of dependency and can cover a large share of the bill for modest households. Homeowners who want no monthly payments can look at a lifetime mortgage, which releases part of the property value and is repaid only on death or sale.

For a need of a few hundred euros, a pawn loan or a supported personal microloan (microcrédit personnel) often does the job, and both are open to retirees shut out of mainstream credit. Your supplementary pension fund can also grant a one-off hardship payment after a social worker has assessed your situation.

Questions borrowers in their late seventies ask

Is a revolving credit line easier to get at 75? It looks more accessible, but the rate often sits close to the usury ceiling and the agreement is reviewed every year. A fixed-term instalment loan, whose total cost is known at signature, is the better choice.

Can my son or daughter borrow on my behalf? Yes, but they become the sole debtor and the loan counts against their own borrowing capacity. A gift or a written family loan is often simpler.

Will the insurer send me for a medical at 77? Usually only once the capital exceeds a threshold set by each policy. For a 10,000-euro loan, the questionnaire alone is normally enough.

Can I switch insurer during a mortgage? Yes. Since the Lemoine law of 2022, French mortgage borrowers can change policy at any time, provided the new one offers equivalent guarantees.

Does a foreign pension count as income? It does, as long as you can prove regular payment into an account. Lenders often apply a cautious exchange rate to sterling or dollar pensions, so a euro-denominated savings cushion strengthens the file.