Sometimes. A bridging visa keeps you lawfully in Australia while another visa is decided, and a few lenders will offer a home loan on one, mostly based on the visa you held before and the visa you have applied for. You will usually need FIRB approval and a larger deposit, can only buy a new home, and in NSW pay the 9% surcharge purchaser duty.

Buying on a bridging visa at a glance
Question Usual answer
Will lenders lend? A small number, case by case
FIRB approval Needed, unless buying as joint tenants with a citizen or PR spouse
Established homes Banned for foreign persons until 30 June 2029
NSW surcharge purchaser duty 9%, unless a partner visa exception applies
5% Deposit Scheme and NSW first home help Not available without citizenship or PR

How do lenders look at a bridging visa?

Lenders care about two things: how long you can stay, and whether your income will continue. A bridging visa has no fixed end date, so lenders look through it to the substantive visa you held before and the one you have applied for. Someone who held a skilled work visa with a long employment history and has applied for permanent residency is viewed very differently from someone whose earlier visa was short term.

What do you need to show?

  • Your current bridging visa grant and the application it relates to.
  • Your previous substantive visa.
  • Stable employment in Australia, with payslips and an employer letter.
  • A deposit and costs from your own savings, often 20% or more.
  • FIRB approval, or proof the application is lodged.

What does it cost to buy in NSW on a bridging visa?

Revenue NSW treats bridging visa holders as foreign persons, so surcharge purchaser duty of 9% applies on top of ordinary duty. The exception is a partner visa (subclass 309 or 820) holder who meets the residence test. A FIRB fee applies too: $15,600 for a new home up to $1 million in 2026-27. The article on FIRB fees sets out the table and a full worked example.

Should you wait for permanent residency?

Often, yes. Once your permanent visa is granted, you no longer need FIRB approval, you can buy an established home, and you become eligible for the 5% Deposit Scheme and NSW first home buyer duty relief. To avoid surcharge purchaser duty as a new permanent resident, you also need to have spent at least 200 days in Australia in the 12 months before the contract, or live in the home for 200 days within 12 months. On a $900,000 purchase, the surcharge alone is $81,000, so waiting a few months can save more than any rate difference.

Does the visa you applied for matter?

Yes. A bridging visa linked to a permanent residency application, after years on a skilled visa, gives a lender a clear path. One linked to a further temporary visa, or to an appeal, gives much less. Expect the lender to ask for the application acknowledgement and, sometimes, for evidence of your migration agent’s view on timing. Lenders do not decide migration questions, so they price uncertainty with a bigger deposit or a decline.

What if your partner is a citizen or permanent resident?

Buying as joint tenants with an Australian citizen or permanent resident spouse means no FIRB application is needed. Some lenders also assess the application more like one from two residents. Surcharge duty in NSW is assessed separately on the foreign person’s share, unless a partner visa exception applies. The temporary resident home loans page explains mixed-residency couples.

A worked example

A software engineer held a skilled work visa for four years and applied for permanent residency, so is now on a bridging visa A. She has a 20% deposit for a new $900,000 apartment. Buying now, she would pay a $15,600 FIRB fee, ordinary duty of $34,687 and surcharge duty of $81,000, about $131,000 in total. If her permanent visa is granted and she meets the 200-day test, the FIRB fee and the $81,000 surcharge fall away, and she can also consider established homes.

Questions people ask

Can I buy a house on a bridging visa A?

Possibly, but only a new home or land, with FIRB approval and a lender that accepts your circumstances. Established homes are banned for foreign persons until 30 June 2029.

Do I pay foreign buyer duty on a bridging visa in NSW?

Usually yes, 9% surcharge purchaser duty, unless you hold a partner visa and meet the residence test.

Can I get the first home buyer exemption on a bridging visa?

No. NSW first home buyer relief needs at least one buyer to be a citizen or permanent resident, and the 5% Deposit Scheme needs every applicant to be one.

Charles Touma works out whether buying now or after your permanent visa costs less, and which lenders would accept your file. A free 30-minute call covers the numbers. General information only, not credit, tax or migration advice.

Sources: Revenue NSW, surcharge purchaser duty for individuals; Treasury, foreign investment in residential real estate; ATO, residential fees for foreign persons 2026-27; Housing Australia, 5% Deposit Scheme, checked 18 October 2026.

General information only, not credit, legal or tax advice. Your situation is assessed properly before any recommendation. Government scheme details change; figures are current at the time of writing.