The ” Noua Casă ” government-backed housing program has been approved and will continue in 2026. The Romanian Government has adopted the legislative act for the current year, setting the state guarantee ceiling at RON 500 million. The decision comes amid a strained real estate market, characterized by rising property prices and a shrinking housing supply.
Among the first banks to announce that they are already offering loans under the program are Exim Banca Românească and CEC Bank.
Noua Casă loans are intended for the purchase of newly built homes completed within the last five years. For this type of property, the maximum loan amount is EUR 66,500 (or the equivalent in Romanian lei). For other types of residential properties, financing ranges from EUR 59,501 to EUR 119,000.
The program enables borrowers to obtain state-guaranteed mortgage loans with a minimum down payment of 5% for homes valued at up to EUR 70,000, and 15% for properties worth up to EUR 140,000. The interest rate is variable and is updated quarterly based on the IRCC (Romanian Consumer Credit Reference Index), plus a fixed margin of up to 2%.
Under Exim Banca Românească’s offer, the variable interest rate currently stands at 7.58%, with no loan application fee and no penalties for early repayment. For a RON 300,000 loan over 30 years, the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is 7.97%, with an estimated monthly installment of approximately RON 2,114. The APR includes additional costs such as RNPM registration fees, the property valuation fee, and the annual management fee charged by the National Credit Guarantee Fund for SMEs (FNGCIMM), amounting to 0.15% per year of the guaranteed amount.
One of the main advantages of Exim Banca Românească’s offer is its flexibility regarding eligible income sources, including salaries, pensions, and self-employment income. Applicants may also obtain a 90-day pre-approval as well as a guarantee commitment issued by FNGCIMM.
At CEC Bank, the interest rate depends on how the borrower’s income is received. Customers who have their salaries or other eligible income paid into a CEC Bank account can benefit from an interest rate of 7.48% (IRCC + 1.90%), while all other customers are offered a rate of 7.58% (IRCC + 2.00%). The discounted rate applies only if a minimum monthly income of RON 2,000 is credited to the account. If no qualifying income is received for three consecutive months, the interest margin reverts to the standard rate for the remainder of the loan term.
To apply for a Noua Casă mortgage, applicants must provide documents including a valid identity card, proof of income (automatically verified through Romania’s National Agency for Fiscal Administration – ANAF for salaried employees), a notarized declaration regarding any existing property ownership, and the documentation related to the property being purchased.
Romanian authorities emphasize that the continuation of the Noua Casă program is intended to improve access to home ownership, particularly for young people and first-time families, at a time when obtaining a standard mortgage has become increasingly challenging.
