BMO · Bank
BMO
Review published mortgage options and requirements, then request a personalized quote from the lender.
Availability: Real estate secured lending outside the listed footprint generally requires a BMO relationship of at least six months at application, with stated Private Bank and employee exceptions. Program-specific restrictions differ: physician loans exclude New York and certain grants use designated census tracts. The footprint list is not a complete lending-state registry. Gateway requires Canadian citizenship and a qualifying BMO relationship; Canadian-credit acceptance does not apply to every mortgage program. Application destination branding and purchase/refinance/construction choices were verified without submitting an application.
At a glance
- Borrower type
- Available to Canadian citizens who bank with BMO
Still to confirm: Property use, Credit requirement, Reserves.
Our take: Pros & Cons
What we like
- BMO publishes fixed-rate, adjustable-rate, jumbo and low-down-payment mortgages, plus construction, physician and Gateway programs.
- Eligible Gateway applicants can use Canadian credit history when they do not have U.S. credit history, subject to Canadian citizenship and BMO relationship conditions.
- Fixed-rate loans offer 10-, 15-, 20- and 30-year terms.
What to consider
- Properties outside BMO’s listed footprint generally require an existing BMO relationship of at least six months; exceptions apply.
- Gateway Canadian-credit acceptance is program-specific and does not establish acceptance of every foreign credit history, ITIN or visa category.
- ARM interest rates and payments may change after the initial fixed period.
AI-generated lender-level assessment based on published information. Not a verified assessment of Gateway Program; confirm program-specific conditions below.
Additional lender considerations
- BMO offers online applications and access to mortgage specialists.
- Assistance and closing-cost promotions have income, geographic, property, application-date and other restrictions.
- Published U.S. mortgage pages direct borrowers to a specialist for current rates. Calculator illustrations and rate discounts are not standalone advertised mortgage rates.
Newcomer requirements
Gateway Program
Fit not assessed · Check fit
Verified published requirements for this program. Rate-example assumptions are separate and do not establish eligibility or approval.
- U.S. credit history
- Not required — confirmed
- Foreign credit history
- Conditional. using your Canadian credit history if you do not have a U.S. credit history.
- Residency / visa
- Available to Canadian citizens who bank with BMO
- Income documentation
- Published conditions apply. Read the full lender requirements below before applying.
- Employment documentation
- Published conditions apply. Read the full lender requirements below before applying.
- Foreign income
- Canadian documents can be accepted when applying for your U.S. mortgage.
- Foreign assets
- All Canadian asset amounts will be converted into U.S. dollars for the purpose of your financial assessment.
- State restrictions
- Published conditions apply. Read the full lender requirements below before applying.
View full lender requirements
- U.S. credit history
- Not required — confirmed
- Foreign credit history
- using your Canadian credit history if you do not have a U.S. credit history.
- Residency / visa
- Available to Canadian citizens who bank with BMO
- Income documentation
- Canadian documents can be accepted; ask which documents apply to your circumstances. Published checklist: Canadian T1 return and Notice of Assessment or U.S.1040; relevant investment-income statements; passport and/or qualifying U.S. visa; Canadian SIN or U.S. SSN as applicable; two most recent months of account statements including all pages and identifying information. Canadian assets are converted to U.S. dollars. Current property owners may need property-tax and home-insurance records.
- Employment documentation
- Published employment-document examples, as applicable: salaried applicants—two most recent years of T4 slips and paystubs for the last30days, or W2 statements; self-employed applicants—two years of business T2 returns for entities with at least25%ownership and all schedules, or relevant U.S.1040 Schedule C/1065 K-1; retired applicants—retirement-award letters or Social Security/pension-award letters.
- Foreign income
- Canadian documents can be accepted when applying for your U.S. mortgage.
- Foreign assets
- All Canadian asset amounts will be converted into U.S. dollars for the purpose of your financial assessment.
- State restrictions
- Relationship Requirement: If the property is not located in the following locations; AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, NV, NM, ND, OK, OR, SD, UT, WA, WI, WY, and EL Paso County, TX (BMO does not offer Home Equity Products in Texas) in order to be eligible for our real estate secured lending products, you must be a pre-existing BMO client for at least six months at the time of application; contact a Banker for details. A BMO client relationship includes any consumer or small business deposit account, secured or unsecured loan, or investment account; Alto accounts are excluded. Not applicable to Private Bank clients or BMO employees.
- Other conditions
- Applicant must meet one of the following eligibility requirements: New or existing Private Bank (U.S.) or Private Banking (Canada) client; new or existing Premier Services client; new or existing depository client (including trust accounts titled in the name of the Applicant) at BMO Bank N.A. or deposit account(s) at Bank of Montreal. Relationship Requirement: If the property is not located in the following locations; AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, NV, NM, ND, OK, OR, SD, UT, WA, WI, WY, and EL Paso County, TX (BMO does not offer Home Equity Products in Texas) in order to be eligible for our real estate secured lending products, you must be a pre-existing BMO client for at least six months at the time of application; contact a Banker for details. A BMO client relationship includes any consumer or small business deposit account, secured or unsecured loan, or investment account; Alto accounts are excluded. Not applicable to Private Bank clients or BMO employees. Do I need a U.S. credit history to apply for a U.S. mortgage? No. With BMO, you can apply for a U.S. mortgage footnote 2 2 using your Canadian credit history if you do not have a U.S. credit history. How much of a down payment do I need to have for a home or property? Down payment amount required can vary based on your credit history. Speak to a Mortgage Banker for additional details. Do I have to attend the mortgage loan closing in person? We recommend that customers attend the mortgage loan closing in person at the location of the U.S. title company. If a Canadian client cannot attend the closing in person, it may be possible for them to get documents notarized at a U.S. Consulate. Talk to your BMO Mortgage Banker for details. Note: A Canadian notarization is not an option; U.S. title companies will not generally recognize non-U.S. notarized documents.
Questions to confirm with the lender (8)
These requirements have not been verified for this program:
- SSN
- ITIN
- No credit history
- Minimum credit score
- Minimum down payment
- Reserves
- Property restrictions
- Occupancy
Requirements last reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Official requirements source
Rates and costs
Gateway Program
Rates are available on request
No reviewed advertised rate example is linked to this program.
How to apply
Gateway Program
- Canadian documents can be accepted; ask which documents apply to your circumstances. Published checklist: Canadian T1 return and Notice of Assessment or U.S.1040; relevant investment-income statements; passport and/or qualifying U.S. visa; Canadian SIN or U.S. SSN as applicable; two most recent months of account statements including all pages and identifying information. Canadian assets are converted to U.S. dollars. Current property owners may need property-tax and home-insurance records.
- Published employment-document examples, as applicable: salaried applicants—two most recent years of T4 slips and paystubs for the last30days, or W2 statements; self-employed applicants—two years of business T2 returns for entities with at least25%ownership and all schedules, or relevant U.S.1040 Schedule C/1065 K-1; retired applicants—retirement-award letters or Social Security/pension-award letters.
- Foreign-income conditions: Canadian documents can be accepted when applying for your U.S. mortgage.
- Confirm the program's identity, residency, credit and property requirements with the lender.
- Use the official application channel to request pricing for your actual scenario.
- Review the lender's written Loan Estimate, including costs and cash to close.
Published eligibility and availability do not guarantee approval. Confirm membership, relationship, property and occupancy conditions with the lender.
Sources and methodology
About this lender
U.S. purchase and refinance mortgages, including fixed and adjustable rates, jumbo, low-down-payment and specialty programs. The Gateway program offers a Canadian-credit pathway for eligible Canadian citizens with qualifying BMO relationships.
Legal lender: BMO Bank N.A.
Lending channel: Direct lending
Provider type: Bank
Lending channels: Direct lending. Origination status: Not stated.
NMLS identifier: 401052
More lender directory information
Parent: BMO Financial Corp.. Former names: BMO Harris Bank N.A..
Direct application information ↗
Real estate secured lending outside the listed footprint generally requires a BMO relationship of at least six months at application, with stated Private Bank and employee exceptions. Program-specific restrictions differ: physician loans exclude New York and certain grants use designated census tracts. The footprint list is not a complete lending-state registry. Gateway requires Canadian citizenship and a qualifying BMO relationship; Canadian-credit acceptance does not apply to every mortgage program. Application destination branding and purchase/refinance/construction choices were verified without submitting an application.
Directory verified: 2026-10-25 UTC · Official directory source ↗
Official mortgage terms · Profile reviewed: Oct 25, 2026
- Official lender source · Last checked Not confirmed
What do APR, points, LTV and reserves mean?
- APR
- An annualized borrowing-cost measure that includes interest and certain loan charges. Read it alongside the interest rate and fees.
- Discount points
- An upfront charge expressed as a percentage of the loan amount. Compare the quoted interest rate and the points together.
- LTV
- Loan-to-value: the loan amount relative to the property's value.
- Reserves
- Assets the lender may require you to retain after closing. Requirements differ by program.