Mortgage for a foreigner in Poland — what the banks require

Yes, a foreigner can get a mortgage in Poland — provided they hold a karta pobytu (residence card, permanent or temporary, still valid for at least 6–12 months) and documented income in zloty. The specific terms, as of August 2026, look like this: the minimum down payment is 20% of the property value (10% with low down payment insurance), and with a temporary residence card banks usually expect 20–30%. The NBP reference rate is 3.75% (unchanged since 5 March 2026) and WIBOR 3M hovers around 3.83% — with a typical margin of about 2 pp the variable rate comes out at around 5.8–5.9%. A credit decision is made within 2–6 weeks of filing a complete application. Important for non-EU buyers: a typical apartment (a self-contained residential unit) can be bought without an MSWiA permit — the permit (stamp duty of PLN 1,570, formally up to 2 months) is only needed for a house with land or a plot. Below is the whole procedure: residence status, income currency, documents, taxes and costs.

What residence status do banks accept?

The first question any bank asks is not about earnings, but about the basis of your stay. The strongest position belongs to holders of a permanent residence permit or EU long-term resident status — for most banks these terms are practically the same as for a Polish citizen. Citizens of EU, EEA and Swiss states go through the standard procedure.

A temporary residence card also opens the way to a loan, but with reservations. Banks usually require that, on the day the application is filed, the card is still valid for at least 6 and more often 12 months ahead. If the card expires sooner, some banks will accept confirmation that an application for an extension of stay has been filed — it is safer, however, to extend the card first. Practice varies: some institutions accept permanent residence only, others honour temporary cards where the employment record is longer. Some banks also require a PESEL number and registered address.

Without a karta pobytu a mortgage is in practice unattainable — a visa, even a long-term one, is not enough at the vast majority of banks.

In what currency and from what income will the bank calculate your capacity?

Under the Mortgage Loan Act of 23 March 2017 a bank may grant you a loan only in the currency in which you earn most of your income. You earn in zloty — you get a loan in PLN. You earn in euro — there are only a handful of banks lending in EUR on the Polish market, and on less favourable terms. The simplest path is documented income in Poland.

Banks are happiest with an employment contract — usually with at least 3–6 months of service with your current employer, and for fixed-term contracts with a prospect of continued employment. Sole proprietorship (JDG) is usually accepted after 12–24 months of operation. Your BIK credit history also counts — it is built for example by a credit card or a small loan repaid on time. From Ukrainian citizens some banks additionally require a foreign credit report (valid for 60 days) and statements from foreign accounts.

Does a foreigner need an MSWiA permit to buy?

Here the Act of 24 March 1920 on the acquisition of real estate by foreigners applies — and it contains good news for apartment buyers. A self-contained residential unit (that is, a typical apartment with a księga wieczysta, located outside the border zone) can be bought by a non-EU citizen without a permit. The exemption also covers a garage unit serving the housing needs of the buyer.

A permit from the Minister of the Interior and Administration is, however, required among other things when buying a single-family house with land, a building plot, or agricultural or forest property. Exceptions: no permit is needed after 5 years of living in Poland from obtaining permanent residence (or EU resident status), and also for the spouse of a Polish citizen 2 years after such a permit, where the property enters the joint marital estate.

The procedure itself: an application to MSWiA, stamp duty of PLN 1,570, a formal processing deadline of up to 2 months — in practice more often 3–4 months. A permit once issued is valid for 2 years — factor that time into the transaction schedule and the preliminary agreement.

How much is the down payment and the interest rate in 2026?

Rekomendacja S issued by the KNF sets the minimum down payment at 20% of the property value; with low down payment insurance some banks accept 10%. The real requirements, however, depend on residence status:

Buyer profile	Typical down payment
Permanent residence / EU long-term resident	10–20%
Temporary residence card	20–30%
Short employment record, no BIK history	30% and more

Let us do the maths on an example: for an apartment costing PLN 600,000 a 20% down payment is PLN 120,000 and the loan amount is PLN 480,000. The NBP reference rate is 3.75% (unchanged since 5 March 2026), and WIBOR 3M in August 2026 hovers around 3.83%. With a typical margin of about 2 pp the variable interest rate therefore comes out at around 5.8–5.9%, and offers with a periodically fixed rate start slightly lower.

The market is also gradually moving from WIBOR to the POLSTR index (in August 2026 POLSTR 3M is about 3.58%) — new offers are increasingly based on it. Compare the terms at several banks: a difference of 0.3 pp in the margin on a loan of PLN 480,000 over 25 years amounts to tens of thousands of zloty.

What documents should you prepare for the application?

The standard list for a foreigner looks like this:

• a valid passport (some banks ask for a copy of every page),
• a karta pobytu — permanent or temporary, with an adequate validity period,
• a PESEL number (required by some banks),
• a certificate of employment and income or JDG documents,
• the PIT return for the last year and bank statements for 3–6 months,
• property documents: the preliminary or developer agreement, an extract from the księga wieczysta,
• sworn translations of all documents drawn up in a foreign language.

A credit decision is usually made within 2–6 weeks of filing a complete application. Missing documents are the most common cause of delays — which is why the full set is worth gathering before you reserve an apartment. We described the whole purchase path with financing in our guide on how to buy an apartment with a mortgage in Warszawa.

How much are the taxes and the costs around the purchase?

The loan itself is not everything. On the secondary market you will pay PCC of 2% (podatek od czynności cywilnoprawnych, the transaction tax) — for an apartment costing PLN 600,000 that is PLN 12,000. Since 31 August 2023 an exemption from PCC has applied to the purchase of a first apartment — a foreigner meeting the statutory conditions can also use it. When buying a new apartment from a developer no purchase PCC arises — VAT is already in the price; we explain the differences between these taxes in our article on PCC 2% or VAT.

On top of that come: the taksa notarialna (notary fee), court fees for the ownership and mortgage entries, and PCC of PLN 19 on establishing the mortgage. For transaction costs set aside an additional 2–4% of the property price — on top of the down payment.

Where to start?

The practical order of steps looks like this:

1. Check the validity of your karta pobytu and, if necessary, extend it before filing the application.
2. Gather your income documents and check your BIK credit history.
3. Set the budget: the down payment plus 2–4% for transaction costs.
4. Compare the offers of several banks — terms for foreigners differ considerably.
5. Only then sign the preliminary agreement, with deadlines that take the credit decision into account.

At allproperty we help foreigners through this whole path: from choosing an apartment in our catalogue, through contact with a mortgage expert, to the notarial deed. On the primary market we charge no commission from the buyer (0%); on the secondary market the commission is 2%. Do you have a question about documents or about the validity date of your residence card late in the evening, when the banks no longer answer the phone? Call without hesitation — we are available 24/7: +48 666 866 468 or +48 692 649 839, and we will review your situation with no obligation.