Mortgage in Poland step by step (2026): from borrowing capacity to tranche payouts

For most buyers, a mortgage is the only way to own a home – and usually the biggest financial commitment of their lives. Getting a mortgage in Poland step by step is not complicated once you know what to do and in what order. This guide walks you through every stage: from checking your borrowing capacity, through choosing an offer and applying, to signing the loan agreement and having the loan paid out in tranches when you buy a new-build apartment from a developer. We also explain the rights the Polish Mortgage Credit Act gives you.

Key facts

• A bank may grant a loan only after a positive assessment of your borrowing capacity (Article 23 of the Mortgage Credit Act).
• Under Recommendation S of the KNF (Polish Financial Supervision Authority), a loan may cover up to 80% of the value of the property, or up to 90% with additional security – so you usually need a down payment of 10–20%.
• The bank delivers its credit decision on the 21st day after you apply (earlier only with your consent), and the decision binds the bank for at least 14 days.
• You can withdraw from a signed loan agreement within 14 days without giving a reason.
• For an apartment under construction, the bank pays out the loan in tranches into the developer's escrow account (mieszkaniowy rachunek powierniczy), following the schedule in the developer agreement.

What is a mortgage in Poland?

A mortgage loan (kredyt hipoteczny) is a long-term loan to buy or build a property, secured by a mortgage on that property. The mortgage is entered in the land and mortgage register (księga wieczysta) and gives the bank priority to be repaid from the apartment if the loan is not repaid. The rules for lending to consumers are set out in the Act of 23 March 2017 on mortgage credit and on the supervision of mortgage credit intermediaries and agents, and banks' good practice – in Recommendation S of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority.

The interest rate is made up of the bank's margin plus a reference rate (for a variable rate), or it is fixed for a set period, most often 5 or 10 years. According to NBP (National Bank of Poland) data, the average interest rate on new PLN housing loans (new agreements excluding renegotiated ones, NBP MIR statistics) was 6.07% in July 2026.

Step 1. Check your borrowing capacity

Under the Banking Law, borrowing capacity (zdolność kredytowa) is the ability to repay a loan with interest on the dates set in the agreement. The bank assesses it based on your income, expenses, the number of people in your household, other debts and your history in credit databases, such as the Credit Information Bureau (BIK).

What the bank looks at:

• your income and how stable it is – type of contract, length of employment, self-employment,
• other commitments – loan instalments, credit card and overdraft limits (even unused ones count),
• credit history – whether you have repaid on time, as shown in BIK,
• a buffer for rising rates – for a variable rate, the bank calculates your capacity as if the interest rate were at least 2.5 percentage points higher (Recommendation S).

A good start is to download your BIK data – you can get a free copy of your data once every 6 months – and to pay off or close any limits you do not need. Tables with an indicative loan amount for net incomes of PLN 5, 7 and 10 thousand are in our article Borrowing capacity 2026 (in Polish).

Step 2. Prepare your down payment

Recommendation S of the KNF advises that the LTV ratio (loan amount to property value) should not exceed 80%. It may reach 90% if the part above 80% is additionally secured – most often with low down payment insurance. In practice, you need a 20% down payment, or 10% if you accept a higher cost of the loan.

A smaller down payment is possible under the family housing loan (rodzinny kredyt mieszkaniowy) with a BGK guarantee (a guarantee of up to 20% of the costs, maximum PLN 100,000). Sources of the down payment – savings, a gift from family, funds from employee capital plans (PPK) – are covered in our article Mortgage down payment in Poland. Remember that the down payment is not everything: you also need money for the notary, court fees and finishing the apartment.

Step 3. Choose an apartment and check the developer

Once you know the indicative loan amount, you can look for an apartment within a realistic budget. On the primary market, many buyers first sign a reservation agreement (umowa rezerwacyjna) – the reservation fee cannot exceed 1% of the price, and the bank gets the documents it needs for its analysis. Check the developer before you reserve – we explain how, step by step, in How to check a developer (in Polish). Reservation details: Reservation agreement with a developer (in Polish).

For a loan application for an apartment bought from a developer, the bank usually needs: the reservation agreement or a draft developer agreement (umowa deweloperska), the information prospectus, the payment schedule and the number of the escrow account.

Step 4. Compare bank offers

Do not compare margins alone. What counts is the total cost of the loan and the APRC (RRSO), as well as:

• fixed or variable rate – Recommendation S advises banks to offer loans with a fixed or periodically fixed rate (for at least 5 years); a fixed rate gives you a predictable instalment, while a variable one can fall or rise together with NBP rates,
• arrangement fee and the cost of the property valuation,
• insurance – life, property, low down payment, and bridging insurance until the mortgage is registered,
• additional products – an account, a card, your salary paid in – on which the margin depends,
• rules for paying out tranches and fees for early repayment.

Before you apply, the bank or intermediary gives you an information form (ESIS) with the loan parameters. The information in the form stays valid for at least 14 days – if you apply during that time, it binds the lender (Article 11 of the Mortgage Credit Act).

It is also worth knowing that the reform of reference rates is under way. According to a May 2026 announcement by the KNF and GPW Benchmark, new agreements based on WIBOR should not be concluded after 31 December 2026, and WIBOR will be published for existing agreements until the end of 2036. If you take a loan with a variable rate, ask the bank which reference rate the agreement will use.

Step 5. Submit the application and documents

The list of documents depends on the bank and on your source of income. It usually includes:

• an identity document,
• an income certificate from your employer or bank statements; if you are self-employed – tax documents and certificates from the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) and the tax office,
• documents about the property: the reservation agreement or draft developer agreement, the information prospectus, the land and mortgage register number of the plot,
• proof that you have the down payment.

You can apply to several banks at the same time. A mortgage intermediary can help you prepare one set of documents and submit applications to several banks.

Step 6. Wait for the valuation and the decision

The bank orders a property valuation (operat szacunkowy) and assesses your borrowing capacity. Under Article 14 of the Mortgage Credit Act, the bank delivers its credit decision on the twenty-first day after receiving the application, unless you agree to receive it earlier. Together with the decision, you get the draft loan agreement.

A positive decision binds the bank for at least 14 days from delivery, and during that time the bank cannot demand a final answer from you. This is your time to read the agreement calmly and compare decisions from several banks.

Step 7. Sign the loan agreement

You sign the loan agreement at the bank. Check in particular: the amount and currency, the interest rate and how it can change, the tranche payout schedule, the required security and insurance, the conditions for lowering the margin and the early repayment fee.

You can withdraw from the agreement within 14 days without giving a reason (Article 42). If the bank has already paid out the money, you return it within 30 days together with interest for the period from payout to repayment.

Step 8. Developer agreement and tranche payouts

Whether you sign the loan agreement or the developer agreement at the notary first depends on the bank – what matters is having a positive credit decision before the notarial deed (akt notarialny). For an apartment under construction, the bank pays out the loan in tranches directly into the developer's escrow account, after each construction stage set out in the schedule is completed. Before releasing money from an open escrow account, the bank that runs the account checks the progress of the works.

That is why the payment schedule in the developer agreement and the tranche schedule in the loan agreement must match. If the developer finishes a stage early, you may need the bank's consent to release a tranche earlier. We explain how the escrow account and the Developer Guarantee Fund (DFG) work in Escrow account and DFG (in Polish), and the agreement itself in Polish developer agreement (umowa deweloperska).

When the loan is paid out in tranches during construction, you usually pay interest only on the part already paid out, and the full capital-and-interest instalment starts once the whole loan has been paid out.

Step 9. Handover, notarial deed and mortgage registration

Once construction is finished, you carry out the handover inspection (odbiór) and sign the agreement transferring ownership. The notary then files applications to open a land and mortgage register for the apartment, to register your ownership and to register the bank's mortgage (the court fee for registering the mortgage is PLN 200). Until the mortgage is registered, the bank may apply temporary security, such as bridging insurance or a higher margin – check this in the agreement. After registration, you send the confirmation to the bank and the loan switches to its target terms.

We write about the handover inspection in Handover of an apartment from a developer (in Polish), and about notary costs in Costs of buying an apartment in Poland.

How long does it take to get a mortgage in Poland?

Stage	Indicative time
Initial capacity check, collecting documents	1–2 weeks
Processing the application and valuation	up to 21 days (decision delivered on the 21st day, earlier with your consent)
Decision binds the bank	at least 14 days
Signing the loan agreement	a few days after the decision
Tranche payouts	according to the construction schedule

From the first meeting to signing the loan agreement usually takes one to two months. Plan with some slack, because the reservation agreement with the developer is valid only for a set period.

Early repayment of the loan

You can repay the loan in full or in part at any time (Article 38). With a variable rate, the bank may charge compensation only for repayment within 36 months of signing the agreement, and only if the agreement provides for it. It cannot exceed 3% of the amount repaid or one year's interest on that amount (Article 40). With a fixed rate, compensation may be charged while the fixed rate applies, but it cannot exceed the bank's costs directly related to the early repayment.

Mortgage costs – what to budget for besides the instalment

The monthly instalment is not the only cost. When comparing offers and planning your budget, include:

• the bank's arrangement fee for granting the loan (0% in many offers, but usually in exchange for a higher margin or additional products),
• property valuation – a valuation report ordered by the bank,
• insurance – property (usually required), life (often lowers the margin), low down payment (with LTV above 80%) and bridging insurance until the mortgage is registered,
• the court fee for registering the mortgage – PLN 200,
• PCC tax (civil law transactions tax) on establishing the mortgage – PLN 19 when it secures a claim of an unspecified amount,
• the notary fee for the declaration establishing the mortgage, if it is made in a notarial deed (up to 1/4 of the rate set by the regulation, calculated on the mortgage amount).

All fees you must pay to get the loan are included in the APRC – which is why this figure, not the interest rate alone, lets you compare offers. A full breakdown of the notary and court costs of a purchase is in our article Costs of buying an apartment in Poland.

Fixed or variable rate?

With a periodically fixed rate, your instalment does not change for a set period, most often 5 or 10 years. When it ends, the bank offers new terms – another fixed-rate period or a switch to a variable rate. This is a good choice if you value predictability and a tight budget could not absorb a higher instalment.

With a variable rate, your instalment changes together with the reference rate, which depends mainly on NBP interest rates. Between May 2025 and March 2026, the NBP reference rate fell from 5.75% to 3.75%, which lowered instalments on variable-rate loans. But rates can also rise – that is why, for a variable-rate loan, the bank calculates your capacity with a buffer of at least 2.5 percentage points.

Recommendation S advises banks to allow borrowers to switch from a variable to a fixed rate during the loan term. If you choose a variable rate today, ask on what terms you will be able to switch later.

Common mortgage mistakes

• Reserving an apartment before checking your capacity – if the bank lends you less than you expected, you may lose time and the price you negotiated.
• Comparing margins only – once the arrangement fee, insurance and additional products are counted, an offer with a lower margin can turn out more expensive.
• No financial cushion – after paying the down payment and costs, it is worth keeping savings for a few instalments and for finishing the apartment.
• New debts during the process – buying on instalments or taking a new credit card between the application and the agreement can reduce your capacity.
• Mismatched schedules – tranche dates in the loan agreement must match the payment dates in the developer agreement.

Government schemes in 2026

Bezpieczny Kredyt 2% (the "Safe Loan 2%" scheme) has not accepted new applications since 2 January 2024. The family housing loan with a BGK guarantee is still available and lets you buy an apartment with a lower down payment – banks can grant it until the end of 2030. The announced "#naStart" and "Pierwsze klucze" schemes have been withdrawn from the government's work. Details: Housing schemes 2026 – what applies (in Polish).

Read also:

• Mortgage in Poland for foreigners
• Mortgage in Poland for Ukrainians
• Mortgage without a down payment 2026
• Fixed or variable interest rate?
• WIBOR, WIRON and POLSTR – the reference rate reform
• Instalments on a PLN 500–800 thousand loan – tables
• Which bank for a mortgage? Margin, APRC, arrangement fee
• Documents for a mortgage – checklist
• Mortgage for the self-employed and B2B contractors
• Mortgage for single buyers
• Loan for an apartment under construction – tranches
• Mortgage refinancing

Frequently asked questions

Summary

A mortgage in Poland, step by step, means: borrowing capacity and BIK, the down payment, choosing an apartment and checking the developer, comparing offers, the application, the decision and the agreement, and on the primary market – tranche payouts and mortgage registration after the handover. The law gives you time to think: the information form is valid for 14 days, the decision for at least 14 days, and you have 14 days to withdraw from the agreement. We describe the whole purchase process in our guide How to buy a new-build apartment in Poland.

Would you like help with the process? Book a consultation with our mortgage expert – we will check your borrowing capacity, compare offers from several banks and help you prepare the application. And if you are still looking for an apartment – when you buy from a developer with our help, you usually pay no commission, because our fee is normally paid by the developer.

Legal status as of September 2026. This article is for information only and does not constitute an offer or financial advice. The decision to grant a loan and on its terms is made by the bank.

Sources

• Act of 23 March 2017 on mortgage credit and on the supervision of mortgage credit intermediaries and agents – consolidated text, Journal of Laws (Dz.U.) 2025 item 720 (Articles 11, 14, 21–23, 38–40, 42–44).
• KNF, Recommendation S on good practice in managing mortgage-secured credit exposures – version amended in June 2023 (recommendations 1.9, 7, 15.5, glossary – interest rate buffer).
• Banking Law Act (Prawo bankowe) – consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 item 38 (Articles 70, 105a).
• KNF, announcement on the discontinuation of WIBOR (May 2026).
• NBP, bank interest rate statistics (MIR) – PLN housing loans, new agreements, July 2026.
• BIK, BIK report vs copy of your data.
• Regulation on maximum notary fee rates – consolidated text, Dz.U. 2024 item 1566 (§ 7), Act on court costs in civil cases – Dz.U. 2025 item 1228 (Article 44) and PCC Act – Dz.U. 2026 item 191 (Article 7).
• BGK, Family housing loan (Rodzinny kredyt mieszkaniowy) and Bezpieczny Kredyt 2%.