Mortgage in Poland for foreigners in 2026: residence card, PESEL and bank requirements

Yes, a foreigner can get a mortgage in Poland. Polish law does not prohibit banks from lending to foreigners, but each bank decides for itself whom it accepts. In practice, what matters is a PESEL number (Polish national identification number), legal residence (and its type), a stable income – ideally in Polish zloty (PLN) – and a down payment. Below we explain the requirements step by step, compare residence statuses in a table and show a calculation for an apartment from our listings.

Key facts

• The Mortgage Credit Act allows a loan to be granted only in the currency in which you earn most of your income or hold most of your assets (Art. 6(1)). If you earn in PLN, your mortgage will be in PLN.
• Banks usually require a PESEL number and documented right of residence: a residence permit (temporary or permanent) or – for EU citizens – registered residence.
• A temporary residence permit is issued for a maximum of 3 years, while a mortgage is usually repaid over 25–30 years – so the bank assesses whether you will be able to earn in Poland for the whole repayment period.
• The minimum down payment under the KNF's Recommendation S is 20%, or 10% with additional security – but a bank may require more.
• At the median price of a 2-room apartment in Wrocław in our listings (PLN 662,405), a 20% down payment is about PLN 132k and the loan about PLN 530k.

Can a foreigner get a mortgage in Poland?

Yes. Neither the Mortgage Credit Act nor the Banking Law requires Polish citizenship. The bank must, however, assess your creditworthiness, and it may sign the agreement only if the assessment shows that you will repay the loan with interest on time (Art. 21 and 23 of the Act). For the bank, being a foreigner is therefore one of the risk factors – not a legal obstacle.

Buying the property itself is a separate matter. Buying a self-contained residential unit usually does not require an MSWiA permit (from the Ministry of the Interior and Administration), but there are exceptions – we describe them in our guide to buying an apartment in Poland as a foreigner. Check this before you apply for a mortgage, because the bank will ask about it.

What do banks require from foreigners?

Each bank has its own policy, but the same elements keep coming up in their requirements:

1. A PESEL number. Without one, most banks will not accept a mortgage application. Foreigners get a PESEL, for example, when they register their address in Poland (zameldowanie) – see PESEL, NIP and a bank account before buying an apartment.
2. Legal residence. A residence card (karta pobytu) – temporary residence, permanent residence or EU long-term resident – or, for EU citizens, a certificate of registered residence. How long your right of residence lasts also matters.
3. Income earned in Poland, in PLN. Banks are most willing to accept an employment contract with a Polish employer or a business that settles its taxes in Poland.
4. Employment and credit history. The bank checks how long you have been employed and your data in BIK (the Polish credit bureau). If you have only just arrived, you may have no BIK history at all – this is not a negative, but the bank has less information about you.
5. A down payment – at least at the level set by Recommendation S, and sometimes higher (see below).

The rest of the process – application, valuation, decision, agreement – is the same as for a Polish citizen. We describe it in mortgage in Poland step by step. Documents issued abroad (e.g. a marriage certificate) may require a sworn translation.

Residence status and your mortgage – table

Your type of residence affects how the bank views your stability. Below is a comparison based on the Act on Foreigners, the Act on the Residence of EU Citizens and banks' lending terms and conditions.

Residence status	For how long	Typical bank requirements	Notes
EU/EEA/Swiss citizen	Right of residence; after 5 years of continuous residence – right of permanent residence	PESEL, certificate of registered residence, income in Poland	A stay longer than 3 months must be registered at the voivodeship office
Permanent residence permit (permanent residence card)	Permit for an indefinite period, card valid for 10 years	PESEL, residence card, income	Closest to the situation of a Polish citizen
EU long-term resident	Permit for an indefinite period, card valid for 5 years	PESEL, residence card, income	Permanent status – the bank does not worry about the permit expiring
Temporary residence permit (e.g. for work)	Max. 3 years	PESEL, valid residence card, income in PLN, often a minimum length of employment	The bank assesses the risk that your residence will not be extended; requirements vary by bank
Visa or visa-free travel	Short (usually up to a few months or a year)	Often not met	Many banks require a residence permit; some look primarily at income earned in Poland

Why does the length of residence matter so much? Recommendation S of the KNF (Polish Financial Supervision Authority) requires a bank, when setting the loan term, to take into account the borrower's ability to earn income throughout the term of the agreement. A temporary residence permit lasts at most 3 years, so the bank has to assess whether you will extend your stay. That is why someone with a permanent residence card or EU long-term resident status usually finds it easier than someone with a first temporary permit.

If you hold a temporary residence card, see the separate, narrower guide: mortgage in Poland with a temporary residence card: conditions, card validity, documents.

Can a foreigner get a mortgage in Poland without a residence card?

Sometimes, but the choice of banks is then narrow. Examples from terms and conditions published by banks:

• mBank (mortgage terms and conditions in force from 15 January 2025) lends to a foreigner who holds a settlement permit or a fixed-term residence permit, or is an EU citizen with registered residence. It also requires a PESEL number and lends only in PLN to people with income in PLN.
• Alior Bank (terms and conditions of the "Megahipoteka" loan for agreements concluded from 10 June 2023) accepts foreigners "with resident or non-resident status" if they earn income in Poland, while also requiring a place of residence in Poland (registered permanent or temporary address).

Terms and conditions change, and the outcome depends on the assessment of each individual application anyway. If you do not have a residence card, a joint mortgage with someone who has a stable status (e.g. a spouse with EU citizenship) can be a good solution – but this too depends on the bank's policy. Ukrainian citizens with UKR status are subject to separate rules – we describe them in mortgage in Poland for Ukrainians.

Income, currency and credit history

Loan currency. Under Art. 6(1) of the Mortgage Credit Act, a loan may be granted only in (or indexed to) the currency in which you earn most of your income or hold most of your assets. If you work in Poland and earn in PLN, your mortgage will be in PLN. In practice, many banks offer only PLN loans – mBank states this explicitly in its terms and conditions.

Income in several currencies. If part of your income is in another currency (e.g. rent in euros from a flat abroad), Recommendation S advises the bank, when calculating your borrowing capacity, to assume that currencies other than the main currency of your income lose 50% of their value. Such income therefore adds less to your borrowing capacity than the exchange rate would suggest.

Credit history. Your credit history from abroad is usually not visible in BIK. It helps to have an account with a Polish bank into which your salary is paid and a small, punctually repaid credit history (e.g. a credit card) – but remember that card limits reduce your borrowing capacity. You can read more about how banks calculate borrowing capacity in our article Borrowing capacity 2026 (in Polish).

Not sure which bank will accept your type of residence and contract? Book a consultation with our mortgage expert – we will compare offers from several banks and check which of them accept your residence status before you apply.

Down payment for foreigners – how much do you need?

Recommendation S of the KNF says that on the day it is paid out, the loan should not exceed 80% of the value of the apartment (a 20% down payment). It may be up to 90% (a 10% down payment) if the part above 80% is additionally secured, most often with insurance. These are supervisory limits – a bank can set stricter rules, for example for people with a short right of residence. Many banks require 20% in their standard offer. We cover the details and sources of the down payment in down payment – 10% or 20%.

Example: a 2-room apartment in Wrocław for PLN 662,405

According to TM Invest listings data as of 27 September 2026, the median price of a 2-room apartment (living room + 1 bedroom) in Wrocław is PLN 662,405 (median floor area 40.8 m²). This is what the financing looks like with two levels of down payment. We calculate the monthly instalment at the average interest rate on new PLN housing loans according to the NBP (National Bank of Poland) – 6.07% in July 2026 (new agreements excluding renegotiated ones, NBP MIR).

Option	Down payment	Loan amount	Monthly instalment (6.07%, 30 years)	Instalment for the affordability test (8.57%, 25 years)	Net income if the instalment = 50% of income
20% down payment	PLN 132,481	PLN 529,924	approx. PLN 3,200	approx. PLN 4,290	approx. PLN 8,580
10% down payment	PLN 66,241	PLN 596,164	approx. PLN 3,600	approx. PLN 4,830	approx. PLN 9,660

What does this mean? With a 10% down payment, the loan is about PLN 66k higher and the income you need is more than a thousand zlotys higher. On top of that comes the cost of securing the part of the loan above 80% LTV. For a foreigner, whom a bank assesses more cautiously, a larger down payment often improves the chances of a positive decision. Also remember the purchase costs (notary, court fees, possibly PCC) – see taxes and fees when a foreigner buys an apartment.

If your budget is smaller, 2-room apartments in Wrocław in our listings start from about PLN 453k, and in the Fabryczna district the median for two rooms is about PLN 512k (as of 27 September 2026). See new apartments in Wrocław or new homes in Fabryczna.

Which banks give mortgages to foreigners?

Most large banks in Poland lend to foreigners, but they differ in the details: which types of residence they accept, whether they require a registered address, how long you must have been employed and what down payment they accept. Published terms and conditions show only some of these rules – the rest the bank sets in its internal procedures and when assessing each application. That is why it is not worth relying on online lists of "banks for foreigners", which quickly go out of date (for example, Santander Bank Polska now operates under the Erste Bank Polska brand).

A practical order of steps:

1. Get a PESEL and open an account with a Polish bank into which your salary is paid.
2. Check the expiry date of your residence card – if it expires within a few months, apply for your next permit first.
3. Prepare a certificate of employment and income, bank statements and documents showing your down payment.
4. Compare several banks for your status – only then choose an apartment and sign a reservation agreement (umowa rezerwacyjna).

Frequently asked questions

Summary

A mortgage in Poland is available to foreigners, but the conditions depend on the bank. The key factors are: a PESEL, documented and preferably long-term residence, a stable income in PLN earned in Poland, and a down payment – at least 10–20%, and in practice often 20%. It is easiest for people with a permanent residence card or EU long-term resident status, and for EU citizens with registered residence. With a temporary permit, what counts is job stability and how long is left until the permit expires.

Want to check your chances before choosing an apartment? Book a consultation with our mortgage expert – we will compare offers from several banks for your residence status and income. Once you know your budget, we can also help you buy an apartment from a developer – usually no commission, as our fee is normally paid by the developer.

Legal status as of September 2026. Bank requirements are taken from their publicly available terms and conditions and may change. Calculations are approximate and do not constitute a loan offer or legal advice. The final decision is made by the bank after assessing the application.

Sources

• Act on Mortgage Credit and on the Supervision of Mortgage Credit Intermediaries and Agents (Ustawa o kredycie hipotecznym) – consolidated text Journal of Laws (Dz.U.) 2025, item 720 (Art. 4(23), Art. 6, Art. 21, Art. 23).
• KNF, Recommendation S – version as amended in June 2023 (recommendations 6, 7.2, 7.3, 15.5, glossary – interest rate buffer) (in Polish).
• Act on Foreigners (Ustawa o cudzoziemcach) – consolidated text Dz.U. 2025, item 1079 (Art. 98(2), Art. 195, Art. 211, Art. 243).
• Act on the Entry into, Residence in and Exit from the Republic of Poland of Nationals of EU Member States and Their Family Members – consolidated text Dz.U. 2026, item 1065 (Art. 20, Art. 42).
• Population Register Act (Ustawa o ewidencji ludności) – consolidated text Dz.U. 2026, item 384 (Art. 7, Art. 16, Art. 17).
• NBP, interest rate statistics (MIR) – average interest rate on new PLN loans for residential property, July 2026.
• mBank, terms and conditions for granting mortgage loans – in force from 15 January 2025 (points 3 and 5) (in Polish).
• Alior Bank, terms and conditions of "Megahipoteka" loans – for agreements concluded from 10 June 2023 (§ 2(4) and (8)) (in Polish).
• Apartment prices: TM Invest development catalogue, Wrocław, as of 27 September 2026.