Mortgage in Poland with Foreign Income: Banks, Currency Risk, Steps

You can get a mortgage in Poland with foreign income, but only some banks accept it, and every salary or contract paid from abroad has to be documented in detail. Expect a down payment of at least 20% of the property value: for a new flat at the median primary-market price in Włochy (PLN 678,000 according to RCN), that means PLN 135,600 upfront and a monthly payment of about PLN 3,495 over 25 years at a typical rate of around 6%.

What a Polish bank treats as foreign income

"Foreign income" covers several situations, and banks assess each one differently:

• You live in Warsaw but your employer is abroad. You work remotely for a company in another country, and your salary arrives in euros, pounds or dollars. This is classic foreign income.
• You are on a Polish payroll at an international company. If your umowa o pracę (Polish employment contract) is with the Polish entity, your income is domestic, even if the head office is in London or New York.
• You invoice foreign clients through a JDG. A JDG (jednoosobowa działalność gospodarcza, a Polish sole proprietorship) on B2B terms is Polish business income, though the bank still checks invoice currency and contract stability; see our guide to the B2B mortgage in Poland.
• You live abroad and want to buy in Warsaw as an investor. This is the hardest case: the bank cannot see your income in any Polish register and knows little about your credit history.

A Polish bank account with a salary history and a record in BIK (Biuro Informacji Kredytowej, the credit bureau) makes any of these cases easier. Bonuses and equity awards are often discounted or left out.

What the bank's decision depends on

The bank checks the usual things, only more strictly:

• Where the income comes from. Many banks accept salaries from the European Union and the European Economic Area, fewer from elsewhere; the list is internal bank policy and changes without notice.
• Currency. The bank converts income in euros, pounds or dollars into złoty with a safety margin for exchange-rate swings, so your zdolność kredytowa (borrowing capacity) comes out lower than it would with the same salary paid in złoty.
• Residence status. Non-EU citizens need a valid basis of stay; residence permits are issued under the Act on Foreigners, and our article on a mortgage with a temporary residence card explains how banks read the expiry date of a karta pobytu (residence card).
• Type and continuity of employment. A permanent contract scores better than short ones, and a gap between contracts or a job change mid-process can stop an application.
• Tax. The bank wants proof that your income is legal and taxed, abroad, in Poland or both under a double tax treaty.

That is why two people with the same salary can get opposite answers from two banks. The Polish Mortgage Credit Act sets the general rules for assessing creditworthiness and what the bank must tell you, but each bank sets its own criteria for foreign income.

Earning in euros, borrowing in złoty: currency risk

Which currency should you borrow in? After the Swiss franc mortgage crisis, the Polish regulator tightened foreign-currency lending. Under the guidelines of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority, KNF (Rekomendacja S), banks in principle grant a loan in a foreign currency only to borrowers who earn in that currency, and few banks offer such loans for flats in Poland.

A złoty loan on a euro or dollar salary means:

• your payment in złoty changes only with the interest rate, that is, with the WIBOR index plus the bank's margin;
• in your own currency, the payment depends on the exchange rate: if the złoty strengthens, the same salary buys fewer złoty for each payment.

A euro loan removes payment risk only while you earn in euros; move to a złoty salary later and you hold a foreign-currency loan with full exchange-rate risk. Your Warsaw flat is valued and sold in złoty either way.

Ask the bank for the payment at a higher rate and a worse exchange rate, and check honestly whether your budget survives it.

What it costs: interest rate, down payment and monthly payment

A złoty mortgage rate is WIBOR plus the bank's margin. As of 1 November 2026, the typical margin is about 2.25% and the typical mortgage rate about 6%. The NBP reference rate is 3.75%, and WIBOR 3M from the fixing published by GPW Benchmark stood at 3.91% on 9 November 2026. Here is an example for a flat at the median new-build price in Włochy:

Source: NAWROCKI analysis of RCN data (transactions registered from 13 November 2024 to 19 December 2025), rates as of 1 November 2026, WIBOR as of 9 November 2026, statutory court fees and PCC.

Your budget depends heavily on the district. Median new-build prices where developers sell the most flats:

Source: RCN, transactions registered from 13 November 2024 to 19 December 2025, NAWROCKI analysis.

Run your own numbers in the mortgage and affordability calculator, read how much you can borrow for a mortgage in Poland, and check real deal prices on the Bemowo transaction prices page.

Documents to prepare

The list varies by bank, but the core is similar:

• your employment contract or service agreement, showing your role, start date and pay;
• an employer's certificate of employment and earnings; some banks have their own form that your foreign employer must fill in;
• payslips for recent months;
• bank statements for the account your salary is paid into;
• your tax return from the country of work, or a certificate of tax residence;
• sworn translations (tłumaczenie przysięgłe) where the bank does not accept documents in English;
• your passport, PESEL number (Polish ID number) and, for non-EU citizens, your residence card.

With a JDG, add a CEIDG (business register) extract, tax returns, KPiR or ryczałt records, no-arrears certificates from the tax office and ZUS (social security) and client contracts.

Make sure the figures on the certificate, contract and statements match, and be ready to explain separate bonuses or allowances in another currency.

Step by step: from a foreign salary to the keys

1. Estimate your borrowing capacity and build a buffer for exchange-rate moves into your budget.
2. Collect income documents, order translations and confirm your employer will complete the bank's certificate form.
3. Compare banks that accept income from your country; a licensed pośrednik kredytowy (mortgage broker) is the quickest route.
4. Get a preliminary credit assessment before you sign anything with a developer.
5. Choose a flat and compare its price per m² with RCN transactions in the district.
6. Sign the reservation agreement or umowa deweloperska (developer agreement) with a clause that protects you if the loan is refused.
7. Submit the full mortgage application with the developer agreement and wait for the decision.
8. Sign the loan agreement in person, or through a representative with a pełnomocnictwo notarialne (notarial power of attorney) if the bank allows it.
9. Register the mortgage in the księga wieczysta (land register), which costs PLN 200 for the entry plus PLN 19 PCC, and track tranche releases against the payment schedule.
10. Inspect the flat at the odbiór techniczny (technical handover) and record defects before you sign the final deed transferring ownership.

Common mistakes and risks

• Signing with the developer before a credit assessment. If the bank refuses or offers less, your deposit or reservation fee may be lost. Negotiate a withdrawal clause for a refused loan before you sign.
• Underestimating currency risk. A payment calculated at today's exchange rate is only a starting point. Leave room for a weaker rate and a higher WIBOR.
• Ignoring tax. A Polish tax resident generally reports worldwide income in Poland, and how double taxation is avoided depends on the treaty with the country of work. Settle this with a doradca podatkowy (tax adviser) before you apply.
• Not checking the price. In the NAWROCKI catalogue, the median asking price in Włochy is PLN 17,425 per m² (developers' price lists as of 10 November 2026), while the RCN transaction median is PLN 14,307 per m². The periods differ, but the gap shows why offers need checking against real transactions.

Checklist before you apply

• I know which banks accept my type of income, and in which currency.
• I have a down payment of at least 20%, or I know how to insure the missing part with a 10% down payment.
• My income documents are complete, recent, translated and consistent.
• My residence status is valid, and I know how the bank reads it.
• The payment fits my budget at a higher rate and a weaker exchange rate.
• My developer agreement protects me if the bank says no.

How NAWROCKI Real Estate helps

The mortgage is half of the purchase; the other half is the flat and the developer. Here NAWROCKI Real Estate works as your buyer's agent for new-build flats in Warsaw:

• compares offers from many developers at once;
• checks the developer's price per m² against real notarial transactions (RCN) in the district;
• reads the umowa deweloperska and the prospekt informacyjny (information prospectus);
• negotiates price and terms with the developer;
• keeps track of the payment schedule;
• helps with the technical handover of the flat.

In most developments we work with, the developer pays the agency's fee, so for the buyer the service is usually free. If that is not the case, we tell you before we start.

Earning abroad and planning to buy a new flat in Warsaw? Contact NAWROCKI Real Estate and we will compare developers' offers within your budget and check their prices against RCN transactions.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a notary, lawyer, tax adviser or mortgage broker before making a decision.

Sources

• Ustawa z 12 grudnia 2013 r. o cudzoziemcach (ISAP)
• Ustawa z 23 marca 2017 r. o kredycie hipotecznym (ISAP)
• Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego (Rekomendacja S)
• NBP — podstawowe stopy procentowe
• GPW Benchmark — administrator wskaźników WIBOR