Bank account in Poland

After successfully registering your company in Poland, the next crucial step is establishing a corporate bank account in a Polish financial institution. While this might appear straightforward given the company’s registration, challenges often arise due to evolving pan-European banking trends.

Selecting the right bank in Poland becomes pivotal in this scenario. Several major banks within the country boast extensive branch networks and solid reliability. They offer convenient internet banking services and mobile applications, ensuring secure and global access to manage finances. Strict privacy policies protect clients’ funds and transaction details, except in cases of international agreements such as CRS or FATCA, where certain information may be disclosed to relevant tax authorities.

For non-resident founders seeking to open a settlement account in Poland, only three banks currently facilitate this process:

• Santander Bank (part of the Spanish financial Group)
• PKO BP (a Polish bank with public investments)
• BNP PARIBAS (affiliated with the French financial Group)

However, it’s essential to note that individual branches or regions of these banks might have varying internal policies, leading to possible refusals despite the bank’s overall approach toward non-residents.

Choosing the right bank among the plethora available can be overwhelming for foreigners. Our advice is to engage with reputable, larger banks to ensure a smoother process. Fortunately, the process of opening a bank account in Warsaw is relatively swift, taking about half an hour. The bank representative collects passport information, clarifies account terms and mobile banking features, and subsequently sends the card via mail within a week.

Most banks offer online application options via their websites, enabling document submission remotely. Additionally, phone requests are also viable to avoid visiting bank branches.

Should you require assistance in establishing a business bank account in Poland, our team at Regulated United Europe is ready to offer support. Leveraging our extensive network of trusted partners in the European financial services industry, we aim to provide tailored and cost-effective solutions, optimising the operations of the businesses we serve.

Opening a Bank Account in Poland

Coming to Poland, both for temporary and permanent residence, everyone may need to open an account with a bank of Poland and issue a card that may be needed when paying for purchases, travel.

For a full-fledged business in Poland, after the company registration procedure, you are faced with the need to open a current account in a Polish bank. It would seem that at this stage there should be no difficulties, because the company itself is already registered. But it turns out that not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance.

The pan-European trend of restrictions in the work of banks with non-resident clients has also affected the Polish banking sector. These new trends are familiar firsthand to entrepreneurs who do business in the Baltic countries (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia), the Czech Republic and many other European countries. In these jurisdictions, not only insurmountable difficulties arise with opening a corporate account, but there are also situations of blocking accounts from long—standing and successfully operating companies whose beneficiary is a non-resident.

How to Choose a Bank in Poland?

It’s up to you to decide in which one to open an account. Each of the banks listed below has a wide network of branches in the country and is considered one of the largest and most reliable in Poland. For greater convenience in managing your money, we offer the use of Internet banking services and special applications for mobile devices (phones, tablets, etc.). Application programs are improved and well protected so that customers can manage money anywhere in the world. The client can be calm for his capital stored in the bank. Employees have no right to disclose information about accounts and transactions to anyone, except when required by international protocols, for example, CRS or FATCA. If your country of citizenship has signed a corresponding agreement with Poland, then most likely the tax authorities of your country will receive information about all open accounts and the amounts of funds on them.

Reliability

If you want to open a bank account in Poland, then pay attention to his age. It is better not to consider a “serious” financial bank of Poland, which is no more than a month old, in this case. The number of branches and ATMs in Polish banks also emphasizes reliability. Pay attention to who owns the bank. If it is part of an international corporation, the reliability factor increases. We work only with reliable banks that have an unblemished reputation.

Convenience

The availability of Internet banking is a necessary service in the modern world to easily manage your money, regardless of the time of day and location. The application for mobile phones and tablets will undoubtedly be appreciated by customers. The ability to do everything remotely can also be an important criterion when choosing. Our company works with five Polish banks: ING Bank Śląski, Millennium bank (Millennium), Bank BNP Paribas, Pekao Bank, PKO Bank Polski.

PKO Bank Polski is the oldest and largest bank in Poland, which was opened in 1919. It has the widest network of branches, ATMs in the country and at the same time does not lag behind other banks in terms of technology. It offers service in Ukrainian.

ING Bank Śląski is one of the largest commercial banks in Poland. It has been operating since 1989 and has about 400 branches. It has been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange since 1994. Participates in the deposit insurance system, works with pension savings. ING Bank Śląski ranks third in Poland in terms of its importance.

Limits set by ING Bank for individuals

There are restrictions when withdrawing cash from an ATM: no more than 10,000 zlotys can be withdrawn per day, which is about 2,300 euros. ING client can withdraw any amount from the account at the cash desk of any branch, but by prior order. If the transaction amount exceeds 5,000 euros at a time, then it makes sense to warn employees at the bank by phone.

Millennium (Millennium)

It has been working since 1989. It is part of the structure of the financial holding of Portugal. It has a large number of ATMs and branches. Telephone consultants who speak Russian and Ukrainian will answer all questions that arise if there are any difficulties while using the services.

Pekao Bank was founded in 1929 and is one of the oldest. There are 1000 branches in the country. In Poland, Pekao Bank is the first to start working on the stock market. It ranks second in terms of assets. Each of the presented Polish banks is included in the category of reliable, so you can open bank accounts in any of them. All of them work with foreigners (non-residents) and provide Internet banking services. You should pay attention to the conditions for opening accounts and cards, and the conditions for their further maintenance. They differ in every bank in Poland. You should also know that the concepts of an account and a card in a bank in Poland have a strict distinction. First you need to open an account, and then get a card as a possible way to access it. When transferring money, you should specify the account number, not the card number.

In Poland, the situation is much better in this regard, but there are also its own peculiarities.

We will not consider situations in which the founders of non—residents have a Polish Card, a residence permit or permanent residence in Poland or citizenship in one of the EU countries – everything is much simpler here. We are interested in a situation in which the founders are citizens of Belarus, Russia, Ukraine or any other CIS country (and not only) without any status in Poland. Will there be any problems with opening a corporate bank account for a Polish company in this case?

Opening a bank account for a Polish company with non-resident founders

To date, only 3 banks in the country provide the opportunity to open a settlement account for a legal entity in Poland, the founders of which are non-residents, namely

• Santander Bank (Spanish financial Group),
• PKO BP (Polish bank with public investments),
• BNP PARIBAS (French financial Group),

You should also take into account the fact that the work of many branches and branches of these banks is regulated by their internal instructions at the level of the Voivodeship, city, and sometimes a specific branch, which means that you may be refused to open an account in a particular branch despite the bank’s general policy on working with non-residents

The key to making a decision on issuing a bank card is that it is needed for employment. Most employers transfer their salary to the card.

Which bank should I contact to open an account in Poland?

There are a lot of banks in Poland that offer customers various conditions for opening and servicing a bank account.

Foreigners do not know which bank is better to apply to. We advise our clients to cooperate only with large banks.

The main problem is that not all banks in Poland are ready to open a checking account for foreigners, some open an account only if they have a card, and some only need a PESEL number.

Please note whether the bank is a member of the Bank Guarantee Fund. Also specify whether all cities of the country have branches and ATMs of this bank. Find out from the manager how much the service will cost, choose the bank where you are offered the most favorable conditions. Also find out if it is possible to connect a mobile bank.

Based on the purposes for which you need to open a bank account, we help our clients decide on a bank.

What do I need to provide to open a bank account in Poland?

In Poland, banks are willing to start cooperation with visitors from other countries, managers always tell in detail about the conditions of use and issuance of the card.

The conditions do not say that the client must have a good command of the Polish language.

Banks ask approximately the same questions, so that opening an account does not take much time, we suggest studying the list of questions and preparing answers in advance. It will not be difficult for a Belarusian to open a bank account, managers are determined to get a new client.

So, a bank employee can check with you:

• Last name, First name and Patronymic of your parents;
• Mother’s maiden name;
• The actual address where you live in Poland or have meldunek;
• Do you have an official employment;
• The phone number where you can be contacted in Poland.

What documents do I need to open a bank account in Poland?

In order for you to be able to open a bank account in Poland, you will need to prepare the necessary documents in advance.

The list of documents may vary, as each bank may have its own set list of documents that are required when opening a bank account.

The list is about the same, so below are the documents that are asked to provide most often:

• A document that confirms that you are legally in the country (this applies to those who came to the country under a visa-free regime; if you have a visa, then you present it).
• The identification code number of the selected country in which you lived.
• The personal identification number of the person in Poland is PESEL.
• A statement indicating your place of residence.

So that you can easily open a bank account in Poland, our specialists will help you collect all the necessary documents.

How long does it take to open a bank account in Warsaw?

It won’t take long to open an account. The whole procedure takes about half an hour.

So, to open an account for you, the manager will perform the following work:

Enter your passport data into a special program and make a copy of the document;

He will ask you questions and tell you about the terms of service and use of the account and card, explain what functions the mobile bank has and how to use it;

Will send you the card. It is not issued at a bank branch, but is sent by mail to the specified postal address that you specified in the questionnaire. Delivery takes about a week.

You can fill out an application for opening a bank account online. Almost every bank in Poland has its own website where you can fill out a questionnaire and attach documents, in addition, in order not to go to the bank’s office, you can call there and leave a request by phone.