Personal Bank Account
If you want to open a personal account in a Polish bank you should know that:
- there are no uniform procedures - each bank opens an account for a foreigner based on its own criteria (which may change), and it may not be easy to reach these guidelines
- usually more formalities await foreigners who are not citizens of the European Union and do not have resident status (do not have a place of residence in Poland)
- only in a few banks permit to fill out an account application electronically, but signing the agreement already requires a personal visit to a branch
- None of the Polish banks send cards abroad - so a Polish mailing address will be required to receive the card.
To avoid fruitless visits to the bank branch and shorten the waiting time for processing an account application, it is worth contacting the helpline in advance and describing your situation in detail. Give the name of the document authorizing you to stay in Poland (visa, permanent or temporary residence card, Pole's Card), describe your status (resident, non-resident, citizen of the European Union, citizen of a non-EU country, refugee from Ukraine). Also ask to answer the following questions:
What documents will be necessary for you to open an account?
- Will the bank require your PESEL number?
- Is there a facility serving customers in English (possibly Ukrainian, Russian, French or German) in the area where you are staying?
- Does the bank provide a foreign language version of the transaction system?
- Will you, as a foreigner, have access to all additional services linked to the account (savings products, loans, overdraft, etc.).
Some Polish banks have a special offer for Ukrainian citizens who left the country after 23.02.2022. Establishing an account in their case does not require proof of address of residence or income in Poland, a valid passport or ID card is enough.
In the table in the attachment, you will find information about the documents required for foreigners opening personal accounts at each bank, along with their hotline numbers and website addresses.
At the same time, remember: the bank never asks you by phone, text message or otherwise for your card number, expiration period, PIN or CVV code, or password to the online service or mobile application. If someone asks you for this information or the password you receive via text message, you are dealing with a scammer.
The text is based on:
kancelariakamler.pl/czy-cudzoziemcowi-trudno-jest-zalozyc-konto-bankowe-w-polsce/
moneteo.com/artykuly/rachunek-bankowy-dla-obcokrajowca
moneteo.com/artykuly/konto-osobiste-dla-obywatela-ukrainy