Recently moved to Poland and still don't know what bank to open a personal account with? Let's find out!
Thanks to this article you can save more than 2-3 hours of your time because today we will share with you information about the banks where you can open an account with just a foreign passport, which banks offer the best conditions for foreigners and much more. Here we go!
Is it possible not to open a bank account?
By law, there is no rule that obliges everyone living in Poland to open a personal bank account. However, everyone realizes that in the 21st century you can't go anywhere without a bank card. Moreover, starting from 2024 the law on changing the limits on the use of cash will come into force. You will not be able to make a purchase for more than 20000 PLN, you will have to have a bank card. We told you more about all the changes that await foreigners in Poland in our article.
Santander
Santander opens our list of banks.
To open an individual account with this bank, you will need at least:
For Ukrainians who came to Poland before 24.02.2022 there are special rules for opening an account. You only need to have a passport with you.
PKO Bank Polski
To open a company account with PKO Bank Polski, the same procedure will be applied as in the previous bank. This is one of the largest banks in Poland, but many people consider it to be conservative. Users sometimes encounter that this bank freezes their funds for various reasons.
What is interesting is that the branches of PKO Bank Polski offer to make a PESEL number, which for a foreigner who has just arrived will only be an advantage.
ING Bank
Speaking a little bit ahead, we can say that this is the hardest bank for an immigrant. An individual account with ING Bank has many restrictions and is only issued for 12 months. Another disadvantage is that the restrictions in transferring funds from card to card is 2000 euros.
To open a company account here you need to have:
However, for Ukrainians who arrived after the start of the war, there is a simplified program for opening a bank account here.
Pekao Bank
This is one of the most popular banks in Poland among the population. To open an account here you only need your PESEL number and your passport. The history of this bank is particularly worth noting - Pekao Bank was founded in 1929 and initially focused exclusively on foreigners.
mBank
Foreigners to open an account with mBank need to have:
There is also a simplified program for refugees from Ukraine, as in other banks.
Millenium
The last bank in our selection is everyone's favorite Millenium Bank. In order to open an individual account, you will only need a passport and preferably a PESEL number (this will simplify the whole procedure considerably). Opening an account for a company is also quite easy here: you will only need a passport and also a PESEL number.
Polish bank for immigrants: Is it convenient?
Absolutely every bank we have added above in the list is reliable and good, so you should not worry that it will close and your money will disappear somewhere. Also in all these banks foreigners can do almost all actions:
internet banking
make a deposit
withdraw money from ATMs and bank branches
transfer money from a card to another card
get help from technical support
Closing a bank account is also easy, even if you are abroad - everything can be done online.
Summarizing the results
It is difficult to pick out one certain bank for a foreigner. If you are a foreigner who has recently arrived in Poland, you can safely use the services of Pekao, Millenium, PKO and Santander. If you plan to open a sole proprietorship or a company in the future, you can also easily open a special account for your business.
Comparing Polish banks with banks in CIS countries, we can say that Polish banks are slightly inferior. But if you compare Polish banks with banks in other EU countries, where there is a lot of bureaucracy and poor service, Polish banks are very good.
