--- title: "Mortgage for foreigners in Poland: what banks ask for | mScanner" description: "Polish banks lend to foreigners, but they look at legal residence and how long your document still runs. Minimum 20% deposit, income documented in Poland, residence card usually valid 6–12 months." url: "https://mscanner.pl/en/buying-property-in-poland/mortgage-for-foreigners" lang: "en" updated: "2026-08-19" source: "mScanner" --- # Getting a mortgage in Poland as a foreigner > mScanner › Buying property in Poland › Mortgage for foreigners Polish banks do lend to foreign buyers, and citizens of Ukraine and Belarus make up the largest group of such borrowers. What decides the application is rarely the passport. It is whether your residence in Poland is legal, how long your document still runs, and whether your income is documented here. ## Key facts - Minimum deposit in 2026 is **20%** of the property value; the loan covers at most 80%. - Banks accept a temporary or permanent residence card, EU long-term resident status, **UKR status** and international protection. - Your residence document usually has to be valid for **6 to 12 months** ahead — some banks require 12 for Ukrainian citizens. - Income and bank statements from Poland matter more than assets abroad. ## What the bank is actually assessing Three things, in roughly this order: that you are in Poland legally and will be for long enough, that your income is real and documentable here, and that the property is good security. Citizenship as such is not the barrier people expect. The residence document is, because a loan runs for decades and the bank is reading how stable your position is. - Passport, plus a document proving legal residence - Accepted: temporary residence card, permanent residence card, EU long-term resident status, UKR status, international protection - Income from a Polish employer, a B2B contract or a Polish sole trader business (JDG) - Statements from a Polish bank account, commonly 6 to 12 months ## The deposit, and where it may come from The minimum own contribution in 2026 is 20% of the property value, so the loan covers no more than 80% of the price. On a 700,000 zł flat that is 140,000 zł of your own money before costs — and the taxes and fees from the separate guide sit on top of that, not inside it. Banks care where the deposit came from. Savings evidenced by six to twelve months of statements, proceeds from selling other property, and a documented gift from a close relative are the usual accepted sources. ## The document-validity trap Banks want the residence document to remain valid for a period ahead: usually at least six months, and for Ukrainian citizens some banks expect twelve. Requirements differ between banks, and differ again between the primary and secondary market. A strong application is refused on this alone more often than on income. The consequence is an order of operations that feels backwards: renew or extend the residence document first, then apply. A borrower with excellent income and a card expiring in four months is in a weaker position than the numbers suggest. Because policy varies so much between banks, this is the one guide here where the answer genuinely is "ask more than one bank". Nothing on this page overrides what a specific bank tells you about its own criteria. ## Where this comes from This page describes market practice as at 19 August 2026, drawn from Polish mortgage brokers. Lending criteria are bank policy, not statute: they change without any change in the law, and they differ between banks. This is not financial advice. - Polish mortgage brokerage guidance on lending to foreign nationals (2026) - Bank product criteria on residence documents and minimum own contribution ## Frequently asked questions ### Can a Ukrainian citizen get a mortgage in Poland? Yes, and Ukrainian citizens are among the largest groups of foreign borrowers. Banks accept UKR status alongside residence cards. Expect a requirement that the document remains valid for 6 to 12 months ahead — some banks require 12 specifically for Ukrainian citizens. ### How much deposit do I need? At least 20% of the property value in 2026, with the loan covering up to 80%. Remember that the purchase taxes and fees come on top of the deposit rather than out of it. ### Can I use income earned outside Poland? Treat it as bank-specific. Polish income with Polish documentation is what the standard criteria are built around; foreign income is handled very differently from bank to bank, so ask directly rather than assuming. ### My residence card expires in five months. Should I apply now? Extend it first if you can. Many banks require the document to remain valid for at least six months, and a short remaining validity can sink an application that the income would otherwise support. ## Related pages - [Taxes and fees](https://mscanner.pl/en/buying-property-in-poland/taxes-and-fees) — The costs that sit on top of the deposit. - [Do you need a permit to buy?](https://mscanner.pl/en/buying-property-in-poland/permit-for-foreigners) — Whether you can buy at all, before you finance it. - [What the flat costs every month](https://mscanner.pl/en/buying-property-in-poland/monthly-running-costs) — Czynsz is the monthly charge an owner owes the building — heating, the lift, the repair fund — and it is usually the largest line on the bill. - [Cooperative ownership vs full ownership](https://mscanner.pl/en/buying-property-in-poland/cooperative-ownership) — Spółdzielcze własnościowe prawo do lokalu is a limited property right against the cooperative, and it can exist with no land register at all — which is where mortgage applications fail. - [Buying without Polish, or without being there](https://mscanner.pl/en/buying-property-in-poland/buying-without-polish) — The deed is in Polish and the notary has to make sure you understood it. If you cannot come, someone can sign for you — on a power of attorney in notarial form. - [Buying property in Poland](https://mscanner.pl/en/buying-property-in-poland) — The rest of the guides. ## Check the property first The bank values the property too. See what the address is worth before you apply. [Check the property first](https://mscanner.pl/app/register?redirect=%2Fproperties%2Fnew)