What the border zone is
The border zone is defined in the Polish State Border Protection Act. It covers the whole area of the municipalities (gminy) adjacent to the state border or to the sea coast. Where such a municipality is narrower than 15 km, the zone also includes neighbouring municipalities, up to 30 km from the border.
In practice this includes many popular locations on the Baltic coast as well as towns along the borders with Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Russia. Whether a specific property lies in the zone depends on the municipality, so it has to be checked for each address.
Why the usual exemptions do not apply
The Act of 24 March 1920 on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Foreigners lists exemptions from the permit requirement in Article 8: an apartment, 5 years of permanent residence, marriage to a Polish citizen. These exemptions do not apply to property in the border zone. A citizen of a country outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland therefore needs an MSWiA permit there for every type of property, including an apartment.
Citizens of EU and EEA countries and Switzerland do not need a permit, with the exception of agricultural and forest land.
How to plan the purchase
- Check the location before the preliminary agreement. We confirm whether the municipality lies in the border zone as part of the pre-purchase review.
- Consider a promise (promesa). It is a commitment to issue the permit, valid for one year. It protects you before you commit to the purchase.
- Plan the timeline. Proceedings usually take 2 to 4 months. The preliminary agreement should leave time for the decision.
Official fees: PLN 1,570 for the permit, PLN 98 for the promise, PLN 17 for the power of attorney. Our fee for running the proceedings starts at PLN 2,900 net (PLN 3,567 gross), payable on signing the engagement letter.