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Buying an apartment in Poland as a foreigner

In most cases a foreigner can buy an apartment in Poland without a permit. The exceptions are narrow but serious: if a permit is required and missing, the purchase is null and void by law.

The short answer

The Act of 24 March 1920 on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Foreigners requires a permit from the Polish Minister of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA) for most purchases by foreigners from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland. Article 8(1)(1) makes an exception for a separate residential unit, that is an apartment, located outside the border zone.

So if you are, for example, a US, UK, Canadian or Ukrainian citizen buying a flat in Warsaw, Kraków or Wrocław, you usually do not need a permit. Citizens of EU and EEA countries and Switzerland do not need one at all, with the exception of agricultural and forest land.

When the apartment exemption does not help

  • The apartment is in the border zone. The border zone covers the municipalities along Poland’s land borders and the sea coast. There, a permit is required even for an apartment. How the border zone works
  • It is a house, a plot or a commercial unit. A detached or terraced house, a building plot, an office or a shop requires a permit unless you qualify for a personal exemption.
  • The buyer is a company. Purchases by companies, and buying shares in a company that owns property in Poland, follow separate rules.

Personal exemptions

Regardless of the type of property (outside the border zone), you do not need a permit if:

  • at least 5 years have passed since you were granted a permanent residence permit or an EU long-term resident permit in Poland;
  • you are the spouse of a Polish citizen, at least 2 years have passed since such a decision, and the property is bought into your joint marital property.

A PESEL number, a temporary residence permit or running a business in Poland do not exempt you.

What we check before you sign

  • whether the unit is legally a separate residential unit, using the land and mortgage register (księga wieczysta);
  • whether the property lies in the border zone;
  • the register entries: owner, mortgages, easements and other encumbrances;
  • for a new build, the developer agreement: deadlines, penalties, handover and protection of your payments.

The pre-purchase review takes 3 business days. If a permit turns out to be necessary, we run the proceedings: the application is filed within 3 business days of receiving complete documents, and the proceedings usually take 2 to 4 months.

Questions about buying an apartment

Your question is not here? Call us: +48 535 494 666

Can a US or UK citizen buy an apartment in Poland?

Yes. An apartment located outside the border zone can be bought without an MSWiA permit (Article 8(1)(1) of the Act of 24 March 1920). Since Brexit, UK citizens are treated like other citizens of countries outside the European Economic Area.

Can a foreigner buy a house in Poland?

Yes, but a citizen of a country outside the EEA and Switzerland needs an MSWiA permit for a house or a plot, unless a personal exemption applies: 5 years since a permanent residence or EU long-term resident decision, or marriage to a Polish citizen with 2 years since such a decision and purchase into joint marital property.

What happens if I buy without a required permit?

The purchase is null and void by law (Article 6(1)). In practice a notary should refuse to execute the deed and the land and mortgage register court should refuse the entry.

Do I need to come to Poland to buy an apartment?

Not for the legal review or the permit proceedings, which we handle under a power of attorney. The notarial deed can be signed in person or by an attorney-in-fact under a notarised power of attorney.

Legal status as of 14 October 2026. General information, not legal advice for a specific case.

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