The questions every buyer asks

Usually not. The act on acquiring real estate by foreigners requires a permit as a rule, but exempts a self-contained flat held as separate ownership and a garage unit serving housing needs. EEA and Swiss citizens need no permit for a flat. The exemption does not apply in the border zone, and it does not cover houses or building plots, so check the property before signing anything.

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Expect notary fees for the developer agreement and the transfer deed (plus VAT), court fees for land-register entries, the cost of notarial copies and the land-register filing, bank costs if you borrow, and the fit-out if the flat is sold in shell-and-core condition. Foreign buyers may add an interpreter and a power of attorney. There is normally no 2% transaction tax on a developer purchase. Once you own the flat, you pay an annual property tax.

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The handover happens after the building's occupancy permit is final (for a house, after a completion notice with no objection) and before the transfer deed that makes you the owner. The date and the way the developer notifies you are set in your developer agreement. The law has no fixed 14-day notice period for the handover, so check what your contract says and keep the notification.

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Otodom Analytics data for June 2026, published in August 2026, put yields for flats in the largest cities at roughly 4.7% to 6.4% a year, depending on city and size. Łódź and Gdynia showed the highest figures for small flats and Kraków the lowest. These figures use asking prices and rents and do not deduct tax, costs or empty months, so treat them as gross. Yields fell year on year in most cities.

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The information prospectus (prospekt informacyjny) is a document on a statutory template describing the developer, the plot, the building, your flat, the finishing standard, the financing, the escrow type and the schedule. The developer must give it to you free of charge on a durable medium before you sign a reservation agreement or a developer agreement, and on paper at the sales office if you ask. The prospectus and any annexes become part of your agreement.

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Yes, many banks lend to foreigners who live and earn in Poland. Recommendation S, the supervisory rulebook for mortgages, does not mention citizenship. What decides is the bank's own policy on residence documents, the currency and stability of your income, and your credit history. A ranking published in October 2026 states that citizenship alone is not a reason for a higher interest rate. Ask several banks, because their rules differ.

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A regulation sets a maximum fee scale based on the value of the transaction. For a value between 60,000 and 1,000,000 zł the base maximum is 1,010 zł plus 0.4% of the amount above 60,000 zł. For a developer agreement and for the deed transferring the flat, the maximum is half of that base. For a 600,000 zł flat, the base is 3,170 zł and each deed is capped at 1,585 zł net, or about 1,950 zł with 23% VAT.

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The developer act requires the buyer to take part in the handover, and the protocol is drawn up with you. If you cannot attend, ask the developer well in advance whether a representative with a power of attorney can attend for you, and in what form. Be careful about missing the date: if a buyer fails to appear twice, after two summonses at least 60 days apart, the developer may withdraw from the agreement.

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