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Banks in Poland, including branches of foreign banks and credit institutions, are supervised by the Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego (KNF) under Article 131 of the Banking Law. Their deposits are guaranteed by the Bankowy Fundusz Gwarancyjny (BFG) up to the złoty equivalent of 100,000 euros per depositor in each bank. At banks and branches of foreign banks the guarantee extends to legal persons, so a sp. z o.o. is covered; financial institutions, insurers, investment and pension funds, local government units and depositors the bank has not fully identified are excluded, and electronic money is outside the scheme.
Under Article 2 of the Foreign Exchange Law, a legal person with its seat in Poland is a resident. A foreign-owned sp. z o.o. therefore opens an ordinary resident business account; the non-residents are the shareholders and directors who live abroad. mBank, for instance, does not open its company account for a business registered abroad, because the company has to be run in Poland.
Banks work from the entry in the National Court Register (KRS), although mBank also lists a sp. z o.o. w organizacji, a company not yet registered, among those that can open its account. The NIP tax number and the REGON statistical number are written into the KRS entry automatically (Article 20(1a) of the KRS Act), and mBank’s online form asks for all three numbers. Polish law does not require a board member to have a PESEL: under Article 35 of the KRS Act, a person who is not obliged to hold one is recorded by name and date of birth. Bank channels are another matter, as the table below shows.
| Bank | Application | Signing and identification |
|---|---|---|
| PKO Bank Polski | Online or at any branch | Identity confirmed online through mObywatel, or in a branch |
| mBank | Online, by phone or in a branch, with the NIP, REGON and KRS numbers | Every representative under the KRS representation rules signs in person in a branch |
| Erste Bank Polska, formerly Santander Bank Polska | In a branch, with an identity document, the articles and the KRS entry | For foreigners: passport, proof of permanent residence, NIP, PESEL and a Polish phone number |
None of the three publishes a timeframe for company accounts; mBank says it depends on many factors.
A Polish bank account is not a statutory step before registration. For a notarial formation the Commercial Companies Code requires the contributions to be made before the company is entered in the KRS and asks for a statement by all board members that they have been paid in full, not a bank certificate; a company set up online on the S24 model articles may file that statement within seven days after registration. Once the account exists, two Polish rules shape its use. Alongside a company’s settlement accounts the bank keeps a VAT account in złoty for split payments (Article 62a of the Banking Law), and payments to another business above a statutory threshold must go through a payment account (Article 19 of the Entrepreneurs’ Law).
Poland is one of the jurisdictions where our offer page lists pre-banked shelf companies as available, so taking over a sp. z o.o. that already banks is a realistic route for a buyer the bank accepts. The account remains the company’s after the transfer, but the bank reviews the new shareholders, board and beneficial owners and may continue, ask for more or close. Register the new board in the KRS first, since mBank, for one, has agreements signed according to the representation shown there, and report the new beneficial owners to the CRBR, which banks consult directly as obliged institutions. If the company will belong to your existing business, see our page on a subsidiary in Poland.
We can incorporate through company formation in Poland or provide a ready-made Polish shelf company, and put the KRS, CRBR and identity paperwork in order before any bank sees it. If we have a working contact at a bank that fits your case we will introduce you; opening the account stays a decision for the bank. The Poland overview covers tax and director rules, and shelf companies with bank accounts explains the pre-banked option across countries.
A non-resident can own and direct a Polish sp. z o.o., and the company itself counts as a Polish resident under the Foreign Exchange Law. The obstacles are practical: mBank requires every representative named in the KRS to sign in a branch, Erste Bank Polska asks foreigners for proof of permanent residence in Poland, a PESEL and a Polish phone number, and PKO Bank Polski’s remote route runs through the mObywatel app.
Not in law: the KRS records a board member who is not obliged to have a PESEL by name and date of birth. Some banks ask for one anyway. Erste Bank Polska asks foreigners for a NIP and a PESEL at the branch meeting, and PKO Bank Polski identifies remote applicants through the government mObywatel app, so a director without Polish identifiers should plan to sign in a branch.
No statute requires one. The board files a statement that all contributions have been paid in full, and the Commercial Companies Code does not ask for a bank certificate. A company formed online through S24 files that statement within seven days of its entry in the KRS, so its capital can be paid after registration. If you want an account earlier, mBank lists a sp. z o.o. w organizacji among the companies it accepts.
Yes. Poland is among the countries where we list pre-banked shelf companies, for a buyer the bank accepts. The account stays with the sp. z o.o., but the bank reviews the new owners and board, and mBank signs according to the KRS representation rules, so register the new board first. Report the new beneficial owners to the CRBR at the same time.