How to start a business in Poland as a foreigner: A guide for UK entrepreneurs
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Poland is a great place to start a business, thanks to its location in central Europe, its skilled workforce, and its pro-business policies. But starting a business in Poland as a foreigner can be a complex process.
For example, if you aren’t a citizen of the European Union (EU) or a European Economic Area (EEA), you’ll need a residence permit or business visa in order to register your business with Poland’s National Court Register.
Opening a bank account is another challenge, since foreigners need to sign documents in person and adhere to stricter KYC measures. This means it can take months to start accepting payments in PLN.
This article shares the step-by-step process for setting up a business in Poland as a non-EU foreigner. We run through the documents you’ll need to prepare, the institutions you’ll need to register with and the step-by-step process for how to open a business bank account in Poland.
We also introduce you to our World Account, one of the best ways to manage your Polish zloty like a local business.
With a World Account, you can start accepting payments in PLN within minutes, without having to provide a local business address or register your company in Poland first.
We cover:
- How to start a business in Poland as a foreigner step-by-step
- How WorldFirst’s World Account helps UK businesses operate like a local Polish company
- Open a World Account online for free
Ready to get started with WorldFirst? Sign up for a World Account today.
How to start a business in Poland as a foreigner step-by-step
1. Check your legal status
The first step in establishing a business in Poland as a foreigner is to confirm you have the legal right to do so.
EU/EEA citizens have the same rights as Polish citizens when it comes to business registration, meaning you can start and run a business without any special permits or visas.
However, if you’re from the UK or another non-EU country, you’ll likely be limited by your residence status in Poland. In this case, you typically need one of the following:
- A temporary residence permit with work authorisation, which allows you to both register and actively manage your business
- A business visa, which is specifically for establishing and running a company
- Refugee/Ukrainian Refugee status (UKR)
- A permanent residence permit, giving you full business rights similar to EU citizens
While it’s possible to register as a shareholder from abroad, if you want to actively manage and operate as a board member for the business, you’ll generally need the appropriate residence permit.
Some non-EU foreigners get around this requirement by appointing a Polish resident or EU citizen as the managing director, which allows the company to operate while they handle ownership remotely.
Read more: How to register a business in England: A step-by-step guide
2. Prepare the necessary documents
Next, you’ll need to prepare and submit your company documents to the business registration officials. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need to prepare:
Personal documents:
- Proof of identity, such as a passport or national identification card
- Proof of address, such as a utility bill or rental agreement
- Visa or residence permit (applicable if you aren’t an EU citizen)
- Some banks may request details about your employment history and income sources for credit assessment purposes
- A statement regarding the purpose of opening the Polish account
- A recommendation letter from another bank (if available)
- A local address is typically required for foreign nationals (especially those from outside of the EU or EEA)
Individuals will also need to apply for a PESEL number, which is the personal tax identification number in Poland. Foreigners can apply for one at any municipality office by providing a legal basis, such as a contract that requires you to have a PESEL.
Business documents:
- Articles of Association detailing the purpose of your company, its members and its operational structure
- List of major stakeholders (and their roles in your company)
- Identification for individuals authorised to act on behalf of the company
- Director’s signatures
- Proof of your company’s registration with the Poland Business Register and proof of your legal status
Bear in mind that foreign companies (especially startups) are likely to be subject to stricter KYC procedures than local companies with Polish directors, so you may be asked for additional documents.
Foreign documents may also need to have an apostille or be translated into Polish, sometimes by a sworn translator, depending on the bank.
Read more: How do small businesses manage invoices and payments in multiple currencies?
3. Register your business as a legal entity in Poland
To officially register your business in Poland, you’ll need to submit your registration application to KRS, Poland’s National Court Register.
Depending on your form of business, you might also need to register with different authorities, for example:
- Sole traders/sole proprietorships only need to register at the Central Register and Information on Economic Activity (CEIDG)
- Limited liability companies (also known as Sp. z o.o.) must register with KRS
- Civil law partnerships must register with the National Official Business Register (REGON)
Even as a foreigner, you don’t need to be physically present to submit your registration, since you can register it remotely via the S24 system.
The S24 system is an electronic platform managed by the Polish Ministry of Justice that allows entrepreneurs to register companies, submit legal documents and make changes to existing business details.
Online registration via the S24 system takes three to five days, while traditional notary routes take between two and four weeks on average. After registration, you’ll automatically receive your NIP (business tax ID number), REGON (statistical number) and KRS number.
If you’re using the S24 online system as a foreigner, you’ll need:
- A PESEL number, which is mandatory for electronic signing
- A Trusted Profile or qualified electronic signature valid in Poland
- All shareholders and board members must have an S24 account
The registration fee via S24 is PLN 350 (about €75), and processing takes five to seven business days, though it can sometimes be as fast as 24 hours.
Read more: The best way for UK businesses to pay overseas suppliers
4. Complete post-registration requirements
After you’ve completed the company registration process, you should:
- Register with CRBR (Central Register of Beneficial Owners), which is mandatory for all businesses. CRBR is Poland’s mandatory public register that identifies your major shareholders (individuals who own 25% or more of your company). By Polish law, you must register within 7 days of your company being entered into the KRS, and failure to register can result in fines of up to PLN 1 million.
- Complete VAT registration if your annual turnover exceeds PLN 240,000. Once registered, you’ll need to file monthly or quarterly VAT returns depending on your turnover and structure. Poland’s standard VAT rate is 23%, with reduced rates of 8% and 5% for specific goods and services.
- Register with ZUS (Poland’s social security and health insurance system) if you’re planning on hiring employees within 7 days of beginning business activity in Poland
Read more: Do I have to pay tax if I receive money from abroad?
5. Open a bank account
In order to set up a presence on Polish marketplaces (even regional variants like Amazon Poland), you’ll need to open a Polish business bank account. This allows you to receive payouts in PLN.
Luckily, you can reuse the above documents to apply for a Polish bank account and save yourself some time. Be aware that foreign companies almost always face stricter compliance checks, and you might need to give detailed interviews about business strategy, customer details, supplier details or the source of your funding.
Unfortunately, most Polish banks will require a personal visit from the company director (or authorised representative) to sign legal forms and verify ID in person. Because of this, opening a traditional bank account can be a long process, and you’ll likely be waiting between two weeks and three months for your account to get approved.
Read more: UK online business bank accounts for non-residents: 4 options compared
How WorldFirst’s World Account helps UK businesses operate like a local Polish company
WorldFirst is a digital payments platform that helps businesses make global payments in 100+ currencies. Since 2004, we’ve helped 1.5+ million businesses send more than US$500 billion overseas.
Our multi-currency World Account functions like a traditional Polish business bank account. The difference is that you don’t need to register your business in Poland or provide a Polish address to open an account.
With WorldFirst, you can send, hold and receive PLN like a local, create domestic bank account details and even integrate with 130+ Polish e-commerce platforms at no cost to you. Signing up for a World Account is also free, and the sign-up process can be completed within minutes from anywhere in the world.
Here’s what you get when you sign up for a World Account:
Open currency accounts in PLN, GBP or 20+ others, completely for free
With a World Account, you can open a local Polish zloty account for your business in seconds, with no overseas address required. You can also hold GBP, EUR and 20+ other currencies alongside your main PLN balance for as long as you like, completely for free.
This allows you to wait until exchange rates are favourable before converting your funds, and it also saves you money by avoiding unnecessary conversion fees.
For example, if a customer pays you in EUR, you can hold those euros in your account instead of being forced to convert them into PLN. Then, when you go to pay a Spanish supplier, the payment will come out of your existing EUR balance and bypass currency conversion.
In addition to this, there are also no monthly fees, maintenance fees, sign-up fees, top-up fees, fall-below fees or minimum balance requirements when you open a World Account.
While we charge for currency conversion, our exchange rates are low, transparent and often better than Polish bank rates. WorldFirst uses the mid-market FX rate, only adding a 0.5% markup for major currencies (such as CHF, EUR, GBP, etc.) and a 0.75% markup for all other currencies.
Read more: Business foreign currency accounts: 4 options compared
Integrate your account directly with Allegro, OLX and 130+ other marketplace platforms to streamline your payments
WorldFirst makes it easy for you to accept payments from 130+ marketplace platforms from across the world, including regional variations of larger platforms (such as Amazon Poland, etc).
While you’d normally need a Polish bank account to do this, you can create local bank account details with WorldFirst and use them to register with these marketplaces for free. For example, you can create your own Polish IBAN and BIC code, which allows you to receive payouts directly in local currency and avoid paying expensive SWIFT fees.
Once integrated, your payouts will automatically deposit into your World Account as soon as you make a sale, which improves your cash flow since you don’t have to manually release funds. You can even integrate with multiple marketplaces at once to avoid creating several collection accounts.
Having all your funds flow into the same account also makes it much easier to reconcile your finances, since you can match payouts to sales without having to chase transactions across different accounts.
Read more: 7 best marketplace payment solutions for secure payouts in 2026
Benefit from payment automation tools like batch processing and accounting integrations
WorldFirst helps you automate your payment flow by allowing you to make up to 200 payments at once.
Simply select payees from your contacts list and create the payment order from your World Account dashboard. If you’re paying more than 25 people, we recommend using our Excel template to upload your payees’ details directly from your company database or ERP system.
WorldFirst currently supports one account type, one country and one currency per batch, so if you need to make payments in several currencies or to different countries, you’ll need to split them into separate batches.
To further automate your process, we also offer full API connectivity, which allows you to build custom integrations with your existing ERP, inventory management or proprietary business systems. You can also integrate your World Account with your existing third-party accounting platforms like Xero or QuickBooks to automate the reconciliation process.
Read more: How to pay multiple suppliers simultaneously: 7 steps to fast business payments
Open a World Account online for free
To start holding PLN with WorldFirst, you’ll first need to sign up for a World Account. It’s free to open and maintain, and you can get set up in less than 48 hours.
Here’s how to sign up:
- Head to our World Account signup portal and enter your personal details
- Fill in your account information and verify your identity with a passport or drivers licence
- Upload your business documents, including shareholder IDs, company ownership documents, proof of address, as well as the source of documents.
- Once you click ‘Submit’, you’ll receive an acceptance email (usually within 48 hours)
Then, to open a local PLN currency account:
- From your World Account dashboard, click ‘Shortcuts’ and then ‘Manage accounts’
- Click the ‘Add a new receiving account’ button on the top right of your screen
- Choose PLN as your currency and give your account a nickname, then click ‘Confirm’.
- Your local PLN account will be created instantly
Read more: Receiving foreign currency? Here’s what you need to know
Sign up for a World Account and start running your business like a Polish local
In this guide, we’ve shared the step-by-step process for how to start a business in Poland as a foreign entrepreneur, including the documents you’ll need in order to officially register your company.
We’ve also shared the key features of our World Account for UK entrepreneurs looking for a simple way to send, hold and receive PLN like a local Polish business.
For example, with a World Account you can:
- Open a currency account in PLN, GBP or 20+ other global currencies, all for free
- Sign up for a World Account from anywhere in the world
- Integrate your account with 130+ Polish and global marketplace platforms to streamline your payouts
- Benefit from advanced business management tools like batch payments and accounting integrations
Ready to get started with WorldFirst? Sign up for a World Account today.
Jennifer Dodd leads marketing for WorldFirst UK, and has over 20 years' experience in financial services and publishing.
Jennifer Dodd
Author
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