Banking

Banking services

Banks are open from Monday till Friday, few of them also work on Saturday. All banks are closed on Sundays and public holidays. However, you will find many 24-hour cash machines. Large banks have their own cash machines and there are also independent cash machine networks (Euronet, Cash4YOU). If you have a card of a given bank, you may use its cash machines free of charge, whereas other card holders pay a commission. At present, the most popular banking services and products are e-banking, charge cards and cash machines.

Charge cards (Visa, Maestro, etc.) are very popular; you may use this non-cash payment method in most bigger and medium-size shops as well as restaurants (where you can see card logos on the entrance door). In some bigger supermarkets or chain shops, designated cash desks accept payments in euro (apart from zloty the national currency) at an exchange rate given there. Likewise, credit cards (VISA, Mastercards, American Express) are accepted by most shops and service outlets equipped with electronic banking terminals.

Cheque transactions are far less common in Poland. This is because the market of e-banking services and charge cards is well developed. Naturally cheques are naturally accepted by banks, but are virtually never used as a method of payment in trade. You may not pay with traveller's cheques in Poland. However, cheques may be cashed in some bigger banks.

Referring to money exchange you can exchange money in a bank but there are even better exchange rates in numerous kantors (exchange offices - shop around to get a better deal) or at post offices. You can check the official rates daily at the National Bank of Poland. Also the Universal Currency Converter allows you to perform interactive foreign exchange rate calculations on the Internet using live, up-to-the-minute currency rates.

Bank account

It is recommended to open a bank account if you plan to stay in Poland for a longer period of time. Then your employer may transfer your income on your account. A foreigner can easily open a bank account but individual banks may have different requirements as regarding the documents to be submitted. Generally, you might be asked to present the following documents:
- valid passport or ID;
- residence card or temporary residence card;
- PESEL - personal number of Public Electronic System of Population Evidence.