Buying a US Home from Poland: Mortgage, Visa and Tax Facts

Q: Can I use my BIK report for a US mortgage?

It will not give you a US credit score, because US scores come only from what US lenders report. BIK sells individuals their own report for 59 zloty after identity verification, and a free copy of your data is available once every six months. Either is a reasonable document to offer a lender, which then decides whether to take it into account.

Q: Will I pay Polish tax if I sell my flat to fund a US home?

According to the Polish tax portal, a sale within five years, counted from the end of the calendar year in which you bought or built the property, is taxed at 19% and reported on PIT-39. After five years the sale is not taxed. A housing relief exempts the gain to the extent you spend the proceeds on your own housing within three years, but check with an adviser whether a home in the United States qualifies.

Q: Do I need a visa to go and view homes?

No. Poland joined the Visa Waiver Program on 11 November 2019, so a short visit to view property needs an approved ESTA. That covers visiting only. To live in the United States you need a separate status, and that status decides which mortgages are open to you.

Q: How do I protect my down payment against the exchange rate?

Decide the timing instead of leaving it to the week of closing. Under the rules most lenders follow, funds held abroad have to be converted into dollars and sitting in a US-regulated account before closing anyway, so many buyers convert in stages once the purchase becomes concrete. A currency specialist can explain forward contracts and what they cost.

Poland and the United States at a glance

Figures last checked: 3 October 2026

Visiting: In the Visa Waiver Program since 11 November 2019: viewing trips need an ESTA, not a visa.
Treaty visas: E-1 trader and E-2 investor status available, under the treaty in force since 6 August 1994.
Income tax treaty: Yes, in force.
Estate tax treaty: No.
Social security agreement: Yes, since 1 March 2009.
Currency: Polish zloty, so you carry exchange-rate risk against the dollar without the euro in between.
Already there: About 390,000 people born in Poland live in the United States (Census Bureau, 2024).

Your route into the United States

Since November 2019 Polish citizens have been able to visit the United States without a visa, on an ESTA. That makes viewing trips easy and changes nothing about living there, which requires a status of your own. Lenders offer standard mortgages to people who are lawfully resident, on a green card or a temporary visa, and many Poles arrive through family or through an employer. Business owners can use the E-1 and E-2 categories, open to Polish nationals since 1994. An E-2 is an investment in an operating business. A home does not qualify.

Buying before you have US residency usually means a foreign national loan, with a larger down payment and a higher rate. The guide to visa status and US loans explains the options.

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Zloty, not euros

Most pages on this site talk about converting euros. Your savings are in zloty, and the zloty and the dollar can move against each other independently of the euro. On a down payment of several hundred thousand zloty, a few per cent of movement between your offer and your closing is real money.

The rules most lenders follow also force the timing. Assets located outside the United States need to be exchanged into dollars and held in a US or state-regulated financial institution, and verified there, before the loan closes. So the conversion cannot be left to the last day. Open a US account early and keep each transfer documented from your Polish bank statement to the US one.

What a US lender sees of your Polish finances

Your history at BIK does not become a US credit score. Buy your report or request the free copy, and add it to your file with tax returns and payslips. Income is treated strictly: under Fannie Mae's rules, earnings from a foreign employer paid in foreign currency need two years of US federal tax returns behind them, and documents must be in English or translated. A lender will mostly rely on your US employment and on funds already in the country.

Your Polish property

If a sale in Poland is funding the purchase, the five-year rule decides whether tax is due. The period runs from the end of the calendar year in which you acquired the property. Inside it, the gain is taxed at 19% unless the housing relief applies. Do not assume that relief covers a home in the United States without checking.

If you keep the Polish flat and let it, or stay resident in Poland while owning in the US, remember that Polish residents are taxed on worldwide income and that the treaty method decides how US tax is taken into account. Poland also taxes unrealised gains on a change of tax residence where assets exceed a high value threshold, which matters mainly to business owners.

No estate tax treaty

For an owner who is neither a US citizen nor a US resident, a US estate tax return is required once US assets, including a house, exceed $60,000. Poland has no estate tax treaty with the United States to change that. Ask a specialist how to hold the property before you sign.

Checklist for Polish buyers

Confirm your US status and when it starts.
Get your BIK report and collect PIT returns, payslips and bank statements.
Have documents translated into English.
Check the five-year rule before selling property in Poland.
Open a US account and plan the zloty to dollar conversion in stages.
Keep the financing and inspection contingencies in your US contract.
Take estate tax advice before deciding how to hold the property.

Questions people moving from Europe ask

Can I use my BIK report for a US mortgage?

Will I pay Polish tax if I sell my flat to fund a US home?

Do I need a visa to go and view homes?

How do I protect my down payment against the exchange rate?

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Sources (11)

Figures and rules on this page were checked against these sources on 3 October 2026. Rates, prices and local rules change, so confirm anything you rely on before you commit.

Made, reviewed and approved by Bas Terpstra, AFM- and PGN-certified
Basterpstra B.V., Drachten, the Netherlands (AFM 12050993)

Who made this guide. Bas Terpstra makes, reviews and approves every guide, using AI tools and public sources as a starting point. Rules and figures change, so treat this as general information and confirm the details for your own situation.

This page is general information, not personal financial, legal, tax or immigration advice. Nothing here is an offer, and no rate, loan amount, approval or visa outcome is promised. Mortgage availability is subject to immigration status, income, credit, appraisal and lender criteria, and lending, tax and local rules change. Consult a licensed US lender, an immigration attorney and a cross-border tax adviser. Any property securing a loan may be at risk if payments are not made.