Sending Money Abroad from Poland

When you send money internationally from Poland, there are two main systems your transfer can go through: SEPA and SWIFT. Understanding the difference is the single most important thing for avoiding unnecessary fees, because the wrong choice can cost you 50-200 PLN on a single transfer.

SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area)

SEPA is a European payment system designed to make euro transfers within participating countries as easy and cheap as domestic transfers. It covers all EU and EEA countries, plus Switzerland, Monaco, San Marino, and a few others. If you're sending euros to a bank account in any of these countries, SEPA is the way to go.

The advantages of SEPA are significant: transfers are fast (typically 1 business day, often same-day), cheap (most Polish banks charge 0-5 PLN for a SEPA transfer, and many make them completely free), and reliable (the system processes billions of transactions and rarely has issues). Standard SEPA transfers arrive within 1 business day, while SEPA Instant transfers arrive in seconds, though not all Polish banks support instant SEPA yet.

The key limitation: SEPA only works for EUR transfers. If you want to send PLN to a EUR account, the bank first converts your PLN to EUR (at their exchange rate, which includes a markup), then sends the EUR via SEPA. If you want to send USD or GBP, SEPA doesn't apply at all - you'll be routed through SWIFT instead.

SWIFT (international wire transfers)

SWIFT is the global messaging network that banks use for international transfers outside SEPA, or for currencies other than EUR within Europe. When you send money to the US, UK (in GBP), India, Japan, Brazil, or anywhere outside the SEPA zone, your bank uses SWIFT. It's the backbone of international banking but was designed in the 1970s, and it shows.

SWIFT transfers are slower (2-5 business days is typical, though some corridors are faster), more expensive (fees from both the sending bank and the receiving bank, plus possible intermediary bank fees if the two banks don't have a direct relationship), and the exchange rate is set by your bank at a significant markup. On a 5,000 PLN transfer via SWIFT, you might pay 20-40 PLN in visible fees plus another 100-200 PLN hidden in the exchange rate spread. This is why fintech alternatives like Wise and Revolut have become so popular.

When setting up a SWIFT transfer, you choose who pays the fees. "OUR" means you pay all fees (sending bank's fee plus any intermediary charges). "SHA" (shared) means you pay the sending fee and the recipient pays the receiving fee. "BEN" means all fees are deducted from the transfer amount and the recipient gets less than you sent. SHA is the most common choice.

Polish IBAN format

Polish bank accounts use the IBAN format: the country code PL followed by 26 digits, for a total of 28 characters. A Polish IBAN looks like this: PL61 1090 1014 0000 0712 1981 2874. The first two digits after "PL" are a check digit, followed by the bank sort code (4 digits) and the account number. You'll find your IBAN in your online banking app under account details or on your bank card.

For receiving international transfers, the sender also needs your bank's SWIFT/BIC code. This is an 8 or 11-character code that identifies your specific bank. Every Polish bank has one, and it's listed in your online banking alongside your IBAN. Common ones: BREXPLPW (mBank), BPKOPLPW (PKO BP), INGBPLPW (ING), WBKPPLPP (Santander), BIGBPLPW (Millennium).

Sending money internationally through your Polish bank is the most straightforward option - you don't need to sign up for any new service, and the transfer interface is built into your existing online banking. But straightforward doesn't mean cheap. Polish banks make significant money on international transfers, mainly through exchange rate markups rather than visible fees.

The fee you see in the table is only part of the cost - and usually the smaller part. The bigger expense is the exchange rate markup. When you send 5,000 PLN to a USD account, your bank converts your PLN to USD at their own rate, which is typically 2-4% worse than the mid-market rate you see on Google or XE.com. On a 5,000 PLN transfer, a 3% markup means you lose about 150 PLN to the spread alone - on top of the 20-40 PLN SWIFT fee. Over a year of monthly transfers, that's 2,000+ PLN in unnecessary costs.

Some Polish banks have introduced multi-currency accounts or improved their exchange rates for certain currencies. mBank tends to offer the best exchange rates among traditional Polish banks, with markups around 1.5-2% for major currencies. PKO BP and Santander are at the other end of the spectrum, with markups often exceeding 3%. If you must use a Polish bank for international transfers, mBank or ING will save you the most.

How to send via online banking

The process is similar across all Polish banks. Log into your online banking (or mobile app) and navigate to Transfers (Przelewy), then select International/Foreign (Zagraniczny or Walutowy). You'll need to enter the recipient's IBAN, their bank's SWIFT/BIC code, the recipient's full name and address, the currency and amount, and the purpose of the transfer (a brief description like "invoice payment" or "family support").

You'll also choose who pays the fees: OUR (you pay all fees - the most expensive but ensures the recipient gets the full amount), SHA (shared - you pay your bank's fee, the recipient pays their bank's fee, and intermediary fees are unpredictable), or BEN (all fees deducted from the transfer - cheapest for you but the recipient gets less). For personal transfers, SHA is the standard choice. For business payments where the recipient expects an exact amount, OUR is safer.

After entering all details, confirm with your authorization method (SMS code, push notification from the mobile app, or hardware token) and the transfer is initiated. Keep the confirmation receipt - you'll need it if anything goes wrong. For more on Polish bank accounts, see our bank accounts comparison and how to open an account.

Wise is the go-to service for most expats in Poland when it comes to international transfers, and for good reason. The key advantage: Wise uses the real mid-market exchange rate (the one you see on Google or XE.com) and charges a small, transparent fee on top. There are no hidden markups, no surprises, and the recipient gets exactly what you expect them to get.

How it works

Wise doesn't actually move your money across borders in the traditional sense. Instead, it uses a network of local bank accounts in different countries. When you send PLN to someone in the UK, Wise takes your PLN into its Polish bank account and simultaneously pays out GBP from its UK bank account to the recipient. Your money never actually crosses a border, which is why it's cheaper and faster than SWIFT.

This model avoids the SWIFT network entirely, which means no correspondent bank fees, no multi-day delays waiting for messages to pass between banks, and no hidden exchange rate markups. The exchange rate you see on the Wise app or website is the real mid-market rate at that moment, and Wise charges its fee separately and transparently.

Fees and pricing

Wise fees for sending from PLN vary by destination currency, but typically range from 0.4% to 1.5% of the amount. The exact fee depends on the currency pair and how you fund the transfer. For popular corridors like PLN to EUR or PLN to GBP, fees are usually at the lower end (0.4-0.7%). For less common currencies or larger amounts, fees might be slightly higher but still dramatically cheaper than banks.

To give a concrete example: sending 4,000 PLN to a EUR account typically costs around 20-35 PLN in fees with Wise, and you get the real exchange rate. The same transfer through a Polish bank would cost 0-5 PLN in visible fees but 80-160 PLN in exchange rate markup. So Wise saves you roughly 60-130 PLN on a single transfer. The Wise app shows you the exact fee, the exchange rate, and the delivery estimate before you confirm - there are no surprises after the fact.

Speed

Most Wise transfers arrive in 1-2 business days. Some corridors are faster - PLN to EUR and PLN to GBP transfers can arrive same-day if you initiate them early in the morning on a business day. Transfers to the US typically take 1-2 business days. More exotic corridors (PLN to INR, PLN to PHP, etc.) might take 2-3 business days.

You can fund your Wise transfer via Polish bank transfer (fastest, usually free), BLIK(convenient, instant funding), or debit/credit card (fast but slightly higher fee). Bank transfer funding is recommended for larger amounts since it's free, while BLIK is convenient for smaller, quick transfers.

Multi-currency account

Beyond just transferring money, Wise offers a multi-currency account where you can hold balances in 40+ currencies, including PLN. You get local bank details in multiple countries - a EUR IBAN (Belgian or Estonian), a US routing number with account number, a GBP sort code, an AUD BSB, and more. This means clients or employers can pay you using local bank details in their country, often for free or at minimal cost, and the money lands in your Wise account in their currency. You then convert to PLN whenever the rate is favorable.

The Wise debit card lets you spend in any currency at the mid-market rate with a small fee (typically 0.35-1% depending on the currency). It's a Mastercard, so it works at any card terminal. Many remote workers in Poland use Wise as their primary international account and a Polish bank (like mBank) for domestic purposes.

Revolutis extremely popular in Poland - the country has one of the highest Revolut adoption rates in Europe, with millions of Polish users. It's a solid option for international transfers, especially if you already use it for daily spending, and it has some unique advantages over both banks and Wise.

Free transfers (with limits)

On the free Revolut Standard plan, you can exchange up to 1,000 EUR equivalent per month at the interbank rate with no fee whatsoever. That's genuinely free - no fee, no markup, the real exchange rate. Above that 1,000 EUR limit, a 0.5% fee applies to further exchanges. The Plus plan (49 PLN/month) raises the free limit, and Premium (109 PLN/month) and Metal (209 PLN/month) offer unlimited fee-free exchanges.

For someone who sends a consistent amount each month - say, 3,000-4,000 PLN to family abroad - the free tier covers a good chunk of that. If you regularly send larger amounts, the math on whether to upgrade to a paid plan depends on your volume. For exchanges above ~8,000 PLN/month, the Premium plan pays for itself through saved fees.

Weekend markup

One important thing to watch: Revolut adds a markup on currency exchanges during weekends and on public holidays. From Friday evening (17:00 UTC) to Sunday night (23:00 UTC), major currencies (EUR, USD, GBP) have a 0.5% markup, and less common currencies have a 1% markup. This is because forex markets are closed on weekends and Revolut takes on currency risk during that period.

The practical implication: if you can wait until Monday to exchange your money, do it. The difference between a weekday and weekend exchange on 5,000 PLN is about 25 PLN for EUR and potentially more for exotic currencies. If your transfer is urgent on a Saturday, the weekend markup is still much better than a Polish bank's 2-4% spread, but it's worth knowing about.

PLN account and Polish IBAN

Revolut gives you a full Polish IBAN (starting with PL), which means you can receive PLN transfers from Polish banks as domestic transfers - free and usually instant. This is a significant advantage over Wise, which doesn't offer a Polish IBAN. You can use your Revolut PLN IBAN to receive your salary, accept payments from Polish clients, or get refunds from Polish companies.

Within the app, you can hold balances in EUR, USD, GBP, and dozens of other currencies, converting between them on demand. Sending money to other Revolut users is free and instant regardless of currency - the money moves between Revolut accounts internally, bypassing the banking system entirely. This makes Revolut ideal for splitting bills with international friends, paying back travel companions, or sending money to family who also have Revolut.

Revolut also offers features that go beyond transfers: budgeting tools, subscription tracking, crypto trading, stock investing (from 1 PLN), and travel insurance on paid plans. For many expats in Poland, Revolut has become their primary financial app, complementing (or in some cases replacing) a traditional Polish bank account.

Western Union, MoneyGram, and Ria are still used in Poland, though their market share has been declining as more people discover digital alternatives. These services are primarily useful for one specific scenario: when the recipient needs to collect physical cash at a pickup location, because they don't have a bank account or live in an area with limited banking infrastructure.

In Poland, you can send money from Western Union agent locations, which are found inside Poczta Polska (Polish Post) offices, some banks, and dedicated exchange offices (kantors) in city centers and shopping malls. You can also initiate transfers online through the Western Union website or app and fund them with a Polish bank transfer or card. MoneyGram operates through similar networks, with agents in banks and retail stores.

When to use traditional services

There are genuinely valid reasons to use Western Union or MoneyGram, despite their higher costs. If the recipient needs cash pickup - common when sending money to family in countries with limited banking access in rural areas of Africa, Central Asia, or Southeast Asia - the global agent network of WU and MoneyGram is unmatched. They have hundreds of thousands of pickup locations worldwide, including places where banks and fintech apps haven't reached.

Speed is another factor. Cash pickup transfers through Western Union can be available within minutes in many corridors. If someone in your family has an emergency and needs cash immediately, waiting 1-2 days for a Wise transfer isn't an option. The premium you pay for WU in these situations buys you speed and certainty.

Fees and total cost

The combination of transfer fees and unfavorable exchange rates makes traditional services the most expensive option for regular transfers. For a 2,000 PLN transfer, expect to pay 30-80 PLN in visible fees plus a 3-6% exchange rate markup. That's a total cost of 90-200 PLN - compared to 10-30 PLN with Wise for the same amount. The more you send and the more frequently you send, the more this gap compounds.

Western Union's pricing is opaque - the fee varies by destination country, amount, payment method, and delivery method (bank account vs. cash pickup vs. mobile wallet). You can check the fee before committing on the WU website, but you won't know the exact exchange rate until you lock in the transfer. This lack of transparency is one of the main criticisms of traditional money transfer services.

Numbers speak louder than words. Here's a side-by-side comparison of sending 4,000 PLN (~930 EUR) to a EUR bank account in Germany, based on typical 2026 rates and fees. The "Total Cost" column includes both the visible fee and the money lost to exchange rate markups.

* Revolut free tier includes up to ~1,000 EUR equivalent per month at interbank rate. Above this, a 0.5% fee applies. Weekend rates include a 0.5-1% markup on all plans except Metal.

The table makes the differences stark. On a single 4,000 PLN transfer to a EUR account, the gap between the cheapest option (Revolut at ~0-20 PLN) and the most expensive (Western Union at up to 320 PLN) is enormous. Even the middle-ground option - a Polish bank SEPA transfer - costs 3-7 times more than Wise or Revolut because of the exchange rate markup.

Scale this up over a year of monthly transfers and the savings become life-changing. If you send 4,000 PLN home every month using a Polish bank (SWIFT) instead of Wise, you're losing roughly 100-175 PLN per transfer, or 1,200-2,100 PLN per year. That's a vacation, a month's rent, or a significant chunk of savings - just from choosing the wrong transfer method.

If you're receiving money from abroad - whether it's a salary from a foreign employer, payments from international clients, or family support - the choice of how you receive it matters just as much as how you send it. The wrong setup can cost you hundreds of PLN per month in unnecessary conversion fees.

What to give the sender

For a SWIFT transfer to your Polish bank account, the sender needs four pieces of information: your IBAN (PL + 26 digits, found in your online banking under account details), your bank's SWIFT/BIC code (an 8 or 11-character code like BREXPLPW for mBank or BPKOPLPW for PKO BP, also in your account details), your full name as registered with the bank, and sometimes the bank's name and address (which you can find on your bank's website or in the app).

When you receive a SWIFT transfer in a foreign currency (e.g., USD or EUR) at your Polish bank, the bank will either credit the amount directly to a foreign currency sub-account (if you have one) or convert it to PLN automatically at their exchange rate. If the bank converts automatically, you lose 2-4% on the conversion. To avoid this, open a multi-currency account at your bank (mBank and ING offer good ones) so you can hold the foreign currency and convert it later at a better rate - either through the bank's exchange platform or by transferring to Wise/Revolut for conversion.

Avoiding DCC (Dynamic Currency Conversion)

Dynamic Currency Conversion is a trap that costs unsuspecting people millions worldwide. It works like this: when someone sends you money (or when you use your card abroad), the system asks "pay in PLN or the original currency?" It sounds helpful - "see the amount in your own currency!" - but the conversion rate used by DCC is always terrible, typically 4-7% worse than the mid-market rate.

The rule is simple: always choose the local currency. If you're receiving money from the US, the sender should send in USD, not try to convert to PLN on their end. If you're paying at a terminal abroad, choose to pay in the local currency, not PLN. If an ATM abroad offers to "convert to PLN for you," decline and choose the local currency option. DCC is a fee disguised as a convenience.

Tax implications of receiving foreign income

If you're a Polish tax resident (183+ days in Poland per year), all income you receive from abroad must be declared in your Polish tax return. This includes salaries from foreign employers, freelance income from international clients, rental income from property abroad, dividends from foreign investments, and pension income from other countries. The income is converted to PLN at the NBP (National Bank of Poland) exchange rate on the day you received it.

Double taxation treaty relief is available for most countries - you won't pay full tax in both Poland and the source country. Your accountant handles the calculation in your annual PIT filing. The key is to keep records of all foreign income received, including bank statements showing the dates and amounts. See our tax guide for details on declaring foreign income.

Using Wise or Revolut to receive

This is the setup that most experienced expats converge on: instead of giving your foreign clients or employer your Polish bank IBAN (which triggers expensive SWIFT transfers), give them your Wise or Revolut local bank details in their country. Wise gives you a EUR IBAN, US account number with routing number, GBP sort code and account number, AUD BSB, and more. Revolut offers similar multi-currency receiving details.

Your US employer, for example, sees a domestic US account number and pays you via a regular ACH transfer - which is free and fast on their end. The money lands in your Wise USD balance. You then convert it to PLN at the mid-market rate and transfer it to your Polish bank account. The total cost of this chain is typically 0.4-0.7% of the amount - compared to 2-4% if the employer sent a SWIFT transfer directly to your Polish bank. On a monthly salary of 15,000 PLN equivalent, that's saving 200-500 PLN per month.

The exchange rate you get can vary by 5-10% depending on where and when you convert your money. These tips apply whether you're converting cash, making transfers, or using your card abroad.

1. Never use your bank's exchange rate for large transfers

This is the single biggest money-saving tip. Polish banks mark up their exchange rates by 2-4% compared to the mid-market rate. On a 10,000 PLN transfer, that's 200-400 PLN you lose - just on the conversion, before any fees. For any amount above a few hundred PLN, use Wise, Revolut, or a Polish online kantor (currency exchange) like Cinkciarz, Walutomat, or InternetowyKantor. These platforms offer rates within 0-0.5% of the mid-market rate.

2. Use multi-currency accounts strategically

If you receive payments in EUR, USD, or GBP, don't convert them to PLN immediately unless you need the money right away. Hold the foreign currency in your Wise or Revolut account and convert when the rate is favorable. The PLN/EUR rate can fluctuate by 2-3% over a month, so timing your conversion can save real money on larger amounts. Both Wise and Revolut let you set rate alerts - you define a target rate, and the app notifies you when it's reached.

3. Avoid weekend conversions on Revolut

As mentioned earlier, Revolut adds a 0.5-1% markup on weekends when forex markets are closed. If you're converting significant amounts, waiting until Monday morning saves money every time. Wise doesn't have this weekend markup - they adjust the rate slightly to account for market closure risk, but it's built into their standard fee rather than being a separate weekend charge.

4. Avoid airport and hotel kantors

Currency exchange offices (kantors) at airports, train stations, and in tourist-heavy areas are the worst place to exchange money. The markup can be 5-10% or even higher at Warsaw Chopin Airport or Krakow Glowny station. City center kantors are much better - many offer rates within 1-2% of the mid-market rate - but still can't compete with Wise or Revolut for larger amounts.

If you must use a physical kantor, the ones along main streets in non-tourist city center areas (like Marszalkowska in Warsaw or Grodzka in Krakow, away from the main square) tend to have reasonable rates. Always compare the rate they're offering with the Google rate on your phone before exchanging.

5. Consider online kantors for large amounts

For amounts above 10,000 PLN, Polish online kantors like Walutomat, Cinkciarz, or InternetowyKantor can offer rates very close to mid-market. Walutomat works like a marketplace - it matches buyers and sellers of currencies, so the rate depends on supply and demand among users. You might wait a few hours for your order to match, but the rate can be better than Wise for very large amounts.

Cinkciarz.pl is more like a traditional broker - you get an instant quote and the transfer is processed within 1-2 business days. They specialize in exotic currencies and large transfers. For amounts above 50,000 PLN, you can negotiate custom rates. These platforms are licensed and regulated by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF), so they're safe to use.

6. Set up recurring transfers

If you send money abroad regularly (monthly to family, quarterly tax payments, etc.), set up a recurring transfer on Wise. This automates the process and removes the temptation to procrastinate and let money pile up in the wrong currency. You can also track your rates over time and see if your average rate is improving or declining. Even small rate differences (0.1-0.2%) add up significantly over 12 months of regular transfers.