Top 2 Money Transfer Providers for USA to Poland

American citizens planning to visit Poland for less than 90 days do not need a visa. For American citizens who plan to work in Poland either temporarily or permanently, a work visa or residency permit is required. There are a number of visas and stay permits for visiting Poland. For more details and requirements, please refer to the Polish Consulate website.

To purchase property in Poland, American citizens are required to obtain permission from the Ministerstwo Spraw Wewnętrznych i Administracji (Ministry of Interior and Administration). There are circumstances that allow for property purchases without this permission, however.

To avoid the permission requirement, a US citizen must prove that the property is for residential purposes and that it meets certain size requirements; that they have been permanent residents of Poland for at least five years, or are married to a Polish citizen, have been a resident for at least two years, and will hold the property jointly with their spouse. US citizens can also avoid the permission requirement by inheriting the property. If the permission requirement cannot be avoided, the US citizen must apply for permission with the Warsaw municipality office and pay a stamp duty by wire transfer to the office's account.

The property purchase must include an application to the Urząd Dzielnicy Mokotów m. st. Warszawy (Warsaw municipality office), along with the property details, documents proving any connection to Poland, and the original payment confirmation. The buyer must prepare their own application, as Poland has no real estate template for purchasing property. Once all legal steps have been taken, the buyer can then arrange to transfer money from USA to Poland for their real estate purchase.

American citizens who wish to study in Poland for less than 90 days do not need a study visa. For study programs that last longer than three months, however, a study visa may be required. All foreign students are also required to purchase health insurance while studying in Poland. There are currently no restrictions in place for American students who wish to send money to Poland to help fund their education.

American residents living abroad must declare their earnings and file tax forms annually. Currently, the US and Poland have a tax treaty agreement in place, meaning US citizens can receive credit via a foreign income tax offset for any taxes paid in Poland. Polish citizens and residents pay taxes on all income earned in Poland or abroad, whereas foreign residents of Poland pay taxes only on the income earned in Poland. For US citizens who wish to transfer money from USA to Poland to pay for taxes, there are no restrictions on making an international funds transfer to Poland at this time.

American citizens who are planning to travel in Poland are strongly recommended to take out a travel insurance policy or acquire a short-term health policy.

Polish health care is modeled on a general health insurance system. Polish citizens and residents are covered by this health insurance system, with subsidized services provided through this system, as well. All Polish citizens, residents, and employees of Polish companies are required to be insured under either the Polish health insurance system, or to take out private health insurance. If working for a non-Polish company in Poland, it is recommended that an extra health insurance policy be purchased to cover any health services needed.

US citizens living in Poland are eligible to vote by absentee ballot in American presidential, general, and primary elections. They must first register for absentee balloting with the last state precinct in which they voted, and will then receive absentee ballot by email.

The United States and Poland, which joined the European Union in 2004, have one of the largest two-way trading relationships in the world. US dollar to Polish Zloty trade and two-way transatlantic goods and services were valued at approximately $2.7 billion per day in 2012. The US and Poland, as part of the EU, work together on a variety of global and local initiatives which support increased trade, investment, and global safety throughout the world. The latest of these initiatives is the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a trade and investment agreement between the US and the Eurozone countries, which seeks to reduce tariffs and trade regulations. Combined, the EU countries rate as the 2nd largest imports market for the US, with a value of $262.3 billion in 2013. US imports to the combined EU countries accounted for 16.6% of overall US imports in 2013, and foreign direct investments and money transfers totaled $2.2 trillion in 2012.