Accessing credit/loan as an EU national?
Hi all,
I am facing a problem I wouldn't think I would face in Poland. I am trying to get a credit card as an EU national with long term residence here and every bank has immediately refused my application. I tried recently with Pekao but in the past also asked Millennium, ING, and Santander.
No specific reason given, even after I asked they remain quite generic. And they refuse to give written explanation, which is quite suspicious.
Anyway, one of the clerks at Pekao suggested me that I am not "in the system" as I never had a credit card in Poland before (obviously...) but also never took a loan nor a mortgage, nor ever been in debt. She suggested me to ask for a small loan or to purchase something in installments for 6 months just to "enter the system" and then my applications for credit would be easily accepted.
Yeah. Just that... I can't. I tried purchasing a simple appliance in RTV and Mediaexpert: in RTV after a long series of questions the system rejected my application. The clerk seemed very annoyed and dismissed me after half an hour saying that I would receive a message if the application would be accepted later. The message never came.
At two Mediaexpert stores the girls immediately told me that without a dowód osobiste or Karta Pobytu my application would be impossible. Passport was not an option.
I asked 3 banks for a small loan (1-2000PLN). Again, immediately rejected. I tried purchasing clothes online from a Polish retailer with Klarna. Guess what? Application rejected. I had to pay cash.
I have UoP contract (since over 3 years), earn quite a bit over the average (working in IT), and have enough cash that nobody would doubt I am able to repay a small loan or monthly expenses required for a credit card to be free. It is not about not having the means.
I have a long term residence card, my nationality passport, but not being a Polish citizen I can't have a dowód osobiste nor a Polish passport. Being a EU national I can't get the Karta Pobytu.
Curiously, I can get a mortgage just fine. But I already own an apartment and it is silly to buy another just to access the possibility to get a loan or a credit card.
So, I am here asking other EU nationals: how did you get credit/loan in Poland without being a citizen?