National Payment Institution licence (Poland)
The National Payment Institution licence (krajowa instytucja płatnicza - KIP) is issued by Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) under Act on Payment Services of 19 August 2011. It is a national licence: it does not give a passport to other EU/EEA states. The legal decision period is 3 months from a complete application. The application fee is EUR 1,250 equivalent in PLN. Ownership changes need the regulator's approval before completion.
At a glance
| Official name | National Payment Institution licence1 |
|---|---|
| Local name | krajowa instytucja płatnicza - KIP |
| Also known as | KIP · krajowa instytucja płatnicza · API · Polish API licence · Polish national payment institution · Polish payment institution licence · KNF payment institution licence · Polish PI licence |
| Issued by | Polish Financial Supervision Authority |
| Jurisdiction | Poland |
| Licence family | Payment institution (PI) |
| Legal basis | Act on Payment Services of 19 August 20112 Directive (EU) 2015/2366 on payment services in the internal market (PSD2)3 |
| Passporting | Domestic only |
| Application fee | EUR 1,250 equivalent in PLN4 |
| Statutory decision time | 3 months from a complete application5 |
What it lets you do
| Execution of payment transactions | Executing direct debits, card payments and credit transfers, including standing orders, from a payment account. |
|---|---|
| Money remittance | Receiving funds from a payer solely to transfer them to a payee or another provider, without opening payment accounts. |
| Issuing payment instruments and acquiring payment transactions | Issuing cards or other payment instruments to payers, and acquiring card and other payment transactions for merchants. |
| Payment initiation services | Initiating a payment order at the user's request from an account held with another provider, as in open banking. |
| Account information services | Providing consolidated online information on one or more payment accounts the user holds with other providers. |
Where it is valid
Cost
How long it takes
Statutory: 3 months from a complete application5. Observed: not published. The statutory clock usually starts only when the regulator treats the application as complete, and pauses while it waits for answers to its questions.
Buying a company that already holds it
Prior notification with an objection period. Acquiring or increasing a qualifying holding needs prior notification to the KNF, which can object within 60 working days (extendable by up to 20 working days while it waits for information). For national payment institutions the thresholds are 20%, 30% and 50% (Payment Services Act, Art. 72a); for banks they are 10%, 20%, one third and 50% (Banking Law, Art. 25). Shares acquired in breach carry no voting rights.5
Ready-made companies holding this licence: see verified positions.
PI in other countries
| Country | Licence | Regulator | Min. capital | Application fee | Statutory time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czech Republic | Account Information Service Provider authorisation | CNB | n/a | CZK 25,000 | ~3 mo |
| Czech Republic | Small-scale Payment Service Provider authorisation | CNB | n/a | CZK 10,000 | ~1 mo |
| Czech Republic | Payment Institution licence | CNB | n/a | CZK 50,000 | ~3 mo |
| Estonia | Payment institution operating with an exception | FI | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Estonia | Operating licence as a payment institution | FI | n/a | EUR 3,000 | ~3 mo |
| Georgia | Payment institution licenceRegistration as a Payment Service Provider (PSP) with the National Bank of Georgia | NBG | n/a | GEL 5,000 | n/a |
| Germany | Account information service provider registration | BaFin | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Germany | Payment institution licence | BaFin | n/a | EUR 13,523 | ~3 mo |
| Ireland | Payment Institution Authorisation | CBI | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Latvia | Registered payment institution | LB | n/a | EUR 2,500 | ~1.7 mo |
| Latvia | Authorised payment institution licence | LB | n/a | EUR 5,000 | ~3.7 mo |
| Lithuania | Payment institution licence for restricted activity | LB | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Lithuania | Payment institution licence | LB | n/a | EUR 898 | ~3 mo |
| Luxembourg | Payment institution authorisation | CSSF | n/a | EUR 30,000 | ~3 mo |
| Malta | Account information service provider registration | MFSA | n/a | EUR 1,000 | n/a |
| Malta | Payment institution licence | MFSA | n/a | EUR 10,000 | ~3 mo |
| Netherlands | Payment institution licencePayment institution licence (Vergunning betaalinstelling) | DNB | n/a | EUR 6,800 | ~3 mo |
| Poland | Account Information Service Provider registration | KNF | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Poland | National Payment Institution licence | KNF | n/a | EUR 1,250 | ~3 mo |
| Poland | Small Payment Institution registration | KNF | n/a | PLN 616 | ~3 mo |
| Singapore | Major Payment Institution Licence | MAS | n/a | SGD 1,500 | n/a |
| Singapore | Standard Payment Institution Licence | MAS | n/a | SGD 1,000 | n/a |
| Slovakia | Payment institution licence | NBS | n/a | n/a | ~3 mo |
| Spain | Payment institution authorization | BdE | n/a | n/a | ~3 mo |
| United Arab Emirates | Retail Payment Services Licence (Categories I to IV) | CBUAE | n/a | n/a | ~2.8 mo |
| United Kingdom | Registered Account Information Service Provider (RAISP) | FCA | n/a | GBP 1,130 | n/a |
| United Kingdom | Small Payment Institution (SPI) Registration | FCA | n/a | GBP 1,130 | n/a |
| United Kingdom | Authorised Payment Institution (API) | FCA | n/a | GBP 5,640 | ~3 mo |
Values come from each licence's page, where every figure has its source.
Laws behind it
- Directive (EU) 2015/2366 on payment services in the internal market: Directive (EU) 2015/2366
Sources
- knf.gov.pl: wstep · retrieved 2026-09-24
- dziennikustaw.gov.pl: 30 · retrieved 2026-09-24
- EUR-Lex: CELEX 32015L2366 · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: oplaty i koszty · retrieved 2026-09-24
- knf.gov.pl: zezwolenie rozpatrywanie wniosku · retrieved 2026-09-24
Want the PI licence in Poland?
Tell us your business model and target markets. We check the fit before you spend on an application, then handle the licence end to end.
A free preliminary assessment: we check your business model against the licence before you spend on an application. We handle this licence and any other fintech licence, including jurisdictions the Atlas does not cover yet.