How Do You Receive Money from Poland to India in 2026?

A Polish client pays zloty at home by standard transfer through Elixir or by instant transfer through Express Elixir, both run by KIR. Euro payments go through SEPA systems such as Euro Elixir. India is outside these systems, so a direct payment to an Indian bank goes by SWIFT.

• Rails: Elixir is KIR's interbank clearing system for PLN transfers and direct debits, settled the same day at the National Bank of Poland. Express Elixir handles instant zloty transfers, including BLIK transfers to a phone number. Euro Elixir clears SEPA euro payments. Payments to Indian bank accounts use SWIFT.
• Client enters: For a Polish transfer: your name and Polish account number or IBAN. For SWIFT: your name, Indian account number, your bank's SWIFT code, bank address and the invoice reference. A BLIK transfer to a phone number only works where both banks are in the Express Elixir and BLIK systems.
• Client cost: Each Polish bank sets its own charges. KIR says the price of an Express Elixir transfer is set by the bank and is usually a few zlotys. A SWIFT transfer to India is an international payment, so the bank's charges for that service apply, and the client may choose who bears correspondent fees.
• Speed: Elixir runs morning, afternoon and evening sessions each business day, with the last entry closing at 4:00 pm. Express Elixir runs 24 hours a day, every day, and credits the recipient within seconds, up to PLN 100,000 per transfer as standard. SWIFT payments to India often take one to three business days.
• Limits: Domestic zloty transfers and instant transfers only reach accounts at Polish banks taking part in these systems. A SEPA euro transfer only reaches an account in the SEPA area. A client paying you therefore needs Polish or SEPA account details from you, or must send a SWIFT transfer.

The table ranks platforms with full published pricing for PLN by the INR received on PLN 5,000, then lists other business platforms that accept PLN, unranked. Fees were checked on 30 Sept 2026 or later.

You receive less than the invoice because each step can deduct a fee or apply a rate below mid-market. Bank charges, correspondent deductions and conversion margins add up. For example, at an example mid-market rate of Rs 23 per Polish zloty, a 1% margin on PLN 20,000 costs about Rs 4,600 before any fixed fees.

Each row applies the platform's published fee, FX markup and 18% GST on the fee to the mid-market rate of ₹24.02 per PLN for 3 Nov 2026.

• Total cost: Add the fixed fee, any percentage fee and the conversion margin. Compare the rupees credited for the same invoice amount.
• Local rail coverage: Check whether the method accepts domestic PLN transfers from your Polish client, or only euro SEPA payments.
• Settlement speed: Look at how long zloty take to reach the collection account and how long rupees take to reach your Indian bank.
• FIRA: Confirm that you receive an inward remittance advice or FIRA for every payment, with the purpose code shown.
• Client experience: Polish business clients often pay supplier invoices by domestic zloty transfer, which only reaches accounts at Polish banks. Card payments suit clients who pay by company card.
• Support: Check how the provider or bank handles returned payments, name mismatches and purpose code corrections.

Money from a Polish client for services is an export receipt under the FEMA (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026, in force from 1 October 2026. You file an EDF, quote an export purpose code and realise the payment within nine months of the invoice date, or twelve months if invoiced or settled in rupees.

• FIRA or e-FIRA: FIRA is a document name used by banks and payment providers. It is not a statutory term, and the FEMA regulations do not define it. It records the inward payment. DGFT issues an e-BRC as confirmation that the exporter received payment.
• Purpose code: Use the code that matches the service. Examples from the RBI purpose code list are P0802 Software consultancy/implementation (other than those covered in SOFTEX form) and P1006 Business and management consultancy and public relations services. See P0802.
• EDF for services: Under Regulation 3(2), a services exporter files an EDF within 30 days from the end of the invoice month. One EDF can cover all exports in a month. The EDF replaces SOFTEX for software from 1 October 2026 under A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 20. See EDF form.
• EDF for goods: A goods exporter files the EDF at the time of export. For EDI ports it is deemed submitted with the shipping bill under Regulation 3(1).
• EDPMS: Your AD bank closes the EDPMS entry when payment arrives. For invoices up to Rs 10 lakh, the entry may close on your declaration under Regulation 4(2). See EDPMS closure.
• PA-CB fund safety: A non-bank payment aggregator must hold merchant funds in an escrow account with a scheduled commercial bank in India, called an Inward Collection Account for inward payments, under paragraph 16 of the RBI Master Direction.

Services you supply to a Polish business client are usually an export of services under section 2(6) of the IGST Act and zero-rated under section 16. You can supply without paying IGST by filing an LUT. The income is taxable in India, and the India-Poland tax treaty limits Polish tax on fees for technical services.

• GST and LUT: File a Letter of Undertaking in FORM GST RFD-11 before you export under CGST Rule 96A. Under section 2(6) of the IGST Act, payment must arrive in convertible foreign exchange, or in rupees where RBI permits. See LUT filing.
• GST on fees: Currency conversion by an Indian bank or provider is a taxable supply. Its value can be determined under CGST Rule 32(2). The GST appears on the provider's charges to you.
• Income tax: The Income-tax Act, 2025 replaced the 1961 Act from 1 April 2026. Presumptive taxation formerly in sections 44AD and 44ADA now sits in section 58. Tax Year 2026-27 is the first year under the new Act. See section 44ADA.
• India-Poland DTAA: Under Article 7 of the India-Poland tax treaty signed at Warsaw on 21 June 1989, business profits are taxed only in India unless you have a permanent establishment in Poland. Article 13, as amended by a protocol in force from 1 June 2014, lets Poland tax fees for technical services arising there at up to 15% of the gross amount. Article 15 covers independent personal services.
• Client side: Under Articles 44 and 196 of the EU VAT Directive, services to a business are supplied where the customer is established, and that customer pays the VAT when the supplier is not established in its Member State. The standard Polish VAT rate is 23%. Ask your client whether it withholds Polish tax and which residence documents it needs from you.

Rules and rails are linked to official sources below with the dates they were checked. Platform figures come from each platform's own pages, checked on 30 Sept 2026 or later, and RBI authorisation was checked against RBI's published list. Rates are XE live mid-market rates, dated 3 Nov 2026. The method is on the methodology page.

1. Foreign Exchange Management (Export and Import of Goods and Services) Regulations, 2026 (FEMA 23(R)/2026-RB, amended up to 22 Sep 2026), Reg 1(2) in force from 1 Oct 2026; Reg 3(1) EDF for goods, deemed with EDI shipping bill; Reg 3(2) services EDF within 30 days from end of invoice month, single EDF per month, non-software may file on or before payment; Reg 4(2) EDPMS closure on declaration up to Rs 10 lakh; Reg 5 realisation nine months from invoice date for services, twelve if invoiced or settled in INR. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
2. RBI A.P. (DIR Series) Circular No. 20 dated 16 January 2026 (RBI/2025-26/194), Master Directions on Export and Import and listed SOFTEX circulars superseded from 1 October 2026. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
3. Foreign Exchange Management (Manner of Receipt and Payment) Regulations, 2023, Reg 3(2)(I)(a)(iii): trade receipts from countries other than ACU members in Indian rupees or any foreign currency, through an authorised bank. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
4. RBI purpose codes for reporting FETERS transactions (A.P. DIR Circular No. 84, 2012), P0802 Software consultancy/implementation (other than those covered in SOFTEX form); P1006 Business and management consultancy and public relations services. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
5. RBI Master Direction on Regulation of Payment Aggregator (PA), 15 September 2025, Para 11(d): PA-CB maximum Rs 25 lakh per inward or outward transaction; para 16(a): funds held in escrow with a scheduled commercial bank, called Inward Collection Account for PA-CB inward transactions. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
6. RBI circular: Guidelines to facilitate faster cross-border inward payments, 9 April 2026 (RBI/2026-27/08), Para 3: banks shall endeavour to credit inward payments received during forex market hours within the same business day and after hours on the next business day; para 4: effective six months from the circular date. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
7. Foreign Exchange Management (Foreign currency accounts by a person resident in India) Regulations, 2015, Schedule I EEFC Scheme: 100 percent of foreign exchange earnings may be credited; no restriction on withdrawal in rupees, but rupees withdrawn cannot be re-credited. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
8. IGST Act, 2017, section 2(6) (CBIC), Export of services: supplier in India, recipient outside India, place of supply outside India, payment in convertible foreign exchange or INR where RBI permits, not establishments of a distinct person. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
9. IGST Act, 2017, section 16 (CBIC), Export of goods or services is a zero rated supply. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
10. CGST Rules, 2017, Rule 96A (CBIC), Export without payment of integrated tax on furnishing a bond or Letter of Undertaking in FORM GST RFD-11 prior to export. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
11. CGST Rules, 2017, Rule 32 (CBIC), Rule 32(2): value of supply of services in relation to purchase or sale of foreign currency, including money changing. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
12. Income Tax Department FAQ: Objective and scope of the new Income-tax Act, 2025, 1961 Act repealed on 01.04.2026; Tax Year 2026-27; presumptive schemes in sections 44AD, 44ADA and 44AE consolidated into section 58. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
13. DGFT Public eBRC FAQs (Self-certification of eBRC), eBRC is issued by DGFT as confirmation that the exporter has received payment against export of goods or services. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
14. European Central Bank: Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), SEPA lets customers make cashless euro payments anywhere in the EU and to a number of non-EU countries; the SEPA country map lists Poland as an EU member not using the euro (41 SEPA countries, status 22 May 2025). (checked 8 Oct 2026)
15. Agreement between India and Poland for the avoidance of double taxation (Income Tax Department, Notification GSR 72(E) dated 12-2-1990, as amended by S.O. 2488(E) dated 24-9-2014), Signed at Warsaw on 21 June 1989, in force 26 October 1989; protocol in force 1 June 2014. Art. 7(1) business profits taxable only in state of residence unless permanent establishment; Art. 13(2) royalties and FTS taxable at source up to 15 per cent of gross; Art. 13(4) FTS means consideration for managerial or technical or consultancy services, other than those in Articles 15 and 16; Art. 13(6) arise where payer is resident; Art. 15(1) taxable in other state only with fixed base or stay of 183 days or more in the relevant previous year or year of income. Art. 15(1): professional income taxable in the other State only with a fixed base there or a stay of 183 days or more in the relevant year. Protocol (signed 29 January 2013) in force 1 June 2014. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
16. KIR: Elixir system, Electronic interbank clearing system that handles transfers in PLN, including tax and social insurance payments and direct debits; three sessions each business day (entry closing 9:30 am, 1:30 pm, 4:00 pm), closed with settlement the same day in the National Bank of Poland system (named SORBNET2 on the KIR page). (checked 8 Oct 2026)
17. KIR: Express Elixir for clients, Instant transfers reach the recipient within seconds, including BLIK transfers to a phone number where both banks participate; available 24/7/365; price set by each bank, usually a few zlotys; limit up to PLN 100,000 per transfer as standard. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
18. KIR: Euro Elixir, Interbank clearing system for euro transactions, part of the integrated infrastructure of the European payments area (SEPA payments), processing transfers within Poland and abroad. KIR's list of SEPA countries includes Poland (PL). (checked 8 Oct 2026)
19. Council Directive 2006/112/EC on the common system of VAT, consolidated text 1 January 2025 (EUR-Lex), Art. 44: place of supply of services to a taxable person is where that person has established his business; Art. 196: VAT payable by the taxable person to whom Art. 44 services are supplied if the supplier is not established in the Member State. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
20. Your Europe (European Union): VAT rules and rates, VAT rates table: Poland standard rate 23%, reduced rates 5% and 8%. (checked 8 Oct 2026)
21. Razorpay MoneySaver Export Account (International Bank Transfers) pricing, Standard Plan: 0% FX markup, 1% fee, FlashLinks 2%, GST applicable, flat fee of INR 1,000 on transactions below INR 1,00,000, setup and AMC INR 0 (checked 6 Oct 2026)
22. Skydo homepage (pricing and fee calculator), Know what you pay; calculator showing GST 18% of transaction fee (checked 6 Oct 2026)
23. Stripe India pricing, International cards with USD/other currency presentment 4.3% + 2% if currency conversion is required; Mastercard and Visa cards issued outside India 3% + 2%; American Express outside India 3.5% + 2%; dispute received INR 1,000.00 (checked 7 Oct 2026)
24. PayPal India Merchant Fees, Receiving international transactions; Currency Conversions (3.0% converting balance and payments received; 4.00% all other cases); Withdrawals Out of PayPal; Dispute Fees; Other Fees (Last Updated 28 March 2024) (checked 6 Oct 2026)
25. Airwallex Help: Eligible Countries and Territories, INDIA IN - AWX Legal Entity SINGAPORE (checked 7 Oct 2026)
26. ICICI Bank - Inward trade remittances, Receive remittances in 24+ currencies; BIRC for export proceeds, FIRC for FDI/FII on request; funds credited within 1 hour of disposal instruction and documents (checked 7 Oct 2026)
27. Winvesta FAQ: What are the charges for the global collections account?, Up to 2,000 a month: 0.99% + a small fixed fee; 2,000-100,000 a month: custom pricing; above 100,000 a month: flat 0.2%; USD Collections: $3 + 0.99%; 18% GST will be levied on Winvesta fees for every non-JPMC account (checked 7 Oct 2026)
28. PingPong India home, Digital FIRCs in your PingPong dashboard. Free of cost; All fee charges are shown on the account dashboard (checked 7 Oct 2026)