According to the renewed law foreigners who want to buy land in Poland must receive the approval of the Ministry of Interior and Administration. However, foreigners legally residing in Poland for at least 5 years who hold valid residency permits can purchase real-estate without the ministry's consent. Properties bigger than one hectare or located on the frontier are exempt from this clause. The districts of Warsaw, Katowice, Poznan ad Gdansk are the most attractive districts for foreign land buyers, while districts in the east that border the Ukraine and Belarus have drawn less interest. Recently opponents of the sale of land to foreigners have concentrated on irregularities in these transactions.
Foreigners often set up joint stock companies with locals to buy land.
On paper the local partners own a majority of the company's shares, but in reality the foreigner is the majority or sole owner of the company's shares. Foreign buyers also count on the fact that Poland will have to change it laws on foreign ownership of land to conform to European norms when Poland joins the European Union. If a land sale agreement is notarized by a notary abroad, the buyer may not become the immediate owner. But, the purchased land can then officially be transferred into their ownership as soon as Poland changes its laws to conform to EU standards. And more The entrance of Poland into the EU brings another problem to light, one which could gain International significance.