Credit Information Bureau (BIK)
Poland's central credit-history database, checked by banks during a mortgage application to review an applicant's existing and past loan repayment record.
Applies to Poland.
Definition
The Credit Information Bureau (Biuro Informacji Kredytowej, abbreviated BIK) collects and stores the credit history of individuals and businesses reported to it by banks and other lenders under the Banking Law Act. Its database records outstanding loans and credit cards, repayment timeliness, and — for a limited retention period — loans that have already been fully repaid.
When a bank assesses a mortgage application, checking the applicant's BIK record is a standard step alongside the broader creditworthiness assessment: a history of missed or late payments, or a high level of existing debt, can reduce the maximum loan amount offered or lead to a rejection even if current income would otherwise support the loan. Every individual has the right to request their own BIK report, including the numerical BIK score that summarizes their credit reliability.
BIK is a separate institution from the Credit Information Office (Biuro Informacji Gospodarczej, BIG) registers, which track unpaid non-bank debts such as unpaid utility bills or court judgments — banks often check both when reviewing a mortgage application.
Examples
An applicant with a clean BIK history and no missed payments on an existing car loan receives a mortgage offer with standard terms.
An applicant discovers their BIK score is lower than expected because of a credit card payment made a few days late two years earlier, and requests their full report to review it before applying for a mortgage.
A bank reduces the maximum mortgage amount it's willing to offer after seeing in the applicant's BIK record that they are already repaying a sizeable personal loan.
How this affects buying and selling
Buyers planning to apply for a mortgage benefit from checking their own BIK report in advance, since correcting an outdated entry or paying off a small forgotten debt before applying can meaningfully improve the terms offered. A BIK record only reflects reported credit obligations, not income or savings, so a strong BIK score alone doesn't guarantee sufficient creditworthiness for a specific loan amount.
