Before a foreign buyer or lender can price Polish commercial real estate as collateral, one question must be answered: what does the land register actually show, and what does it conceal? The Księgi Wieczyste system is the primary source. It is public, searchable online, and free of charge. What it does not do is allow search by owner name, seller name, or address. The path to the correct register entry runs through a separate cadastral system — and that path is the first thing this report resolves.
- What the land register shows
- Owner of record, legal basis of ownership, area, permitted use, all registered encumbrances in Sections III and IV. Source: Elektroniczne Księgi Wieczyste (EKW) · as of 2026-06-19
- Access condition
- Search requires the KW number (księga wieczysta number). Search by name is prohibited for private parties. The KW number is obtained from the ewidencja gruntów i budynków (land and buildings register).
- Cost of access
- Online viewing is free of charge. A certified extract (odpis) is available through the Central Information of Land Registers for a statutory fee.
- What the register does not show
- Fiscal charges (Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych), registered pledges on movables (Rejestr Zastawów), VAT status, insolvency proceedings, or UBO structure. Each requires a separate query.
What the Księgi Wieczyste record contains
Each land register entry is divided into four sections. Section I records the property description: area, address reference, and permitted use category. Section II records ownership: the registered owner or co-owners, the legal basis (purchase agreement, court ruling, inheritance), and the date of registration. Section III records encumbrances other than mortgages: easements, rights of pre-emption, cautionary notices (wzmianki), and enforcement orders. Section IV records mortgages (hipoteki): the creditor, the secured amount, the currency, and the rank.
A cautionary notice (wzmianka) in Section III signals that an application is pending and the register is not yet current. A property with an active wzmianka cannot be treated as clean. The wzmianka is visible in the online system; the underlying application is not, until it is processed.
The access barrier: from address to KW number
The EKW portal accepts only the KW number. There is no public search by property address, seller name, or NIP. The KW number is stored in the ewidencja gruntów i budynków — the cadastral register maintained by the relevant starostwo or city authority. Access to the cadastral layer requires either a formal request to the authority or a professional geoportal account. This is the structural barrier that a foreign buyer without a Polish identifier cannot clear without local assistance.
Once the KW number is in hand, the EKW search is immediate and free. The online view is legally recognised for verification purposes. A certified paper or electronic extract carries the same evidentiary weight as the original register entry.
Encumbrances outside the land register
A clean Section IV does not mean unencumbered. Two separate charge registries operate in parallel and are not visible in the Księgi Wieczyste.
| Registry | What it covers | Operator | Cost of certified output | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rejestr Zastawów | Registered pledges on movables and receivables; may attach to equipment within the property | Ministry of Justice · Centralna Informacja | DW-1 (by pledgor): 20 zł · DW-2 (by subject): 20 zł · DW-4 (certified extract): 15 zł | Online query; Polish address required for postal delivery of certified output |
| Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych | Fiscal pledges securing tax liabilities of the owner | Ministry of Finance · e-Urząd Skarbowy | Free search; wypis/zaświadczenie: 50 zł | Search by NIP or PESEL; wypis via e-Urząd Skarbowy portal |
A complete encumbrance profile requires both registries plus the land register. Querying only the KW entry misses fiscal pledges entirely. Querying only the Rejestr Zastawów misses mortgages and cautionary notices.
Seller entity checks: KRS, CRBR, Biała lista, KRZ
The property register shows who owns the asset. It does not show whether that owner is solvent, VAT-registered, sanctioned, or controlled by a disclosed beneficial owner. Four additional registers address those questions.
| Register | What it shows | Cost | Material limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| KRS (National Court Register) | Corporate structure, directors, share capital, filed financial statements via RDF | Free online; certified extract approx. 30–60 PLN | Shareholder list may lag actual ownership by weeks |
| CRBR (Beneficial Ownership Register) | Declared ultimate beneficial owners; open without login | Free | Self-declared data; no independent verification by the registry |
| Biała lista (White List of VAT taxpayers) | VAT status on any historical date; declared bank accounts; reasons for deregistration | Free; API available | Does not cover entities not registered for VAT |
| KRZ (National Debt Register) | Insolvency and restructuring proceedings from December 2021 | Free; no login required | Proceedings opened before 01.12.2021 are not in KRZ; earlier MSiG archive must be checked separately |
The insolvency gap: MSiG and the pre-2021 archive
KRZ covers proceedings opened from 1 December 2021. Before that date, insolvency announcements were published in the Monitor Sądowy i Gospodarczy (MSiG). The MSiG archive is searchable free of charge at wyszukiwarka-msig.ms.gov.pl and covers publications from 1996. The two systems are not linked. A negative KRZ result for a company incorporated before 2021 is not a clean bill of health without a parallel MSiG check.
MSiG issues are published as PDF files. There is no machine-readable data layer. Extraction and cross-referencing require manual review.
The limit of what the sources allow
The Księgi Wieczyste system records encumbrances that have been registered. It does not record unregistered claims, pre-contractual obligations, or disputes that have not yet produced a court order. A cautionary notice (wzmianka) signals a pending application; it does not identify the applicant or the nature of the underlying right until the application is processed. The register is current as of the last processed entry — not as of today.
The CRBR records declared beneficial owners. The declaration is made by the entity itself. The registry does not verify the declaration against share registers, nominee agreements, or trust arrangements. A discrepancy between CRBR and KRS shareholder lists is detectable; a discrepancy between CRBR and an undisclosed nominee arrangement is not.
The KRZ covers proceedings from December 2021. Earlier insolvency history requires a separate MSiG search. A negative result across both systems does not exclude proceedings in jurisdictions outside Poland. Financial statements filed in the RDF reflect what was submitted, not independently audited values. The ceiling of what the sources allow is stated before payment — not discovered mid-process.
Where the sources disagree
Two common divergences appear in commercial property transactions. First, the KRS shareholder list and the CRBR beneficial owner declaration may name different natural persons at the controlling level. This divergence is itself a finding — it requires explanation, not resolution by the registry. Second, the area recorded in the Księgi Wieczyste and the area recorded in the ewidencja gruntów may differ. The land register prevails for ownership purposes; the cadastral record governs for planning and tax assessment. A lender accepting the property as collateral needs both figures and the reason for any gap.
What is included at each tier
| Tier | Price (EUR, excl. VAT) | Included | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | €590 | KW entry retrieval (Sections I–IV); identification of all registered mortgages and encumbrances; wzmianka status; KRS entity profile; KRZ insolvency check (from 12.2021); Biała lista VAT status on transaction date; written summary in English with source references | Rejestr Zastawów query; Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych query; MSiG archive search (pre-2021); CRBR beneficial ownership mapping; financial statement review; cadastral area cross-check |
| Standard | €990 | Everything in Signal, plus: Rejestr Zastawów (DW-1 and DW-2 queries); Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych search and wypis; MSiG archive search for seller entity; CRBR beneficial ownership layer; cadastral area cross-check against KW entry | Financial statement analysis; valuation opinion; legal qualification of findings; sanctions screening; site visit or physical inspection |
| Extended | €2,200 | Everything in Standard, plus: three-year financial statement review (RDF); sanctions and PEP screening against EU consolidated list; UBO chain mapping with source cross-check; divergence analysis (KRS vs CRBR vs shareholder register); written report with flagged discrepancies and source matrix; English and Polish versions | Legal qualification of findings; valuation or appraisal; physical site inspection; representation in proceedings; advice on transaction structure |
Frequently asked questions
Can the land register be searched by the seller's name?
No. The EKW portal accepts only the KW number. Name-based search is not available to private parties. The KW number is obtained from the cadastral register (ewidencja gruntów i budynków), which requires a separate request to the competent authority or a professional geoportal account.
Does a clean Section IV mean no charges exist?
No. Section IV records only mortgages registered in the Księgi Wieczyste. Fiscal pledges (Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych) and registered pledges on movables (Rejestr Zastawów) do not appear in Section IV. A complete encumbrance profile requires all three systems.
How current is the KW entry?
The entry reflects the last processed application. A wzmianka (cautionary notice) in Sections I–IV signals that at least one application is pending and has not yet been entered. The online view shows wzmianki in real time. The underlying applications are not visible until processed.
Is the CRBR beneficial ownership data reliable?
The CRBR records what the entity declared. The registry does not independently verify the declaration. Discrepancies between CRBR entries and KRS shareholder lists are detectable through cross-referencing. Undisclosed nominee arrangements are not detectable from registry data alone.
What does a negative KRZ result mean?
It means no insolvency or restructuring proceeding appears in KRZ for the queried identifier. KRZ covers proceedings opened from 1 December 2021. For entities with a longer history, a parallel MSiG archive search is required. A negative result in both systems does not exclude foreign proceedings.
Disclaimer: This report is a factual compilation from official registers and public sources. It is provided for informational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and contains no legal qualification of the facts established. KORDECKI & Partners assumes no liability for actions taken or not taken based on this material. For advice regarding your particular situation, please contact info@kordeckipartners.com.