When a Polish counterparty proposes real property as mortgage security, three questions arise before any credit decision. What is the land register entry? What encumbrances already exist? And what does the official valuation record show? Each question has a specific source. Each source has a specific access condition. This page describes what those sources disclose, what they withhold, and what the verification path costs.
- Primary register
- Księga wieczysta (land and mortgage register) — maintained by the Ministry of Justice at ekw.ms.gov.pl. Contains ownership, legal basis of acquisition, area, encumbrances, and all registered mortgages. Source: ekw.ms.gov.pl · verified 2026-08-08
- Access condition
- The register is public and free of charge. A KW number is required to retrieve any entry. Source: ekw.ms.gov.pl · verified 2026-08-08
- Mortgage registry
- Section IV of the land register lists every registered mortgage (hipoteka), including creditor name, secured amount, and currency. Source: ekw.ms.gov.pl · verified 2026-08-08
- What the register does not show
- Pending applications filed but not yet entered. The gap between filing date and entry date creates a blind spot. Source: ekw.ms.gov.pl · verified 2026-08-08
What the land register discloses
The Polish land and mortgage register is divided into four sections. Section I identifies the property: cadastral parcel numbers, area, type of use, and any associated rights. Section II names the owner or perpetual usufructuary, with the legal basis of acquisition. Section III records encumbrances other than mortgages: easements, pre-emption rights, and any pending enforcement. Section IV lists every registered mortgage.
Each mortgage entry in Section IV states the creditor, the secured claim amount, the currency, and the type of mortgage. Polish law distinguishes between a contractual mortgage (hipoteka umowna) and a compulsory mortgage (hipoteka przymusowa). The latter arises from a court order or enforcement title — its presence signals an existing dispute or unpaid judgment debt.
The register is public. The ekw.ms.gov.pl portal allows retrieval without registration. However, retrieval requires the KW number. A foreign buyer or lender typically does not hold this number. Obtaining it from the counterparty and cross-checking it against the cadastral identifier is part of the verification path.
Compulsory mortgages and enforcement entries
A compulsory mortgage is entered without the owner's consent. It follows from a court enforcement title, a tax authority decision, or a Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) claim. Its presence in Section IV means a creditor has already obtained a legal basis to enforce against the property.
Section III may also carry an enforcement annotation (wzmianka o wszczęciu egzekucji). This annotation records that a bailiff has commenced enforcement proceedings against the property. It does not prevent further registration of interests, but it alters the priority ranking of any subsequent mortgage.
Both entries are visible in the public register. What the register does not show is the underlying claim amount for a compulsory mortgage if that claim is still being contested in separate proceedings. The figure in Section IV reflects the amount stated in the enforcement title, not the amount ultimately adjudicated.
The cadastral record and its relationship to the land register
The land register and the cadastral register (ewidencja gruntów i budynków) are separate systems maintained by separate authorities. The land register is judicial. The cadastral register is administrative, maintained at the district (powiat) level.
Discrepancies between the two are common. Area figures, boundary descriptions, and building data may differ. Polish law provides that the land register prevails for ownership questions, but the cadastral record governs for planning and valuation purposes. A property offered as security should be checked against both systems.
Access to the cadastral record for a specific parcel requires a request to the relevant starostwo (district office). The request must identify the parcel by cadastral number. A foreign applicant without a Polish PESEL or NIP number may face procedural obstacles at the district level.
Pending applications: the blind spot before entry
Polish land register procedure creates a structural gap. An application to register a mortgage is filed with the court. The court processes it. Only after processing does the entry appear in the register. Between filing and entry, the register shows a warning annotation (wzmianka o złożonym wniosku) in the relevant section.
That annotation signals a pending change but does not disclose its content. A buyer or lender seeing a wzmianka must request disclosure of the pending application from the court. This is possible but requires a separate procedural step. The content of the pending application is not visible on the ekw.ms.gov.pl portal.
This gap is not a defect of the system. It is a structural feature of the rękojmia wiary publicznej ksiąg wieczystych — the principle of public faith in the land register. The principle protects a buyer who relies on the register as it stands at the moment of transaction. It does not protect a lender who fails to check for pending annotations before signing.
Insolvency and restructuring status of the owner
The Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych (KRZ) is the national register of insolvent and restructuring debtors. It records insolvency declarations, restructuring proceedings, and consumer insolvency cases. It is publicly accessible at krz.ms.gov.pl.
If the property owner is a legal entity, the KRS (National Court Register) at ekrs.ms.gov.pl shows current registration status, registered address, management board composition, and share capital. It does not show ownership structure beyond the registered level.
A negative result in KRZ does not guarantee the absence of a filed application. Applications are entered upon filing, but processing delays can create a gap. The verification date must be recorded, and the search must be repeated close to the transaction date.
Central Register of Beneficial Owners
The Centralny Rejestr Beneficjentów Rzeczywistych (CRBR) records the beneficial owners of Polish legal entities. It is publicly accessible at crbr.podatki.gov.pl. Entities are required to file and update beneficial owner data.
The register shows name, nationality, and the nature and extent of the beneficial interest. It does not verify the accuracy of the filed data. Discrepancies between the CRBR entry and the actual ownership structure are the registrant's liability, not the register's. Independent verification of the chain above the registered level requires document review.
Access conditions for CRBR are subject to regulatory change following CJEU case law on beneficial ownership registers. The regime should be verified by a local practitioner before any workflow relying on CRBR data is finalised.
The limit of what the sources allow
The land register shows encumbrances that have been entered. It does not show encumbrances that have been applied for but not yet processed. It does not show informal arrangements — a personal loan secured by a private agreement, an undisclosed usufruct, or a family arrangement over the property. These exist outside the register and are not detectable from official sources alone.
The cadastral record shows area and building data as last updated by the district office. It does not reflect physical changes made after the last survey. A building that has been extended, divided, or demolished may not appear in the cadastral record until a new survey is filed.
The insolvency register shows proceedings that have been opened. It does not show a creditor's intention to file, a negotiation in progress, or an out-of-court arrangement. The gap between a financial difficulty and a formal proceeding is not visible in any official source. This ceiling is stated before payment, not after.
Where the sources disagree
The most common discrepancy is area. The land register entry may state a different area than the cadastral record. This occurs when a boundary adjustment or subdivision was recorded in one system but not yet updated in the other. The discrepancy itself is a finding: it identifies which system lags and by how much.
A second discrepancy occurs between the CRBR entry and the KRS shareholder list. If the registered beneficial owner differs from the entity that appears as controlling shareholder in KRS documents, that gap must be noted. It may reflect a legitimate holding structure or a filing omission. The report records both entries and the gap between them.
The land register at ekw.ms.gov.pl is public and free of charge. The KRZ and CRBR portals are likewise publicly accessible without a fee. What the report charges for is the removed path: identifying the correct KW number from the cadastral identifier, navigating Polish-language portals, cross-checking entries across four separate systems, translating and structuring the output, and flagging discrepancies and pending annotations that a direct portal search does not surface automatically.
What is included at each tier
| Tier | Price | Included | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | €590 | Land register extract (all four sections), identification of all registered mortgages with creditor names and secured amounts, Section III encumbrances, pending application annotations (wzmianki), KRZ insolvency search for the registered owner, KRS status check for legal entity owners, written summary in English with source references and retrieval dates. | Cadastral record. CRBR beneficial owner check. Cross-system discrepancy analysis. Document-level review of underlying mortgage agreements. Valuation or market comparison. Any court file review. |
| Standard | €990 | Everything in Signal, plus: cadastral record retrieval and comparison with land register area and building data, CRBR beneficial owner search with discrepancy note against KRS, identification of compulsory mortgages with enforcement title type, Section III enforcement annotations with date of entry, written analysis of discrepancies between sources, English-language summary memorandum. | Review of underlying mortgage or loan agreements. Court file access for pending or concluded enforcement proceedings. Physical site inspection or survey. Valuation report. Legal qualification of findings. |
| Extended | €2,200 | Everything in Standard, plus: retrieval and review of the underlying mortgage agreement filed with the land register court, pending application disclosure request to the court (wniosek o wgląd do akt), KRZ search extended to related entities and disclosed beneficial owners, cross-check of enforcement annotations against bailiff register data where accessible, full discrepancy matrix across all sources, English-language memorandum with structured findings table and timeline of encumbrance entries. | Physical site inspection. Independent valuation. Legal advice on enforcement strategy or priority ranking. Representation before any authority. Any finding that requires a court hearing or formal legal opinion. |
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreign lender access the Polish land register directly?
The ekw.ms.gov.pl portal is publicly accessible from any location. Access requires the KW number of the specific property. Without that number, the portal cannot be queried by address or owner name. Obtaining the correct KW number from the cadastral identifier is the first procedural step.
What does a compulsory mortgage signal?
A compulsory mortgage (hipoteka przymusowa) is entered on the basis of an enforcement title — a court judgment, a court settlement, or an administrative decision. Its presence confirms that a creditor has already obtained a legally binding basis to enforce against the property. The secured amount and creditor name appear in Section IV.
How current is the land register?
The electronic land register reflects entries as processed by the relevant court. Processing times vary. An application filed today may not appear as an entry for days or weeks. The portal shows wzmianki (pending annotations) when an application is filed but not yet processed. These annotations must be checked and, where present, disclosed through a separate court request.
What if the property has no KW number?
Not all Polish real property has a land register entry. Agricultural land and some rural parcels may lack a KW. In such cases, ownership and encumbrances must be verified through the cadastral record and, where applicable, through notarial deed searches. This situation is noted in the report and the applicable alternative sources are identified.
Does the report include a valuation?
No tier of this report includes a market valuation or appraisal. The report establishes what the official registers show about the property's identity, ownership, and encumbrances. Valuation requires a licensed rzeczoznawca majątkowy (certified property appraiser) and is a separate engagement.
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.