An enforcement entry on a Polish property register is not a procedural footnote. It is a signal that a creditor has already moved — and that the asset now carries a claim that survives transfer. The collateral question is not whether the entry exists but what it secures, who holds it, and whether anything else sits behind it in the queue.
- What the register shows
- Active enforcement entries (wzmianki egzekucyjne) recorded against the land and mortgage register folio. Source: Księga wieczysta (KW) via ekw.ms.gov.pl · verified 11.07.2026
- Access condition
- The KW number is required to retrieve the folio. Without it, a name-based search is not available through the public portal.
- What an entry does not show
- The outstanding balance of the secured claim, the enforcement stage, or whether a stay has been granted by the court.
- Concurrent registers
- Enforcement proceedings are also recorded in the National Court Register (KRS) where the debtor is a company, and in the National Insolvency Register (KRZ) where restructuring or bankruptcy has been filed.
What an enforcement entry actually records
Polish land registers are divided into four departments. Department III carries limited rights, claims, and restrictions — including enforcement entries. Department IV carries mortgages. A collateral assessment must read both departments together. An enforcement entry in Department III signals that a bailiff (komornik) has notified the register of an ongoing execution. A mortgage in Department IV signals a contractual security. Both can coexist on the same folio.
The entry itself names the court or bailiff who filed it. It does not state the amount claimed. The amount appears in the enforcement title — a court judgment, a notarial enforcement clause, or a banking enforcement title — held by the creditor, not deposited in the register.
Priority among competing creditors follows the date of entry, not the date the underlying claim arose. A mortgage registered before the enforcement entry ranks ahead of it in the distribution of proceeds. A mortgage registered after the enforcement entry does not automatically rank behind: the interaction between entry date and legal priority requires reading the full folio history.
Registers that carry parallel enforcement information
| Register | What it records | Access condition | What it does not show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Księga wieczysta (KW) | Enforcement entries against immovable property; mortgages by rank | KW number required | Claim amount; enforcement stage; stays |
| Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych (KRZ) | Insolvency and restructuring proceedings; enforcement stays under restructuring | Public; debtor name or PESEL/NIP searchable | Proceedings filed but not yet admitted |
| Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy (KRS) | Corporate status; liquidation; registered pledges where company is pledgor | Public; NIP or KRS number | Individual enforcement proceedings against shareholders |
| Rejestr Zastawów (RZ) | Registered pledges over movables and receivables | Public; subject identifier required | Possessory pledges; financial collateral arrangements |
| Portal Orzeczeń Sądów Powszechnych | Published judgments forming enforcement titles | Public; keyword or party name search | Unpublished judgments; enforcement clauses issued on notarial deeds |
The enforcement queue and collateral ranking
When multiple creditors hold claims against the same asset, Polish enforcement law distributes proceeds in a statutory order. Enforcement costs rank first. Secured mortgage creditors rank according to the date their mortgage was entered. Unsecured creditors and enforcement entry holders rank lower. A buyer or lender stepping in after an enforcement entry is filed acquires the asset subject to that entry unless the entry is discharged before completion.
Restructuring proceedings change the picture. If the debtor has filed for restructuring under the Prawo restrukturyzacyjne, a stay on enforcement may apply automatically. The KRZ records the opening of proceedings. It does not record whether a stay has been lifted or modified by the supervising court.
A registered pledge in the RZ operates outside the land register system. Movable collateral — machinery, vehicle fleets, receivable portfolios — can be pledged and enforced without any entry appearing in the KW. Cross-referencing the RZ against the asset list is a separate step, not a byproduct of reading the folio.
The limit of what the sources allow
The land register folio shows that an enforcement entry exists. It does not show the amount, the enforcement stage, whether the creditor has withdrawn, or whether a court has stayed the proceedings. That information sits in the bailiff's file and the enforcement court's docket — neither of which is publicly searchable by a party without a declared interest and a national identifier accepted by the Polish court system.
The KRZ records insolvency and restructuring proceedings once they are formally opened. It does not record a petition that has been filed but not yet decided. The gap between filing and decision can run to several weeks. A clean KRZ result on a given date is a snapshot, not a guarantee of status at the date of completion.
The Rejestr Zastawów covers registered pledges. Possessory pledges and financial collateral arrangements under the Ustawa o zabezpieczeniach finansowych do not appear in any public register. Their existence can only be established by reviewing the asset contracts and the counterparty's disclosures. The report states where each chain of inquiry ends and names the point at which it ends.
Where the sources disagree
The KW folio may show an active enforcement entry while the KRZ shows an open restructuring proceeding. These two facts do not cancel each other. The restructuring may have triggered a stay, or it may not — the stay depends on which procedure was opened and whether the court confirmed it. The folio and the insolvency register are updated by different authorities on different timelines. A discrepancy between them is itself a material finding, not a data error to be resolved before delivery.
The KRS may show a company in liquidation while the KW shows no enforcement entry. Liquidation does not automatically generate a folio entry. The liquidator may not have commenced enforcement. The absence of a folio entry in that scenario does not mean the asset is unencumbered — it means enforcement has not yet reached the register.
What is included at each tier
| Tier | Price | Included | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | €590 | Full KW folio extract (Departments I–IV); identification of all enforcement entries and mortgages by rank and entry date; KRZ check for insolvency and restructuring proceedings; KRS status check where debtor is a legal entity; written summary in English stating what each entry records and where the chain ends | Claim amounts; enforcement stage beyond the folio entry; Rejestr Zastawów search; possessory pledge inquiry; review of enforcement title documents |
| Standard | €990 | Everything in Signal; Rejestr Zastawów search against all identified legal entities in the ownership chain; cross-reference of KW entry dates against KRS filing dates; identification of any gap between restructuring filing date and stay confirmation; summary table of priority ranking across all identified security interests | Claim amounts; enforcement stage beyond public records; review of enforcement title documents; possessory pledge inquiry; UBO chain beyond first-level KRS disclosure |
| Extended | €2,200 | Everything in Standard; review of published court judgments forming identified enforcement titles; KRZ timeline analysis — filing date, decision date, and any recorded modifications; registered pledge detail including pledgee identity and pledge subject; written opinion on the sequence of register events and the point at which each public source ends; English-language report suitable for submission to a lender or investment committee | Legal advice on enforceability or priority disputes; bailiff file contents; unpublished enforcement titles; financial collateral arrangements not appearing in any public register; UBO chain verification beyond KRS |
Payment is arranged by invoice following confirmation of scope. No payment details are collected through this site.
Frequently asked questions
Does an enforcement entry prevent transfer of the asset?
The entry does not block transfer under Polish civil law. It attaches to the asset, not to the owner. A buyer acquires the asset subject to the entry. Whether that entry can be enforced against the new owner depends on the type of proceeding and the terms of transfer — a question outside the scope of a factual report.
Can the claim amount be established from public sources?
Not from the KW folio. The folio records that an entry exists and names the creditor or bailiff. The enforcement title — which states the amount — is held by the creditor or the bailiff's file. Where the title is a published court judgment, the amount may appear in the judgment text on the Portal Orzeczeń. Where it is a notarial enforcement clause, no public record of the amount exists.
What if the KW number is not known?
The public KW portal does not support name-based searches. The KW number can be established from the notarial deed of acquisition, the mortgage agreement, or the land registry office (wydział ksiąg wieczystych) for the district in which the property is located. The report requires the KW number as a precondition. The Signal tier includes confirmation of the number from the deed where the deed is provided.
How long does delivery take?
Signal: three business days from confirmed scope and document receipt. Standard: five business days. Extended: eight business days. Timelines assume that the KW number and entity identifiers are available at the point of instruction.
Is a restructuring stay recorded in the KW?
No. A restructuring stay operates by operation of law and is recorded in the KRZ, not in the KW folio. The folio may continue to show an active enforcement entry even after a stay has been granted. Reading the KW without cross-referencing the KRZ gives an incomplete picture of the enforcement position.
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.