Before a foreign buyer or lender commits to a Polish asset, one question precedes all others: what can the official registers actually show, and where do they stop? This page maps every principal Polish registry relevant to collateral verification — what each source covers, its access conditions, and the ceiling it cannot exceed.
- What the land register shows
- Ownership, mortgage entries, easements, and usufruct rights by cadastral number. Source: Elektroniczne Księgi Wieczyste (EKW), ekw.ms.gov.pl · verified 27.07.2026
- What the pledge register shows
- Registered pledges on movables and rights, including priority ranking. Source: Rejestr Zastawów, ms.gov.pl · verified 27.07.2026
- What the insolvency register shows
- Filed and declared insolvency proceedings, restructuring orders, and bans on conducting business activity. Source: Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych (KRZ), krz.ms.gov.pl · verified 27.07.2026
- What the company register shows
- Registered shareholders, share capital, management board composition, and filed financial statements. Source: Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy (KRS), ekrs.ms.gov.pl · verified 27.07.2026
- Condition of access
- All four registers are publicly accessible online without registration for read queries. Certified extracts require a separate application procedure.
How the Polish registry landscape is structured
Polish asset verification draws on six distinct official systems. Each operates under a separate statutory basis, a separate authority, and a separate disclosure logic. No single query covers the full picture. A lender verifying collateral must cross-reference at least four of them to form a working view of encumbrances alone.
| Registry | Statutory basis | What it discloses | What it does not disclose | Access condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elektroniczne Księgi Wieczyste (EKW) | Act on Land and Mortgage Registers 1982, as amended | Ownership entries, mortgage ranking, easements, usufruct, pending proceedings notation | Informal possession arrangements; contractual pre-emption rights not entered; off-register liens | Public, no registration. Certified extract requires application and fee. |
| Rejestr Zastawów | Act on Registered Pledges and the Pledge Register 1996 | Registered pledges on movables and rights; creditor identity; priority order | Possessory pledges; financial collateral arrangements under the 2004 Act; unregistered security interests | Public online search by debtor name or PESEL/NIP. Certified extract on application. |
| Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych (KRZ) | Act on KRZ 2019, effective 01.12.2021 | Insolvency proceedings, restructuring orders, business activity bans, consumer debt relief | Proceedings filed before 01.12.2021 and not migrated; foreign insolvency proceedings not notified to Polish court | Public, no registration. Historical data from legacy registers not guaranteed to be complete. |
| Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy (KRS) | Act on KRS 1997 | Registered shareholders, share capital, management, supervisory board, filed financial statements, branches | Unregistered beneficial owners beyond disclosed layer; share pledges not separately visible; nominee arrangements | Public online. Certified extract on application. |
| Centralny Rejestr Beneficjentów Rzeczywistych (CRBR) | AML Act 2018, implementing 5AMLD | Declared ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) with percentage threshold | Correctness of declaration is not verified by the register; nominee structures may not be transparent; [СВЕРИТЬ] public access conditions subject to change following CJEU C-37/20 | Public search by entity NIP. No certified extract mechanism equivalent to KRS. |
| Geodezja i Kartografia / EGIB | Geodetic and Cartographic Law 1989 | Cadastral boundaries, land classification, building footprints, area measurements | Legal title (that is EKW); private utility easements not yet entered; subsurface rights | Varies by starostwo. Central geoportal.gov.pl provides parcel-level data publicly. |
The land register and mortgage collateral
EKW is the definitive source for mortgage encumbrances on Polish real property. Each property has a unique land register number (numer księgi wieczystej). The register is divided into four sections: ownership, perpetual usufruct and limited rights, mortgages, and encumbrances. A foreign lender must query by land register number, not by address. Address-to-number mapping requires a separate step through the cadastral system.
The register shows current entries and, in the electronic system, a history of changes. It does not show informal possession agreements, contractual options or rights of first refusal that were not entered, or encumbrances created under foreign law and not notified to the Polish court. A mortgage entered in EKW is enforceable against third parties. One not entered is not.
The pledge register and movable collateral
Registered pledges on movables, receivables, and rights are recorded in Rejestr Zastawów. The register identifies the pledgee, the pledgor, the secured obligation, and the priority rank. Multiple pledges on the same asset are ranked in order of registration date. A search by debtor name or tax identifier returns all active pledge entries for that party.
The register does not cover possessory pledges, which exist by delivery and require no registration. It does not cover financial collateral arrangements governed by the 2004 Act on Financial Collateral. Those arrangements are perfected by agreement and control, not registration. A clean result in Rejestr Zastawów therefore does not confirm that an asset is unencumbered.
Insolvency status and the KRZ
Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych replaced and consolidated several predecessor registers from 1 December 2021. It covers insolvency proceedings, all restructuring procedures under the Restructuring Law 2015, consumer debt relief, and bans on conducting business activity. It also records court-appointed administrators and trustees.
The temporal limit is material. Proceedings opened and closed before 1 December 2021 may not appear in KRZ if they were not migrated from the legacy system. Older insolvency history requires a separate search in the Monitor Sądowy i Gospodarczy archive. A negative KRZ result establishes absence of currently active proceedings; it does not establish absence of any prior proceeding.
Company register and shareholder structure
KRS discloses the registered shareholder list for a spółka z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością (sp. z o.o.) and, separately, the share capital structure. For a spółka akcyjna (S.A.), registered shareholders are not disclosed at the same level of granularity; bearer shares were abolished by statute in 2020, but the transition record is not always complete in the electronic system.
KRS also holds filed financial statements. Not all entities file on time. The register records the date of filing, not the date of approval. A gap between the statutory deadline and the filing date is visible in the register and is itself a factual result. KRS does not show pledges over shares unless separately entered as a limited right in the relevant section.
Beneficial ownership declarations and CRBR
CRBR records the declared ultimate beneficial owner for entities registered in Poland. The declaration is made by the entity itself. The register does not verify its accuracy. A name appearing in CRBR is the declared UBO, not a verified one. Discrepancies between CRBR and the KRS shareholder list are a factual result in themselves and warrant further analysis.
Access conditions for CRBR are subject to ongoing legal development following CJEU C-37/20. [СВЕРИТЬ местным konsultantem przed publikacją] The current public access status should be confirmed before any workflow is built on unrestricted availability.
Cadastral data and physical asset boundaries
The cadastral system (EGIB) records parcel boundaries, land classification, building footprints, and area measurements. The central geoportal at geoportal.gov.pl provides parcel-level data publicly. Detailed cadastral extracts are issued by the competent starostwo (county authority). The cadastral record and the land register are separate systems. Discrepancies between the two — in area, boundaries, or classification — are common and are a factual result requiring explanation.
The limit of what the sources allow
Each registry covers what was entered into it. None verifies the underlying transaction. EKW shows the mortgage; it does not show whether the secured obligation has been performed. Rejestr Zastawów shows the registered pledge; it does not show possessory or financial collateral arrangements. KRS shows the declared shareholder; it does not show whether that shareholder acts on their own account. CRBR shows the declared UBO; it does not verify the declaration.
The temporal ceiling is a separate constraint. KRZ covers proceedings from December 2021 forward with full reliability. EKW shows current entries and electronic-era history; pre-digitisation entries exist in paper form at the competent court. KRS financial statements may be absent or delayed without any flag in the online system beyond the missing filing date.
Cross-register discrepancy is itself a result. A mismatch between EKW ownership and KRS shareholder list, or between CRBR UBO and KRS structure, is a finding — not a gap to be filled by assumption. The ceiling of what the sources allow is stated before any work begins. Where a chain breaks, the report names the break and its cause.
Where the sources disagree
Three categories of discrepancy recur in Polish asset verification. First, EKW area versus EGIB cadastral area: the land register may carry an older measurement; the cadastral system reflects the current survey. Neither is automatically authoritative. Second, KRS shareholder list versus CRBR UBO declaration: the declared beneficial owner may not match the registered shareholder chain. This is a compliance signal. Third, KRS filed financials versus the date the entity claims to have approved them: the register records filing, not approval. A one-year-old balance sheet filed last week is visible as such.
These discrepancies do not resolve themselves. They are presented as findings in the report, with the source of each conflicting entry identified and dated.
Frequently asked questions
Does a public registry search require a Polish national identifier?
For EKW, a land register number is required — not a personal identifier. For Rejestr Zastawów and KRS, a search by company name is possible, but the NIP (tax number) or KRS number produces a more precise result. A foreign party without a Polish identifier can conduct a read query but cannot submit a certified extract application electronically without a Polish trusted profile (Profil Zaufany) or qualified electronic signature.
The extraction path — obtaining a certified document rather than a screen result — requires either a Polish identifier or a representative with one. That is what the removed-path service provides.
Is a negative result in KRZ conclusive proof of no insolvency history?
No. KRZ covers proceedings from 1 December 2021. Proceedings closed before that date may not appear. A complete insolvency history check requires a supplementary search in the Monitor Sądowy i Gospodarczy archive for earlier periods. A negative KRZ result is accurate for its coverage period; it is not a complete historical clearance.
Can the cadastral record conflict with the land register?
Yes, and it does so regularly. The cadastral system and EKW are maintained by different authorities. Area figures, boundary descriptions, and building classifications may diverge. Where they do, neither system automatically corrects the other. The discrepancy is a factual finding. Resolving it requires a formal reconciliation procedure with the competent starostwo and, where necessary, a licensed surveyor.
What does CRBR actually verify?
Nothing. CRBR records what the entity declared. The register imposes a statutory obligation to declare and a penalty for non-declaration or false declaration. It does not independently verify the declaration against ownership documents. A CRBR result is therefore a declared position, not a verified one. Cross-referencing against KRS and, where available, shareholder agreements is necessary to assess consistency.
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.