A foreign buyer or lender checking a Polish commercial property asset faces two parallel questions: what encumbers the title, and what encumbers the debtor who holds it. Księgi Wieczyste answers the first. Answering the second requires six additional registers — each with its own access path, its own cost structure, and its own ceiling.
This page sets out what each register discloses, what it costs to extract, and where the chain stops — before any order is placed.
- What Księgi Wieczyste shows
- Current owner, mortgage entries (hipoteka), easements, and other encumbrances — by land-register number (numer KW) only. Source: Elektroniczne Księgi Wieczyste (EKW) · verified June 2026
- Access condition
- Search by KW number only. Private parties cannot search by owner name. The path to the KW number runs through the ewidencja gruntów (cadastre). Source: EKW access rules · verified June 2026
- Cost
- Free of charge. The register is public and open without login.
- What it does not show
- Pledges registered in Rejestr Zastawów, fiscal liens in Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych, insolvency proceedings, enforcement actions, VAT status, or beneficial ownership. None of these appear in Księgi Wieczyste.
What the collateral picture actually requires
Hipoteka entries in Księgi Wieczyste show only mortgage-type encumbrances registered against the title. Pledge registrations, fiscal liens, and enforcement measures sit in separate systems. A lender relying on Księgi Wieczyste alone sees an incomplete collateral picture.
The full debtor profile for a Polish commercial property transaction draws on the registers listed below. Each is checked independently.
| Register | What it discloses | Access | Cost | Key limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EKW — Księgi Wieczyste | Owner, hipoteka, easements, encumbrances on title | By KW number; no name search for private parties | Free | KW number must be obtained first via cadastre |
| Rejestr Zastawów (Ministry of Justice) | Registered pledges: pledgor, asset, creditor, amount | Paid certificate; no free name search | DW-1 (by pledgor) 20 PLN · DW-2 (by asset) 20 PLN · DW-4 (certified extract) 15 PLN | Covers only pledges registered under the financial collateral statute; fiscal pledges are in a separate register |
| Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych (Ministry of Finance) | Fiscal pledges: tax arrears secured against assets | Free search by asset; paid certificate via e-Urząd Skarbowy | Free search · wypis/zaświadczenie 50 PLN | Covers only tax-authority liens; does not reflect ZUS enforcement |
| KRZ — Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych | Insolvency and restructuring proceedings | Free, no login; search by PESEL / NIP / KRS / case signature | Free | Contains only proceedings opened after 1 December 2021; earlier cases are not migrated |
| MSiG — Monitor Sądowy i Gospodarczy | Court announcements including pre-2021 insolvency notices | Free search; results as PDF | Free | Insolvency and restructuring notices from December 2021 moved to KRZ; MSiG archive covers 1996 onward |
| KRS — Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy | Company structure, directors, share capital, filed documents | Free; certified extract 30–60 PLN | Free (uncertified) · 30–60 PLN (certified) | Reflects registered state; shareholder register may lag actual transfers |
| Repozytorium Dokumentów Finansowych | Filed financial statements | Free, no login | Free | Filing obligation applies by entity type; some entities file late or not at all |
| Biała lista (White List of VAT taxpayers) | VAT status, declared bank accounts, registration history with dates | Free, no login; point-in-time query available | Free | Shows VAT registration status only; does not reflect income-tax or ZUS arrears |
| CRBR — Centralny Rejestr Beneficjentów Rzeczywistych | Disclosed beneficial owners | Free, no login | Free | Reflects what the entity reported; accuracy depends on the entity's own declaration |
Free registers and what the fee actually covers
Most registers in this matrix are public and free of charge. KRZ, MSiG, KRS (uncertified), the financial-statement repository, the White List, and CRBR carry no extraction fee.
The fee in a structured report covers the removed path: locating the correct national identifier, navigating Polish-language interfaces, obtaining the KW number through the cadastre, requesting certified extracts where required, cross-referencing results across nine systems, and producing a single consolidated document in English. That path is not self-service for a foreign party without a Polish NIP or PESEL.
The pledge layer: two registers, not one
Polish law maintains two separate pledge registries. Rejestr Zastawów (Ministry of Justice) covers pledges registered under civil and financial collateral rules. Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych (Ministry of Finance) covers fiscal pledges securing tax debts. Neither system is visible in the other.
A full pledge check requires certificates from both. The Ministry of Justice system charges per certificate type: 20 PLN for a search by pledgor (DW-1), 20 PLN by asset (DW-2), and 15 PLN for a certified extract (DW-4). The Ministry of Finance system offers free search by asset and charges 50 PLN for a formal certificate via e-Urząd Skarbowy.
The insolvency gap: KRZ and the pre-2021 archive
KRZ (Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych) is the current insolvency register. It is free, public, and searchable without login by NIP, KRS number, PESEL, or case signature. It covers proceedings opened from 1 December 2021.
Proceedings opened before that date were published in MSiG (Monitor Sądowy i Gospodarczy). MSiG's search interface is free and covers the archive from 1996. Results are delivered as PDF; there are no machine-readable data exports.
A negative result in KRZ alone does not establish a clean insolvency record. Both systems must be checked. An entity active before December 2021 may have a concluded or ongoing proceeding that appears only in the MSiG archive.
VAT status and bank account verification
The Biała lista (White List of VAT Taxpayers), maintained by the Head of the National Revenue Administration, discloses VAT registration status, declared bank accounts, and the full chronology of registration, exclusion, and reinstatement events — each with a date. A point-in-time query allows verification of status as of any past date.
Payment to a bank account not appearing on the White List triggers joint and several VAT liability for the payer under Polish tax law. This makes the White List a transactional check, not merely a background one.
The limit of what the sources allow
The registers above disclose what has been formally filed or registered. They do not disclose informal arrangements, undisclosed side agreements, off-register security interests, or encumbrances arising under foreign law that have not been registered in Poland.
CRBR shows the beneficial ownership the entity itself declared. Accuracy depends entirely on the entity's compliance. The register does not independently verify the declarations it holds.
KRZ contains only post-December 2021 proceedings. A pre-2021 insolvency that concluded without leaving a KRS annotation may appear only in MSiG — and only if the correct search terms are used. An absence of results is not a guarantee of a clean history; it is a statement about what the searched register contains.
Financial statements in the Repozytorium Dokumentów Finansowych reflect what was filed. Some entities file late; some file incomplete documents. The repository does not flag discrepancies between filed accounts and the entity's actual position.
The vehicle and movable-property check via CEPiK (historiapojazdu.gov.pl) requires three simultaneous identifiers — registration number, VIN, and first registration date — the last of which is typically held only by the seller. The system does not disclose the owner's name; it shows a count of prior owners. This is a structural access barrier, not a data gap.
What is included at each tier
| Tier | Price (EUR) | Included | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | €590 | KW extract (title, hipoteka, encumbrances) via EKW after locating KW number through cadastre · KRZ insolvency check · MSiG archive search · KRS company profile · CRBR beneficial ownership disclosure · Biała lista VAT status and bank account check · Summary in English with source references | Pledge certificates (Rejestr Zastawów and Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych) · Financial statement review · Pre-2021 insolvency analysis beyond keyword MSiG search · Certified extracts · Translation of source documents |
| Standard | €990 | All Signal items · DW-1 and DW-2 certificates from Rejestr Zastawów (pledgor and asset) · Fiscal pledge certificate from Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych · Review of filed financial statements (last two available years) · Certified KRS extract · Extended MSiG archive search with multiple identifier combinations · Consolidated encumbrance table in English | DW-4 certified pledge extract · Translation of source documents · Legal qualification of findings · Movable-asset check requiring seller-held identifiers · UBO verification beyond CRBR declaration |
| Extended | €2,200 | All Standard items · DW-4 certified extract from Rejestr Zastawów · Review of filed financial statements (last three available years) with discrepancy notes · Movable-asset check where seller provides required identifiers · Cross-register discrepancy analysis (KRS vs. CRBR vs. financial statements) · Written summary of where the chain stops and why, per source · Delivery in 5 business days | Legal advice or qualification · Court file inspection · Enforcement proceedings beyond register entries · Verification of undisclosed encumbrances · Sanctions screening beyond Polish registers |
All tiers are delivered as a written factual report in English. The report identifies each source, the date of extraction, and the ceiling of what that source discloses. It does not contain legal advice or qualification of the facts found.
Frequently asked questions
Can Księgi Wieczyste be searched by the seller's name?
No. EKW search by name is not available to private parties. The starting point is the KW number, which must be obtained through the land cadastre (ewidencja gruntów i budynków) using the property's parcel identifier. This is a structural access condition, not a technical limitation.
Does a clean KRZ result mean there is no insolvency history?
No. KRZ covers proceedings opened from 1 December 2021. Earlier proceedings were published in MSiG. A complete insolvency check requires both systems. KRZ alone is insufficient for any entity with a history predating December 2021.
Are the pledge registers the same system?
No. Rejestr Zastawów (Ministry of Justice) and Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych (Ministry of Finance) are separate systems with separate access paths and separate fees. A pledge check covering both costs a minimum of 55–90 PLN in official fees for certificates, plus the extraction path. Neither register is visible in Księgi Wieczyste.
What does the White List actually verify?
VAT registration status, declared bank accounts, and the chronology of registration events. It does not show income-tax arrears, ZUS (social security) arrears, or enforcement proceedings. It is a VAT-specific register, not a general tax-compliance check.
How long does the report take?
Signal and Standard tiers are delivered within 7 business days of receiving the necessary property and entity identifiers. Extended tier is delivered within 5 business days. Delivery time depends on the availability of the KW number and the entity's NIP or KRS number at the time of instruction.
What identifiers are needed to instruct the report?
At minimum: the property address or parcel number, the entity's NIP or KRS number, and the full registered name. For the movable-asset check in the Extended tier, the registration number, VIN, and first registration date of each vehicle are required — these are typically held by the seller.
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.