A foreign buyer or lender verifying Polish commercial property faces a collateral question before any other: what already encumbers this asset, and what is that security actually worth? Poland maintains separate registers for land charges, pledges, fiscal liens, insolvency proceedings, and corporate status. Each register is accessed differently, covers a different period, and has a different ceiling.
- Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych (KRZ)
- Public, free, no login required. Searchable by NIP, KRS, PESEL, or case signature at krz.ms.gov.pl. Contains insolvency and restructuring proceedings opened after 1 December 2021 only. Source: krz.ms.gov.pl · retrieved July 2026
- Coverage gap
- Proceedings opened before 1 December 2021 are not in KRZ. A clean KRZ result does not confirm a clean insolvency history. Source: gov.pl/sprawiedliwosc · retrieved July 2026
- Pledge registers
- Two separate systems: Rejestr Zastawów (Ministry of Justice, Centralna Informacja) and Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych (Ministry of Finance). A full pledge profile requires both. Source: Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości · retrieved July 2026
- Land register access
- Elektroniczne Księgi Wieczyste (EKW) are searchable only by KW number. Search by owner name is not available to private parties. The KW number must be obtained from the land cadastre first. Source: ekw.ms.gov.pl · retrieved July 2026
What KRZ shows — and what it does not
KRZ replaced the former Rejestr Dłużników Niewypłacalnych. It is publicly accessible at krz.ms.gov.pl without registration or fee. A search returns active insolvency proceedings, restructuring proceedings, secondary proceedings, and orders for debt relief opened after 1 December 2021.
The register is free of charge. What the report provides is the removed path: correct national identifier format, language handling, cross-referencing with MSiG for pre-2021 proceedings, and a dated, signed output usable in due diligence files.
KRZ does not contain proceedings concluded before the cut-off date. It does not contain enforcement proceedings conducted by bailiffs. It does not show tax arrears or social insurance debts. Each of those requires a separate query to a separate authority.
The limit of what the sources allow
KRZ covers proceedings from 1 December 2021 onward. For the period before that date, the Monitor Sądowy i Gospodarczy (MSiG) is the relevant source. MSiG is publicly searchable at wyszukiwarka-msig.ms.gov.pl, free of charge, with archive coverage from 1996. However, MSiG issues are published as PDF only — no machine-readable data. From December 2021, bankruptcy and restructuring announcements moved to KRZ and ceased appearing in MSiG. A complete insolvency picture requires both sources, covering non-overlapping periods.
The land register (EKW) discloses encumbrances — mortgages, easements, and other rights entered in sections III and IV — only to a party who already holds the KW number. That number is not searchable by owner name or address for private parties. It must be obtained from the land cadastre (ewidencja gruntów i budynków), which is a separate administrative step.
Pledge coverage requires two separate registers: Rejestr Zastawów (registered pledges under civil law) and Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych (fiscal pledges under tax enforcement law). A search in only one of these registers is not a complete pledge check. Neither register is linked to EKW — a mortgage and a registered pledge on the same asset appear in different systems with no cross-reference.
The collateral stack: which register covers which layer
Polish law allows multiple security interests to attach to the same asset simultaneously. The table below maps each layer to its register, access method, and cost.
| Security layer | Register | Access | Cost (official tariff) | What it does not show |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mortgage on real property | EKW — Elektroniczne Księgi Wieczyste | Free; KW number required | Free to view | Owner name not searchable; KW number must be sourced separately |
| Registered pledge (civil law) | Rejestr Zastawów, Centralna Informacja MS | Paid certificate | DW-1 (pledgor): 20 PLN · DW-2 (subject): 20 PLN · DW-4 (extract): 15 PLN | Does not cover fiscal pledges |
| Fiscal pledge (tax enforcement) | Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych, e-Urząd Skarbowy | Free search; paid certificate | Search free · wypis/zaświadczenie: 50 PLN | Does not cover civil-law registered pledges |
| Insolvency / restructuring | KRZ (from 1 Dec 2021) + MSiG (pre-2021) | Free, no login | Free | KRZ: pre-2021 gap; MSiG: PDF only, no structured data |
| VAT status and bank accounts | Biała lista (podatki.gov.pl) | Free, no login; historical date query available | Free | Does not show tax arrears amount |
| Corporate status and filings | KRS + Repozytorium Dokumentów Finansowych | Free | Free to view; certified extract: approx. 30–60 PLN | Financial statements filed with delay; does not show intra-group liabilities |
KRZ step by step: what the query sequence covers
A KRZ search requires the entity's NIP (tax number) or KRS number. Both are available from the KRS company register at ekrs.ms.gov.pl. The search returns open cases with case type, court, case signature, and current stage. It does not return concluded cases from before December 2021.
After KRZ, the same entity must be checked in MSiG for the pre-2021 period. The MSiG search at wyszukiwarka-msig.ms.gov.pl accepts company name, KRS, NIP, text fragment, case type, and date range. Results are PDFs. Each relevant announcement must be read individually — there is no structured export.
These two steps together cover the insolvency layer. They do not replace the pledge layer or the land register layer. All three layers must be checked independently before a collateral assessment can be formed.
Where the sources disagree
A company may appear clean in KRZ while MSiG shows a restructuring proceeding from 2019 that concluded with a partial debt reduction. The KRS register may show the company as active throughout. These three results are not contradictory — they reflect different systems covering different periods and different legal facts. The collateral picture requires reading all three together.
The land register may show no mortgage while Rejestr Zastawów shows a registered pledge on the same physical asset registered as movable equipment. This occurs because real property and movable assets are registered in entirely separate systems with no cross-reference. A lender relying on EKW alone for a collateral assessment of a property that includes industrial equipment will miss the pledge layer entirely.
What is included at each tier
| Tier | Price | Included | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | €290 | KRZ query (current proceedings); MSiG search for the entity name and NIP (pre-2021 period); KRS status and basic corporate data; Biała lista VAT status and bank account check; summary table of findings; dated output in English | Pledge register queries (Rejestr Zastawów and Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych); land register (EKW) — KW number required, not included at this tier; financial statement review; beneficial ownership (CRBR) chain analysis |
| Standard | €470 | Everything in Signal; plus Rejestr Zastawów certificate (DW-1 and DW-2 for the entity and the identified asset); Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych query and certificate; CRBR beneficial ownership extract; RDF financial statement review (last two filed periods); EKW review if KW number is provided by the instructing party | Independent KW number sourcing from land cadastre; on-site inspection or physical asset verification; legal qualification of findings; representation |
| Extended | €960 | Everything in Standard; plus independent KW number sourcing from ewidencja gruntów i budynków; EKW full section review (I–IV) including historical entries; cross-register reconciliation memo identifying discrepancies between pledge, land, and insolvency layers; three-year financial statement review; timeline of all encumbrances with dates and parties | Legal qualification of findings; enforcement probability assessment; representation; physical asset valuation |
All registers listed above are public. Several are free of charge. The fee covers the assembled path: correct identifier sourcing, multi-register sequencing, language handling, cross-register reconciliation, and a dated English-language output structured for due diligence use.
Frequently asked questions
Does a clean KRZ result mean the seller has no insolvency history?
No. KRZ covers proceedings opened from 1 December 2021. Proceedings concluded before that date appear only in MSiG. A complete check requires both sources.
Can the land register be searched by owner name?
No. EKW is searchable only by KW number. Private parties cannot search by owner name or address. The KW number must be obtained from the land cadastre as a prior step.
Is one pledge register sufficient?
No. Poland operates two separate pledge registers under different ministries. Rejestr Zastawów covers civil-law registered pledges. Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych covers fiscal pledges under tax enforcement law. Neither register references the other.
What does the Biała lista show that is relevant to collateral?
The Biała lista discloses VAT registration status, declared bank accounts, and the history of exclusions and reinstatements with dates. A payment made to a bank account not on the list triggers joint VAT liability for the payer. The list also allows historical queries — a check on the date of a past transaction is possible.
Are these registers available in English?
No. All Polish official registers operate in Polish only. Output from this service is provided in English, with source documents attached in their original language.
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.