Geoportal.gov.pl and the ewidencja gruntów i budynków (EGiB) together form the primary public layer for Polish land data. For a foreign buyer or lender assessing collateral, these sources answer one question first: what parcel exists, where it sits, and what the register says about its classification. They do not, on their own, answer what encumbers that parcel.
- What Geoportal shows
- Parcel boundaries, area, land-use classification, and the assigned land-and-mortgage register number (KW). Source: geoportal.gov.pl · retrieved 2026-08-11
- Access condition
- No registration required. The map viewer is free and public.
- Critical limitation
- Geoportal does not display mortgages, charges, or ownership disputes. Those sit in the KW register.
- Path to the KW
- EGiB provides the KW number; EKW (ekw.ms.gov.pl) then discloses the register content — but only if the KW number is already known. Search by owner name is not available to private parties.
- Charges register
- Two separate systems must be checked: Rejestr Zastawów (Ministry of Justice) and Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych (Ministry of Finance). Neither is visible in Geoportal. Source: Centralna Informacja Rejestrów Sądowych · retrieved 2026-08-11
What the land register shows — and the path to reach it
The electronic land-and-mortgage register (EKW) is public and free of charge. The access constraint is structural: the system accepts queries only by KW number, not by owner name or address. A foreign party without a Polish national identifier cannot run a name-based search through official channels. The practical path runs through EGiB — the cadastral register — which links each parcel to its KW number. EGiB data is accessible via Geoportal or through the relevant starostwo (district authority).
Once the KW number is in hand, EKW discloses all four divisions of the register: ownership, perpetual usufruct rights, limited property rights, and mortgages. Mortgages are listed in Division IV with the creditor, amount, currency, and ranking. This is the collateral layer that matters most to a lender.
Charges and pledges: two registers, not one
Polish law separates mortgage-type security on real property (registered in EKW) from registered pledges on movables and receivables (registered in the Rejestr Zastawów). A full collateral picture requires both checks.
| Register | Covers | Administrator | Access | Fees (per query) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EKW (ekw.ms.gov.pl) | Mortgages on real property; perpetual usufruct | Ministry of Justice | Free; KW number required | Free (certified extract: paid) |
| Rejestr Zastawów — DW-1 / DW-2 | Registered pledges on movables and receivables — by pledgor or by asset | Ministry of Justice / Centralna Informacja | Paid; formal application | DW-1 (pledgor): 20 PLN · DW-2 (asset): 20 PLN · DW-4 (certified extract): 15 PLN |
| Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych | Tax pledges (skarbowy zastaw) on assets of tax debtors | Ministry of Finance / e-Urząd Skarbowy | Search: free · Certificate: paid | Wypis / zaświadczenie: 50 PLN |
A tax pledge (zastaw skarbowy) arises by operation of law when a tax liability exceeds a statutory threshold. It does not require registration to become effective against the debtor. It does require registration in the Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych to be effective against third parties. Absence from that register does not rule out a pending tax liability.
VAT status and declared bank accounts
The Biała Lista (podatki.gov.pl, administered by the Head of KAS) is free and requires no login. It shows the entity's VAT status, registered details, and all bank accounts declared to the tax authority. Payment to an account not on the list creates joint-and-several VAT liability for the payer. For a lender reviewing a Polish operating company as collateral, the Biała Lista check is a standard pre-disbursement step. The register allows point-in-time queries: status on any past date can be verified.
Insolvency and restructuring proceedings
The Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych (KRZ, krz.ms.gov.pl) is public, free, and requires no login. It covers bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings opened from 1 December 2021 onward. Search runs by PESEL, NIP, KRS number, or case signature.
A clean KRZ result does not exclude proceedings opened before that date. Earlier filings appeared in the Monitor Sądowy i Gospodarczy (MSiG). The MSiG archive is free and searchable at wyszukiwarka-msig.ms.gov.pl, covering publications from 1996. Both systems must be checked to cover the full timeline.
Company register and financial statements
KRS (the National Court Register) is free of charge. It shows the legal form, registered address, share capital, management board, supervisory board, and prokura. A certified extract costs approximately 30–60 PLN. Filed financial statements are available free of charge through the Repozytorium Dokumentów Finansowych, linked from the KRS record.
Beneficial ownership
The Central Register of Beneficial Owners (CRBR) is open, free, and accessible without an account. It discloses the reported ultimate beneficial owner of Polish legal entities. The register reflects what the entity itself has declared. Verification of the accuracy of that declaration against the actual ownership structure is a separate analytical step, not performed by the register itself.
The limit of what the sources allow
Several ceilings apply across the Polish register landscape. They are structural, not procedural — they cannot be overcome by paying more or waiting longer.
| Source | What it does not show | Where the chain stops |
|---|---|---|
| Geoportal / EGiB | Mortgages, charges, disputes, ownership history | Provides the KW number only; content sits in EKW |
| EKW | Owner name cannot be searched directly; query requires KW number | Foreign party without Polish ID cannot run name-based search through official channels |
| Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych | Pending tax liabilities not yet registered | Tax pledge effective against debtor before registration; register shows only third-party-effective entries |
| KRZ | Proceedings opened before 1 December 2021 | Pre-2021 history requires separate MSiG search |
| CRBR | Accuracy of declared UBO; complex offshore chains | Register reflects self-declaration; no independent verification by the register authority |
| CEPiK / historiapojazdu.gov.pl | Owner name; history of vehicles registered outside Poland | Requires registration number, VIN, and first-registration date simultaneously — last item held only by the seller |
This register is public and free of charge in several instances above. What the report covers is the removed path: obtaining the KW number from EGiB, navigating the national identifier requirement, preparing applications in Polish, obtaining certified extracts with electronic signatures, and cross-referencing results across all relevant registers in a single structured output.
Where the sources disagree
EGiB and EKW can show different ownership data. EGiB is the cadastral layer — it records the possessor or the administratively registered owner. EKW is the legal title layer. When the two diverge, the EKW entry governs for title purposes. The divergence itself is a finding: it indicates either an incomplete transfer procedure or a dispute not yet resolved in the register.
A similar gap can appear between CRBR and KRS. If the declared beneficial owner in CRBR does not match the shareholder structure shown in the KRS Gesellschafterliste equivalent, that inconsistency requires explanation before any collateral assessment is complete. The registers do not flag this automatically — it surfaces only when both are read side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreign lender access EKW directly?
EKW is publicly accessible online. The constraint is not nationality — it is the requirement to know the KW number in advance. Without that number, the system returns nothing. Obtaining the KW number from EGiB or the relevant starostwo is the prerequisite step.
Does a clean EKW mean the property is unencumbered?
No. EKW shows mortgages registered against the property. It does not show registered pledges on movables (Rejestr Zastawów), tax pledges (Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych), or pending enforcement proceedings that have not yet produced a register entry. All three checks are required for a complete collateral picture.
How current is EGiB data?
EGiB is maintained by individual starostwos. Update frequency varies by district. Boundary data shown in Geoportal reflects the cadastral record as last updated by that authority. For collateral purposes, a certified extract from the relevant starostwo — with its issue date — is more reliable than the map viewer alone.
Is the Biała Lista check sufficient for VAT purposes?
The Biała Lista shows accounts declared to the tax authority. It does not show all accounts the entity holds. A payment to an undeclared account carries joint-and-several VAT risk for the payer regardless of whether the account appears elsewhere in official records.
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.