A land and title register extract (odpis z księgi wieczystej) is the primary collateral document for any Polish real property. It shows who owns the asset, what encumbrances are registered, and whether any claims limit the owner's right to dispose. A foreign buyer or lender cannot read this document without first obtaining the register number — and that number is not searchable by name.
- What the register shows
- Owner of record, mortgage entries (Dział IV), encumbrances and easements (Dział III), area and land-use classification. Source: Elektroniczne Księgi Wieczyste (EKW) · verified 2026-06-20
- Access condition
- Search by register number only. Name-based search is not available to private parties. The number must be obtained from the land cadastre (ewidencja gruntów i budynków) or from the seller's documentation.
- Cost of access
- EKW online is free of charge. A certified extract (odpis zupełny) carries a fee set by the Ministry of Justice tariff.
- What the register does not show
- Registered pledges on movables and equipment (separate Rejestr Zastawów), tax charges (Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych), or insolvency proceedings. Collateral verification requires all three systems.
What the land register records and what it does not
The Polish land and title register (księga wieczysta) is divided into four sections. Dział I covers the property description: area, address, land-use category. Dział II names the owner or co-owners with their shares. Dział III records easements, rights of pre-emption, and any court-ordered restrictions on disposal. Dział IV is the mortgage section: it lists each mortgage by amount, currency, creditor, and ranking.
For collateral purposes, Dział IV is the operative section. A property may carry multiple mortgages in ranked order. The register shows face value, not market value. A mortgage entered at PLN 5 million on a property worth PLN 3 million is a structural problem that the extract makes visible immediately.
What the register does not show: pledges registered under the Civil Code pledge regime (Rejestr Zastawów, administered by the Ministry of Justice), treasury charges (Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych, administered by the Ministry of Finance), and insolvency or restructuring proceedings (Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych). Each system is independent. An encumbrance in one does not appear in the others.
| System | Administered by | What it records | Access | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elektroniczne Księgi Wieczyste (EKW) | Ministry of Justice | Mortgages, easements, ownership | By KW number only | Free (online view); certified extract — MoJ tariff |
| Rejestr Zastawów (CI) | Ministry of Justice, Centralna Informacja | Registered pledges on movables | By pledgor (DW-1, 20 zł) or object (DW-2, 20 zł); certified copy DW-4: 15 zł | Paid |
| Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych | Ministry of Finance | Treasury tax charges | Free search by object; certified statement: 50 zł via e-Urząd Skarbowy | Search free; certificate paid |
| Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych (KRZ) | Ministry of Justice | Insolvency and restructuring proceedings from December 2021 | Free, no login, search by PESEL/NIP/KRS | Free |
The access barrier for a foreign requester
EKW is publicly accessible at ekw.ms.gov.pl without registration. The barrier is structural, not administrative: the system accepts only the KW register number (numer księgi wieczystej). That number is not published in a searchable index by owner name, address, or company identifier.
To obtain the KW number, a requester must consult the land cadastre (ewidencja gruntów i budynków), held at the district (powiat) level. Access to cadastral data for a specific parcel requires the parcel identifier (numer działki) or the property address. A foreign party without prior documentation of the asset cannot begin this chain independently.
The practical path: seller or borrower provides the KW number and parcel identifier → cadastral extract confirms parcel-to-KW linkage → EKW extract is pulled → Dział IV is read against the Rejestr Zastawów and Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych. Skipping any step leaves the encumbrance picture incomplete.
The limit of what the sources allow
EKW shows only encumbrances that have been formally registered. An informal charge, an unregistered agreement, or a claim that has been filed in court but not yet entered in the register is invisible. The extract reflects the register as of the moment it is pulled — not as of the transaction date, and not as of any prior date.
The Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych contains only charges levied by tax authorities. A private creditor's pledge that was not registered under the pledge register act does not appear. The KRZ contains insolvency proceedings opened after 1 December 2021 only. Proceedings opened before that date were recorded in the former Rejestr Dłużników Niewypłacalnych, which is no longer updated. Absence of a KRZ entry does not confirm absence of an earlier insolvency.
A complete collateral profile requires all four systems cross-referenced. The report produced at each tier below states explicitly at which point the chain ends and why.
Where the sources disagree
The mortgage amount in Dział IV is the registered face value. It may differ from the outstanding balance, which is stated in the loan agreement, not in the register. A lender may have partially discharged a mortgage without updating the register entry. The register shows the ceiling; the actual exposure requires a payoff statement from the creditor.
Cadastral area and register area may diverge if boundary adjustments were made after the register was last updated. A discrepancy between the cadastral extract and the EKW entry is itself a finding — it signals a pending administrative step that may affect title.
What is included at each tier
| Tier | Price (EUR) | Included | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | 290 | EKW extract (Działy I–IV); KW number verification from cadastral source; summary of mortgage entries with creditor, amount, and ranking; KRZ insolvency check | Rejestr Zastawów (pledges); Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych (treasury charges); cadastral area cross-check; owner KRS/entity verification; VAT status |
| Standard | 470 | Everything in Signal; Rejestr Zastawów search (DW-1 by pledgor and DW-2 by object); Rejestr Zastawów Skarbowych search with certified statement; cadastral extract with area cross-check | Owner entity verification (KRS, financial statements); VAT/Biała lista status; court records (MSiG/KRZ restructuring filings); on-site inspection |
| Extended | 960 | Everything in Standard; owner KRS extract and filed financial statements (RDF); Biała lista VAT status check; MSiG and KRZ search for restructuring and insolvency announcements; CRBR beneficial ownership extract; written summary of findings with source citations | Legal qualification of findings; legal advice; representation; on-site inspection; historical proceedings before December 2021 (KRZ coverage limit) |
Payment is by invoice. All tiers are delivered in English. Turnaround from receipt of the KW number and parcel identifier: Signal 2 business days, Standard 3 business days, Extended 5 business days.
Frequently asked questions
What if the seller cannot provide the KW number?
The KW number can be retrieved from the district cadastral office using the property address or parcel number. This step is included in all three tiers. Without the KW number or parcel identifier, the report cannot be initiated.
Does a clean EKW extract mean the property is unencumbered?
No. EKW shows only registered mortgages and easements. Pledges under the Civil Code pledge regime, treasury tax charges, and insolvency proceedings are held in separate systems. Signal tier covers EKW and KRZ only. Standard and Extended tiers cover all four systems.
How current is the extract?
EKW reflects the register at the moment of retrieval. A mortgage discharge filed the same day may not yet be entered. For time-sensitive transactions, the extract is pulled on the agreed reference date and the date is stated on the document.
Is CRBR beneficial ownership data reliable?
CRBR (Centralny Rejestr Beneficjentów Rzeczywistych) is a mandatory disclosure register. Entities are legally required to file and update entries. The register is open and free of charge. The data reflects what the entity declared; independent verification of the declared chain is not within the register's scope. Extended tier includes the CRBR extract as one source, not as a verified conclusion.
What if the property is held by a foreign entity?
Polish land register entries are in Polish regardless of owner nationality. The KW extract is issued in Polish. All tiers include translation of material entries into English. Owner entity verification under Extended tier covers Polish KRS entries; foreign parent entity verification is outside scope and is quoted separately on request at info@kordeckipartners.com.
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.