Taking collateral over a Polish asset without first mapping what already encumbers it is one of the more common sources of loss for foreign lenders and acquirers. Poland maintains a set of separate, purpose-built registers — for land, for pledges, for insolvency, for enforcement — and a negative result in one of them says nothing about the others. This page describes what each register shows, what it does not show, and what a structured collateral report from those registers costs.
- What the registers show
- Mortgage entries on land and buildings (KW), registered pledges on movables and receivables (RZ), pending insolvency and restructuring proceedings (KRZ), and enforcement actions visible in court files. Sources: Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości registers · verified 13.08.2026
- Access condition
- KW land-register excerpts require the full KW number. RZ pledge-register searches require the debtor's PESEL or NIP. KRZ insolvency searches are open by name. Each register is a separate query with a separate access path.
- What the registers do not show
- Contractual negative-pledge clauses, undisclosed factoring assignments, or tax-lien priorities not yet entered in the land register. No single query covers all encumbrance types.
- Verification date
- Register data in this report reflects the state of each source on the date of retrieval, stated per source in the Sources section.
What Polish collateral registers cover
Four registers form the core of a Polish collateral check. The land and mortgage register (Księga Wieczysta, KW) records ownership, mortgages, easements, and pre-emption rights for real property. The registered pledge register (Rejestr Zastawów, RZ) records security interests over movables, receivables, and intellectual property rights. The National Insolvency Register (Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych, KRZ) records restructuring and insolvency proceedings, including consumer insolvency. Court enforcement files held by bailiffs (komornicy) record active enforcement actions, but these are not centralised in a single searchable database.
Each register operates independently. A clean KW result means no mortgage on the land parcel — it says nothing about a pledge on the machinery inside the building. A clean RZ result covers registered pledges only — it does not cover a lien arising by operation of tax law that has not yet been entered. Understanding which register answers which question is the first step of a collateral review.
| Register | What it covers | Search key required | What it does not cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| KW — land and mortgage register | Ownership, mortgages, easements, pre-emption rights on real property | Full KW number (e.g. WA1M/00012345/6) | Pledges on movables; tax liens not yet entered; contractual restrictions |
| RZ — registered pledge register | Pledges on movables, receivables, IP rights, shares | Debtor PESEL (individual) or NIP (entity) | Mortgages; fiscal pledges; unregistered security interests |
| KRZ — national insolvency register | Restructuring, insolvency, and consumer insolvency proceedings | Name or PESEL/NIP; open search | Concluded proceedings beyond retention period; informal workouts |
| Bailiff enforcement files | Active enforcement actions against a debtor | Per-bailiff query; no central database | Actions handled by bailiffs not individually contacted; concluded enforcement |
| KRS — national court register | Corporate status, share capital, management, statutory documents | Entity name or KRS number | Beneficial ownership beyond first layer; informal agreements |
The KW land register: what the excerpt shows and what it omits
A KW excerpt (odpis z księgi wieczystej) is the primary instrument for verifying real-property collateral in Poland. It is divided into four sections: ownership (dział II), encumbrances other than mortgages (dział III), and mortgages (dział IV). The excerpt reflects the state of entries at the moment of retrieval. It does not reflect pending applications that have been submitted but not yet processed by the court.
Pending applications are visible in the application log (dziennik ksiąg wieczystych) — a separate query requiring the same KW number. A lender who reads only the excerpt and not the log may miss a mortgage application filed the previous day. This gap is a documented source of priority disputes in Polish real-property transactions.
The KW system is electronic and publicly accessible at ekw.ms.gov.pl. Retrieval requires the full KW number. KW numbers are not searchable by address or by owner name through the public portal. Obtaining the KW number for a specific parcel requires a separate step — cross-reference with the land parcel register (ewidencja gruntów i budynków) held by the relevant starostwo.
The RZ pledge register: scope, gaps, and the fiscal pledge parallel
The registered pledge register (Rejestr Zastawów) covers security interests created under the Act on Registered Pledges and the Pledge Register (ustawa o zastawie rejestrowym i rejestrze zastawów). A pledge must be entered to be effective against third parties. The register is searchable by debtor identifier — PESEL for individuals, NIP for entities.
The fiscal pledge (zastaw skarbowy) is a separate instrument created by operation of tax law. It arises automatically once a tax liability exceeds the statutory threshold and the tax authority issues a decision. Fiscal pledges are recorded in a separate register maintained by the Ministry of Finance — not in the RZ. A clean RZ result does not exclude the existence of a fiscal pledge. A complete collateral check queries both registers separately.
Factoring assignments and undisclosed receivables transfers do not appear in either register unless the parties chose to file a registered pledge as additional security. Contractual negative-pledge clauses are not registrable and are not visible in any public source.
KRZ insolvency register: what a negative result means
The Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych replaced the older insolvency monitor (Monitor Sądowy i Gospodarczy) for insolvency publications from 2021 onwards. It records the opening, progress, and closure of restructuring and insolvency proceedings for both entities and individuals. It is searchable by name and by PESEL or NIP without registration.
A negative KRZ result means no proceeding is currently published in that register. It does not mean no application has been filed. An application filed but not yet processed by the court will not appear. Proceedings concluded before the KRZ launch date may appear only in legacy MSiG publications. The report covers both sources.
The limit of what the sources allow
Polish public registers cover what has been entered. They do not cover what has been agreed but not registered, what has arisen by operation of law but not yet formally recorded, or what is held in a jurisdiction outside Poland. The following encumbrance types fall outside the reach of any Polish public register query:
- Contractual negative-pledge or restriction-on-disposal clauses in loan agreements
- Factoring or receivables-assignment arrangements not secured by a registered pledge
- Fiscal pledges where the tax decision has been issued but not yet entered in the Ministry of Finance register
- Enforcement actions handled by bailiffs not individually queried
- Security interests created under foreign law over assets with a Polish situs
The report states, for each register queried, the date and time of retrieval. That timestamp is the boundary of the representation. An entry filed after that timestamp is not captured. The ceiling of what the sources allow is stated before payment — not discovered after delivery.
Where the sources disagree
The KW land register and the land parcel register (ewidencja gruntów) are maintained by different authorities and updated on different schedules. The KW may show an owner who has transferred the parcel; the ewidencja may reflect the transfer before the KW entry is updated. The reverse also occurs. When the two sources disagree on ownership or parcel boundaries, the report records both states and identifies the discrepancy explicitly — it does not resolve it.
KRS corporate-register entries and KW ownership entries for real property held by companies can diverge when a merger, demerger, or in-kind contribution has occurred but the KW has not been updated. The report flags this gap when it is present. Resolving it requires a separate notarial or court procedure — outside the scope of the report.
What is included at each tier
| Tier | Price (EUR) | Included | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | €290 | KW excerpt (dział II, III, IV) with application-log check; KRZ insolvency search by name and identifier; RZ pledge-register search by NIP/PESEL; summary table of findings; source badges with retrieval timestamps | Fiscal pledge register (MF); bailiff enforcement queries; KRS corporate-status check; ewidencja gruntów cross-reference; discrepancy analysis between sources |
| Standard | €470 | Everything in Signal, plus: fiscal pledge register query (MF); KRS corporate-status excerpt for entity owners; ewidencja gruntów cross-reference for parcel boundaries and area; identification of source discrepancies with written description | Bailiff enforcement queries; review of underlying security documents; legal qualification of findings; advice on priority or enforcement strategy |
| Extended | €960 | Everything in Standard, plus: bailiff enforcement queries across relevant districts; review of KRS filing history (uchwały, sprawozdania) for corporate events affecting ownership; written analysis of identified discrepancies; timeline of encumbrance events; delivery within five business days | Legal advice on enforceability of security; opinion on priority ranking; court or notarial procedures to resolve discrepancies; any representation |
All tiers are delivered as a structured PDF report with source badges and retrieval timestamps per query. Delivery is by email to the address provided at order. The report is prepared in English. Payment is arranged by invoice issued on order confirmation.
Questions about Polish collateral verification
Can the KW number be found if only the property address is known?
The public KW portal does not support address-based search. The KW number must be obtained from the land parcel register (ewidencja gruntów i budynków) held by the relevant starostwo, or from the seller or pledgor. The Standard and Extended tiers include the ewidencja cross-reference step.
Does a clean KW mean the property is unencumbered?
A clean KW dział IV means no mortgage is entered as of the retrieval timestamp. It does not exclude a fiscal pledge, a registered pledge over the same asset entered in RZ, or a pending mortgage application filed after retrieval. A complete encumbrance picture requires all four registers to be queried.
How current is the data in the report?
Each query is run at the time of report preparation. Each finding carries a retrieval timestamp. Register data changes continuously. The report represents the state of each source at the stated timestamp — not at any earlier or later date.
What happens if a discrepancy is found between registers?
The Standard and Extended tiers describe any identified discrepancy in writing. The report does not resolve discrepancies — resolution requires a notarial, administrative, or court procedure. The report identifies the gap so that the appropriate procedure can be initiated.
Is the report a legal opinion?
No. The report is a factual compilation from official registers. It identifies what is entered, what is absent, and where sources diverge. It contains no legal qualification of those facts and no advice on enforcement strategy or priority ranking.
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.