Poland Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Polish Business

TL;DR. Poland operates two parallel public registries: KRS (Krajowy Rejestr Sadowy) for companies and partnerships, and CEIDG for registered sole traders. Both are free for basic searches. Certified KRS extracts cost PLN 30-60 (~USD 7-15). The portals offer partial English, and foreign buyers can access them without a Polish identity document.

What is the official Poland business registry?

Poland’s company registration system is divided between two distinct state-run systems, each covering a different class of business entity.

The Krajowy Rejestr Sadowy (KRS), administered by the Ministry of Justice, is the official commercial register for all corporate and partnership entities: spoika z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia (sp. z o.o., private limited), spoika akcyjna (S.A., public limited), general partnerships, limited partnerships, cooperative societies, and branch offices of foreign companies. The KRS has been operational in its current electronic form since 2001 and is governed by the Act on the National Court Register (Ustawa o Krajowym Rejestrze Sadowym, Dz.U. 1997 nr 121 poz. 769, as amended). The online portal is at ekrs.ms.gov.pl. Court district courts (sady rejonowe) are the filing courts, and the KRS integrates records from all district courts nationwide into a single searchable database.

The CEIDG (Centralna Ewidencja i Informacja o Dzialalnosci Gospodarczej), operated by the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, covers natural persons conducting business as sole traders (jednoosobowa dzialalnosc gospodarcza) and civil law partnerships. CEIDG operates at ceidg.gov.pl. CEIDG entries are typically simpler: they show the trader’s name, business name, registered address, NIP (tax ID), REGON (statistical number), and declared PKD activity codes. CEIDG data is free and fully public.

Together, the two systems cover the full range of registered business entities in Poland.

What can you search?

KRS searches (free, no account required):

• Company name (full or partial, Polish characters supported)
• KRS number (the entity’s unique identifier in the register)
• NIP (tax identification number)
• REGON (national statistical number)
• Court district (filter by filing court)

KRS results include:

• Legal form, KRS number, date of registration, registered seat, status (active, in liquidation, dissolved)
• Current management board members (zarzad) and supervisory board members (rada nadzorcza)
• Share capital (kapital zakladowy) and shareholder structure (for sp. z o.o. where filings are complete)
• Purpose clause (przedmiot dzialalnosci) by PKD codes
• Filing history (chronological list of submitted documents)

CEIDG searches (free, no account required):

• Business name or owner full name
• NIP or REGON
• Postal code or municipality

KRS data is updated on a filing-event basis, typically within 1-3 business days of the court accepting a new entry or change notification. CEIDG updates are faster, often same-day for status changes.

How much does it cost?

PLN/USD conversion used: 1 PLN = ~USD 0.25 (approximate, May 2026; verify at point of purchase). Certified extracts are ordered through the portal portal.prs.pl (the e-court system) or at the filing district court in person. Payment accepts credit card and domestic bank transfer. Foreign credit cards (Visa, Mastercard) are accepted on the e-court system.

CEIDG data is free in all forms. There is no fee for downloading a CEIDG printout.

Do you need a local account or ID?

No local Polish identity document or Polish company registration is required for basic searches on either KRS or CEIDG.

KRS online searching and viewing of company cards is fully open. To order a certified extract (odpis) through the e-court portal (portal.prs.pl), a user account is required, but registration is open to foreign buyers. The account creation requires an email address and password. A Polish PESEL number (national identity number) is not required for the extract ordering flow, though some advanced functions of the portal (filing documents, viewing certain restricted records) require authenticated Polish eID (Profil Zaufany).

For CEIDG, no account is needed to search or download any information.

Is the website in English?

Partial. Both KRS and CEIDG offer limited English interface options.

The KRS search portal (ekrs.ms.gov.pl) has a partial English mode that translates navigation labels and some field headers, but company data itself (names, purpose clauses, addresses) remains in Polish. Management board entries appear in Polish with Polish-format dates.

The CEIDG portal has a basic English interface that covers search functionality and field labels. Company records show data in Polish.

Polish uses Latin script with diacritical marks (a, c, e, l, n, o, s, z and their uppercase equivalents). Name searches without diacritical marks often still match, but precision searches should use the correct Polish characters.

For compliance buyers who do not read Polish, the field structure on both portals is predictable enough to navigate with a translation tool. Certified extracts require Polish-language interpretation.

What’s the turnaround time?

For KRS, the online company card (karta podmiotu) is available instantly after a free search. Certified extracts ordered through the e-court portal are generated within minutes and delivered as a signed PDF to the user’s account. The extract carries a court electronic signature confirming its authenticity.

CEIDG printouts are generated instantly on demand, free of charge, at any point.

For document copies from the actual court files (such as articles of association or shareholder lists), turnaround depends on the court district. Requests submitted to the court directly may take 5-15 business days. The e-court portal supports ordering some documents remotely, which is faster.

Is there an API?

No public API is available for KRS or CEIDG as of May 2026. Neither ministry provides a documented programmatic interface for third-party access.

CEIDG does publish bulk data for statistical purposes under government data portals, but this is a periodic export rather than a real-time query API.

For programmatic access to Polish company data, the practical options are data resellers who maintain normalized databases derived from KRS public filings, or EU BRIS cross-border access for basic company status queries.

Poland participates in the EU Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS), which allows basic Polish company data to be queried through the European Business Register network in a cross-border format.

What you legally cannot do

KRS and CEIDG data is public, but Polish law and the registry terms of use place limits on reuse:

• Automated bulk downloading of KRS or CEIDG records is prohibited under the portal terms. The systems implement rate limiting and CAPTCHA to deter scraping.
• Personal data reuse: Directors, shareholders, and sole traders appearing in KRS and CEIDG records are natural persons whose data is protected under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as implemented in Polish law (Ustawa o ochronie danych osobowych). Processing their data for marketing purposes or building contact lists is not a permitted use.
• Redistribution of certified extracts without disclosure of origin is not permissible. Certified extracts carry court authentication and must be presented with the source acknowledged.

For the full global due diligence framework applicable when using registries like KRS across multiple jurisdictions, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• Use the KRS number as the anchor identifier. The KRS number (10-digit, zero-padded, e.g., KRS 0000123456) uniquely identifies a company. Company names in Poland can be similar or identical across different legal forms; the KRS number removes ambiguity.
• NIP and REGON cross-check. The NIP (tax ID, 10-digit) and REGON (statistical number, 9 or 14 digits for entities) appear on both KRS and CEIDG entries. Cross-referencing confirms you are looking at the same entity in both systems.
• Status field meanings. Active companies show status “wpisana” or “aktywna.” “W likwidacji” means in liquidation. “Wykreslona” or “wykreslona z rejestru” means struck off. A company struck from KRS may still have pending liabilities.
• Sp. z o.o. vs. S.A. disclosure differs. A sp. z o.o. (spoolka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia) is required to file annual financial statements with the Court Register. The filed accounts are accessible as public documents. The obligation covers all sp. z o.o. entities regardless of size, which makes Poland more transparent than some EU peers for SME financial data.
• Branch office vs. subsidiary. Foreign companies operating in Poland can register either a branch (oddzial) or a separate subsidiary (sp. z o.o.). Both appear in KRS, but the branch is linked to the parent entity abroad. Always check whether the KRS entry is a branch or an independent entity.
• CEIDG for VAT-registered traders. Sole traders who are VAT-registered appear in CEIDG with NIP. For invoice verification or supplier due diligence on a self-employed contractor, CEIDG is the authoritative source.
• Poland is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026. Poland is a FATF member through the Council of Europe’s MONEYVAL committee. The country’s AML framework complies with EU 5th and 6th Anti-Money Laundering Directives (5AMLD and 6AMLD).

Alternatives if you cannot access the registry directly

The partial-English interface and Polish-language company records create some friction for foreign buyers, but there are workable alternatives:

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes KRS filings but lags official data by days to weeks. Useful for quick name presence check; not suitable for compliance-grade verification.
• EU BRIS portal: Basic company name and status data for Polish companies is available through the European Business Register network in English, without an account.
• Polish Central Statistical Office (GUS, stat.gov.pl): The REGON database at stat.gov.pl/en allows free lookup by REGON or NIP and returns basic entity classification, registered address, and PKD codes in both Polish and partial English.

Local data suppliers

• Dun and Bradstreet Poland (dnb.com). D-U-N-S numbered company profiles for Polish entities, with credit risk scoring, payment performance data, and supply chain risk tools. Used by multinationals needing Polish company data integrated with global D&B counterparty databases.
• Coface Poland (coface.com/pl). Credit insurance and trade receivables solutions with a Polish commercial data product. Covers KRS-registered companies and non-registered entities, providing credit opinions, financial statement summaries, and payment behavior data.
• InfoCredit (infocredit.pl). Polish-market credit bureau focusing on SME credit reports and KRS extract delivery. Provides both one-off reports and monitoring subscriptions for Polish company status changes.

Use KRS and CEIDG for the authoritative registry extract. Use a commercial credit bureau when you need payment behavior, financial risk scoring, or ongoing company monitoring.

FAQ

Can a foreign company search Poland’s KRS without a Polish identity?

Yes. The KRS search portal at ekrs.ms.gov.pl is open to anyone worldwide without a Polish identity document or local address. Basic company profile searches are free and require no account. To order a certified extract, a free account registration on the e-court portal is required, but the registration process does not require Polish eID or a PESEL number.

What is the KRS number in Poland?

The KRS number (numer w Krajowym Rejestrze Sadowym) is a 10-digit zero-padded identifier assigned when an entity is first entered in the National Court Register. It is the primary identifier for all KRS-registered entities. The format is always 10 digits (e.g., 0000123456). Every KRS entry also displays the filing court district, which together with the KRS number provides an unambiguous reference to the specific court record.

What entity types are registered with KRS?

KRS covers companies (sp. z o.o., S.A., P.S.A.), partnerships (sp. j., sp. k., sp. k-a.), cooperative societies, associations, foundations, and branch offices of foreign companies. Sole traders and civil law partnerships are not in KRS; they are registered in CEIDG instead. Public benefit organizations (organizacje pozytku publicznego) are also recorded in KRS.

Does Poland have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

Yes. Poland implemented the Central Register of Beneficial Owners (CRBR, Centralny Rejestr Beneficjentow Rzeczywistych) in 2020 under the Act on Counteracting Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (Ustawa AML), implementing EU 5AMLD requirements. The CRBR is operated by the Ministry of Finance and is publicly accessible at crbr.podatki.gov.pl. Polish companies (sp. z o.o., S.A., and others) are required to report their UBOs. Access is free and no account is required for public search. The register aligns with FATF Recommendation 24 on transparency of legal persons.

How current is the KRS data?

KRS records are updated on a filing-event basis. When a district court accepts a change notification (such as a new management board member or a capital increase), the record is typically updated within 1-3 business days. The online company card reflects the current registered state. The full history of all changes is visible in the chronological extract (odpis pelny), which shows every filing since incorporation.

Is Poland on the FATF grey list?

No. Poland is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026. Poland participates in the FATF framework through MONEYVAL and has implemented EU 5th and 6th Anti-Money Laundering Directives. For current country standings, see fatf-gafi.org.

What is the difference between KRS and CEIDG in Poland?

KRS covers companies and partnerships with legal personality or organizational form requiring court registration, such as sp. z o.o. and S.A. CEIDG covers natural persons (sole traders) and civil law partnerships (spolki cywilne), which do not require court registration but must notify the economic activity register. A Polish contractor who is self-employed will appear in CEIDG, not KRS. When verifying a Polish supplier, confirm which registry is relevant based on their legal form before searching.

Last verified: May 2026. Sources: Krajowy Rejestr Sadowy portal (ekrs.ms.gov.pl), CEIDG (ceidg.gov.pl), Centralny Rejestr Beneficjentow Rzeczywistych (crbr.podatki.gov.pl), FATF (fatf-gafi.org). For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.