🇵🇱 Business registers in Poland

Overview

Poland operates a structured and digital business information system, with a strong degree of openness. The register landscape is divided between two main databases: the National Court Register (KRS) for companies, foundations, and associations, and the Central Register and Information on Business (CEIDG) for sole traders. A separate Central Register of Beneficial Owners (CRBR) captures UBO information.

This segmentation makes Polish company data relatively straightforward to navigate. Since 2021, all KRS filings are exclusively electronic, and financial statements are freely accessible online. The country also maintains one of Europe's more transparent beneficial ownership regimes, though this may change as Poland aligns with recent EU privacy rulings.

For KYB and AML professionals, Poland offers rich company data with good coverage of legal representatives, shareholders, and financials. Note information is mostly available in Polish, and information is somehow split between CEIDG and KRS.

Official Registers

Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy (KRS) — National Court Register

The KRS is Poland's official commercial register, established in 2001 and maintained by the Ministry of Justice through selected district courts. It operates as a centralised electronic database covering companies, partnerships, cooperatives, foundations, associations, and branches of foreign companies.

The KRS is divided into three sub-registers: the Register of Entrepreneurs, the Register of Associations and other organisations (including foundations), and the National Register of Debtors.

The register provides comprehensive information including: legal name, KRS number, NIP (tax ID), REGON (statistical number), legal form, registered address, share capital, management board members and signatories, representation rules, PKD activity codes, and notes on financial filings, insolvency, and liquidation proceedings.

Access to the KRS is free via the official portal. Users can download PDF extracts, either current (odpis aktualny) or full historical (odpis pełny), at no cost. These electronic extracts have the same legal force as certified documents. Financial statements are accessible through the Repository of Financial Documents and can be downloaded freely.

Centralna Ewidencja i Informacja o Działalności Gospodarczej (CEIDG) — Central Register for Sole Traders

The CEIDG is the official register for sole proprietors (jednoosobowa działalność gospodarcza) and partners in civil law partnerships. It is operated by the Ministry of Economic Development and accessible at ceidg.gov.pl, with an English-language interface available.

Registration with CEIDG is free, instant, and can be completed online. The register provides basic information including business name, NIP, REGON, registered address, activity codes (PKD), and the names of representatives or proxies.

Importantly, CEIDG does not contain financial statements—sole traders are not required to file accounts publicly. There are approximately 2.5 million entities registered in CEIDG, making it a significant part of the Polish business landscape.

Centralny Rejestr Beneficjentów Rzeczywistych (CRBR) — Central Register of Beneficial Owners

The CRBR is Poland's UBO register, operational since October 2019 and managed by the Ministry of Finance. It collects beneficial ownership information for commercial companies (except publicly listed companies), partnerships, cooperatives, foundations, associations registered in the KRS, and certain trusts.

Entities must file within 14 days of registration or any change in beneficial ownership. The register captures UBO names, dates of birth, nationalities, PESEL numbers (where applicable), countries of residence, and the nature and extent of ownership or control.

Currently, the CRBR is publicly accessible and free of charge—no registration or authentication is required. However, draft legislation proposes restricting access to a "legitimate interest" basis by July 2026, in line with the 2022 ECJ ruling on public UBO registers. If enacted, only obliged entities and those demonstrating legitimate interest would retain access.

Registration and Publication Requirements

Companies (Spółki)

All commercial law companies must register with the KRS before commencing operations. This includes limited liability companies (sp. z o.o.), joint-stock companies (S.A.), simple joint-stock companies (P.S.A.), and all partnership forms (general, limited, limited joint-stock, and professional partnerships).

Companies are required to file annual financial statements electronically within 15 days of approval by shareholders (typically by 15 July for calendar-year companies). These statements are publicly accessible through the KRS portal. General partnerships composed solely of natural persons and below a revenue threshold of €2 million are exempt from this filing requirement.

All companies (except publicly listed entities) must file beneficial ownership declarations with the CRBR within 14 days of registration.

Sole Traders (Jednoosobowa Działalność Gospodarcza)

Sole proprietors must register with CEIDG before starting business operations. Registration is free and effectively immediate. Changes to business details must also be reported through CEIDG.

Sole traders are not required to file public financial statements; their accounting obligations are met through tax filings. UBO requirements do not apply to sole traders, as they are natural persons by definition.

Associations and Foundations (Stowarzyszenia i Fundacje)

Both associations and foundations must register with the KRS (in the Register of Associations sub-register). Foundations require a notarised founding act (akt założycielski) specifying the foundation's purpose and initial capital.

These entities are subject to beneficial ownership reporting in the CRBR and must file annual financial statements if they engage in economic activity or meet certain thresholds.

A simplified form of association (stowarzyszenie zwykłe) exists for smaller organisations, which registers with local authorities rather than the KRS.

With Topograph

Topograph provides streamlined access to Polish company information through our API and web app, consolidating data from the KRS, CEIDG, and CRBR into a unified view for compliance workflows.

Available Data

Company profile:

• Legal name and trading name
• KRS number, NIP, REGON, and EUID
• Legal form and registration status
• Registered address
• Share capital
• Activity codes (PKD/NACE)

Legal representatives:

• Names and roles of management board members
• Representation rules and signatory powers
• Proxy (prokurent) details

Beneficial owners:

• Names, dates of birth, and nationalities
• Nature and extent of ownership or control

Available Documents

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