If you are about to do business with a Polish company, hire one, or check a partner before you sign, you need the official register. I am Vladislav, and after registering companies in Poland since 2019 I use these registers every working day. Here is how to search them in English and read what you find.
Polish companies are listed in the KRS (Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy), the National Court Register run by the Ministry of Justice. You can search it for free by company name, KRS number, NIP or REGON, and view or download the company extract online. Sole proprietors are in a separate register called CEIDG, and beneficial owners are in the CRBR. All three are public and free to search. Below is exactly where to look and what each field means.
The three Polish company registers at a glance
Poland does not have one single “business registry”. It has three, and knowing which one holds your company saves a lot of confusion.
| Register | Who is in it | Run by | Cost to search |
|---|---|---|---|
| KRS (National Court Register) | limited companies (sp. z o.o.), joint-stock (S.A., P.S.A.), foundations, associations | Ministry of Justice | free online |
| CEIDG | sole proprietors / self-employed (JDG) | Ministry of Economic Development | free online |
| CRBR | ultimate beneficial owners (UBO) of KRS entities | Ministry of Finance | free online |
A common mistake foreigners make is searching KRS for a sole trader and finding nothing. A one-person business (JDG) is never in KRS. It is in CEIDG. If you are checking a company (a sp. z o.o. or a joint-stock company), KRS is the right place.
How to search the KRS in English
The official KRS search is on the Ministry of Justice portal (the eKRS system). It has an English toggle, so you do not need Polish to use it.
- Open the official KRS search (Wyszukiwarka podmiotów w KRS) on the Ministry of Justice site.
- Switch the interface language to English if it opens in Polish.
- Enter one of: the company name, the KRS number (10 digits), the NIP (tax number, 10 digits) or the REGON (statistical number, 9 or 14 digits).
- Open the matching entity and view its current extract on screen.
- Download the extract as a PDF if you need a copy for your records.
You can search by name if you do not have a number yet, but names are not unique, so several similar companies can appear. The KRS number is the only truly unique key, which is why it is worth asking a Polish counterpart for their KRS number up front.
What you can search by
| You have… | What it is | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Company name | the registered name | not unique, expect several matches |
| KRS number | 10-digit court register number | unique, the safest identifier |
| NIP | 10-digit tax number | unique per entity |
| REGON | 9 or 14-digit statistical number | unique, appears on official documents |
If you only have a NIP or REGON from an invoice, that is enough to find the exact company. All three numbers cross-reference the same entity, so you can confirm you are looking at the right one.
What a KRS extract tells you
The extract (odpis) is the heart of the register. A current extract (odpis aktualny) shows the company as it stands today. A full extract (odpis pełny) shows its whole history, including former board members and past changes. For most checks the current extract is enough.
Here is what you can read off it:
| Field | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| KRS, NIP, REGON | the three identifiers, so you can cross-check |
| Legal form | sp. z o.o., S.A., P.S.A. and so on |
| Registered address | the company’s official seat |
| Share capital | declared capital (for a sp. z o.o. the legal minimum is 5 000 zł) |
| Management board | who is authorised to represent the company |
| Representation rules | whether one board member can sign alone or two are needed |
| Shareholders | for a sp. z o.o., partners holding at least 10 percent |
| PKD codes | the activity codes describing what the company may do |
| Status | active, in liquidation, or in bankruptcy |
That representation line matters more than people expect. If the rules say two board members must act jointly, a contract signed by one of them may not bind the company. I always read this before a client signs anything.
Free online extract vs certified extract
There are two levels, and mixing them up costs time and money.
- Free online extract: you can view and download current and full extracts from the official portal at no cost. This is enough to check a partner, confirm an address, or see who is on the board.
- Certified extract: a stamped, legally certified copy for a court, notary or bank carries a fee and can be ordered online or on paper.
For everyday due diligence the free extract does the job. You only need the certified version when an institution specifically asks for a stamped document.
Sole proprietors: the CEIDG register
If the business you are checking is a one-person operation, it is a JDG (jednoosobowa działalność gospodarcza), and it lives in CEIDG, not KRS. CEIDG is also free and public, and you search it the same way, by name or NIP. It shows the owner, the trading address, the activity codes and whether the business is active or suspended. If you are weighing up a sole proprietorship against a company for your own setup, our guide on the tax numbers every Polish business needs explains how NIP and REGON attach to each.
The UBO register (CRBR)
Since 2019 every KRS company must declare its ultimate beneficial owners, the real people who ultimately control it, in the CRBR (Centralny Rejestr Beneficjentów Rzeczywistych). It is public and free. If you want to know who actually stands behind a Polish company, past a holding structure, this is where you look.
How to verify a Polish company before you deal with it
Searching the register is step one. Reading it well is what protects you. Here is the checklist I run:
- Match all three numbers. The KRS, NIP and REGON on the extract should match what the company gave you. A mismatch is a red flag.
- Check the status. “In liquidation” or “in bankruptcy” changes everything.
- Read the representation rules. Confirm the person you are dealing with can actually sign for the company.
- Look at the registered address. A virtual-office address is normal in Poland and not a problem by itself, but it should at least exist and be consistent.
- Check the share capital and formation date. A brand-new company with the 5 000 zł minimum is fine for many deals, but know what you are dealing with.
- Look at the PKD codes. If a company’s registered activity has nothing to do with what it is selling you, ask why.
None of these individually means a company is bad. Together they tell you whether the paperwork matches reality.
Registering your own company in Poland
Most people who search the Polish company register are not only checking someone else. They are working out how to get their company into it. That is what we do.
We register Polish companies for foreigners end to end: the sp. z o.o. formation, the KRS entry, the NIP and REGON that follow automatically, and the bank and accounting setup around it. You can do the whole thing remotely, without flying to Poland. If you want the numbers first, our cost breakdown for registering a company in Poland lays out the fees, and the complete sp. z o.o. registration guide walks through the process step by step. If you are not an EU citizen, start with opening a company in Poland as a foreigner, and if you are abroad, see remote registration without travelling.
Getting your own entry in the KRS, clean and correct from day one, is the point. We make sure the extract that other people will one day read says exactly what it should.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Polish company register free to search?
Yes. The KRS, CEIDG and CRBR are all public and free to search online. You only pay for a certified stamped extract if an institution requires one.
What is a KRS number?
It is the 10-digit number the National Court Register assigns to a company when it is registered. It is the unique identifier for that company and the safest way to look it up.
Can I search the KRS in English?
Yes, the official Ministry of Justice search offers an English interface, so you can look up and read a Polish company without knowing Polish.
What is the difference between KRS and CEIDG?
KRS holds companies such as a sp. z o.o. or a joint-stock company. CEIDG holds sole proprietors (self-employed individuals). If you cannot find a business in KRS, it is probably a sole trader listed in CEIDG.
How do I check who owns a Polish company?
The management board and shareholders holding at least 10 percent appear in the KRS extract, and the ultimate beneficial owners appear in the CRBR register. Both are public.
How long does it take to get my own company into the register?
An online sp. z o.o. registration through the S24 system is usually entered in the KRS within a few business days. See our registration cost and timeline for current figures.
Written by Vladislav, who has registered companies in Poland for foreign founders since 2019. Questions about a specific company or your own registration? Call or WhatsApp +48 570 832 842. YouTube: @garantgroup2406.