New rules on land and mortgage registers from 31 March 2026 – electronic documents with the legal effect of court-issued documents

From 31 March 2026, electronic documents from land and mortgage registers, downloaded from the Central Land and Mortgage Register Information Service (CIKW), will have the full legal effect of court-issued documents. The amendment removes previous limitations on the use of digital documents and enables their full use in legal and administrative proceedings. This is a significant change for real estate market participants, which may substantially streamline transaction processes and due diligence.

What are land and mortgage registers and what is their function?

The Land and Mortgage Register is the official public register used to determine the legal status of real estate in Poland. In practice, it is a key source of information for owners, buyers, lenders and other market participants, because it contains information on ownership rights, encumbrances and mortgages.

Access to the register is provided through the official Elektroniczne Księgi Wieczyste system operated by the Ministry of Justice.

Significance of the amendment for legal transactions and e-government

The essence of the amendment is to remove barriers to communication with e-government. Under the previous regulations, only physical printouts generated from the Central Land Registry Information System were considered legally valid documents issued by the court, not the digital files themselves.

This made it impossible to attach them as fully valid electronic documents to official applications submitted online. The change consists of directly granting official legal force to downloaded electronic documents (copies, extracts, and certificates) as well, thereby placing them on equal footing with their printouts and traditional court documents. The condition for maintaining this legal force in both forms (electronic and printed) is that they possess features enabling their verification against a central database.

The rule remains unchanged that screenshots or printouts from the standard land register viewing mode do not have the legal force of official documents.

Scope of changes to the land and mortgage register regulations

The amendment expressly provides that when an application is submitted through the ICT system, CIKW will make it possible to obtain in electronic form:

• extracts from the land and mortgage register,
• excerpts from the register, and
• certificates confirming that a register has been closed,

Importantly, both the electronic document and its self-printout will have the legal effect of a court-issued document, as long as the document contains features enabling verification against the central land and mortgage register database.

Practical implications of the changes for property owners, buyers and sellers

From a practical perspective, the amendment should make it easier to use official land and mortgage register documents in a more digital workflow.

Instead of relying only on a paper printout to prove the official character of the document, users will be able to rely on the electronic version itself, provided it can be verified in the system. This may simplify the circulation of documents in real estate transactions, internal due diligence processes and online administrative filings.

It is also important that documents generated and self-printed before 31 March 2026 do not automatically lose their legal value after the amendment. The transitional provisions confirm that such printouts retain the legal effect of court-issued documents, provided that they contain the necessary verification features.

Key considerations for real estate market participants

First, the key date is 31 March 2026. That is when the new rules on the legal effect of electronic CIKW documents enter into force.

Second, access to the content of a land and mortgage register remains different from obtaining an official document. The register may be viewed online free of charge, but obtaining an official extract, excerpt or certificate remains a paid service.

Third, the practical usefulness of the document still depends on the possibility of verificationagainst the central database. This remains the core feature ensuring that the document may be treated as equivalent to one issued by the court.

Fourth, businesses and individuals involved in property transactions should review whether their current processes still assume paper-only handling of land and mortgage register documents.

In practice, the amendment opens the way to a more efficient digital document flow.

Frequently asked questions about the new land and mortgage register regulations

Significance of the changes for the digitalisation of real estate transactions

The new regulations represent a significant step towards further digitalisation of real estate transactions in Poland. Granting electronic documents the same legal effect as court-issued documents should facilitate the use of documentation in transactions and administrative proceedings, while maintaining verification safeguards.

How will the new regulations affect your transaction or internal processes?

In practice, these changes may lead to greater efficiency in due diligence processes and reduce formalities related to document circulation. If you are planning a transaction in Poland or would like to assess the impact of the new regulations on your processes, please contact our Real Estate Law team.