How to check your contractor in Poland?

Last updated: 08.06.2025

How to verify a contractor in Poland?

After incorporation and other vital actions required to start business operations, if the network of possible contractors hadn’t been yet established, an investor must find suitable business partners. In a foreign country, several barriers can be met. Thus, it is very important to verify in-depth your possible business relations.

According to statistical data from 2025, nearly 2 million debtors are listed in the official debtor register in Poland. To avoid wasting money and time on risky business relations, there are several tools, described below, which can be used to precisely verify contractors and plan a business strategy, especially where the cooperation may involve higher risk, tax obligations or an occasional transaction.

Key Tools for Contractor Verification in Poland

Many vital information about contractors are available through free of charge online tools and registers. Depending on the type of entity with which do you plan to start operations, you can use below:

• Centralna Ewidencja i Informacja o Działalności Gospodarczej – CEIDG (Central Registration and Information on Business) – for sole proprietors,
• Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy – for polish companies based on Polish Commercial Code,
• VAT whitelist and VAT UE list – for VAT payers (regardless of entity form),
• basic Internet search tools can also help finding information about credibility of your future contractor,
• Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych – for entities in bankruptcy, restructuring, composition proceedings.
• Central Register of Beneficiary Owners – to check, who is the ultimate beneficial owner of a company.

CEIDG – How to Check a Sole Proprietor in Central Register and Information on Economic Activity

Whereas the contractor is a sole proprietor, some basic, but vital information can be found through the CEIDG. To find the contractor, at least his name and surname, NIP (tax identification number) or REGON (statistic number) must be known.

In this register, to verify your contractor, the most important information to check is how long the sole proprietorship is operating on the market (business starting date / registration date), if it is under the remediation or is in insolvency.

Additionally, in CEIDG you can find relevant information about contractor’s:

• date of suspension and resumption of business activity,
• status (active, suspended entrepreneur),
• sole proprietor address
• types of business activity carried out in form of PKD business activity classification codes,
• contact data (phone number and email),
• data of the company’s proxies.9

KRS – How to Check a Company in the Polish National Court Register

If the contractor is a company based on Polish Commercial Code (registered partnership, limited partnership, limited joint-stock partnership, limited liability company, joint-stock company, simple joint-stock company), KRS (Commercial Register) is the place where all relevant information about the company can be found.

The company may be found through its name, NIP, REGON or KRS number (registration number), its address. Moreover, also foundations and associations can be found in there, as these are also entities obliged to be entered into KRS.

The main information, at which a focus should be put are:

• method of company’s representation, as before starting business relationship it’s important to know, who is able to sign documents on behalf of the company, including members of the management board,
• in case of limited liability companies and joint-stock companies – the amount of share capital, as by some investors the higher share capital of the company, the higher the credibility of the party,
• information on the opening of the process of company’s liqudation,
• information about submission of company’s annual financial reporting documents, including financial statements
• information about appointment of a curator,
• information about transformation, division or merger of companies,
• information about beginning of: insolvency, restructuring or reorganization arrangement proceedings,
• through RaR portal you can find also address data of board members and shareholders.

Whitelist of VAT payers and VAT UE list – How to Verify VAT Status?

The so-called “VAT whitelist” can be used to verify the status of VAT taxpayer. The search can be done by entering the contractor’s bank account number (the one that is whitelisted), NIP, REGON or entity’s name.

For cross-border transactions within the European Union, the contractor’s EU VAT number should also be checked in the VAT Information Exchange System.

In VAT register, you can find following information about contractor:

• name and surname or company name,
• whether it is currently an active VAT payer,
• whether it was an active VAT taxpayer during the period of interest,
• date of registration as a VAT taxpayer,
• date and reason for its deletion from the register or reason for refusal of registration – if it is not an active VAT taxpayer
• the number of the bank account registered.

It is important to check, if the accounts of contractor used for payments are listed in the register, as the payment amounting over 15 000 PLN on an account not listed on the whitelist may impose a risk, that the payer will be jointly and severally liable for contractor’s tax arrears, as assessed by the tax authorities.

Krajowy Rejestr Zadłużonych – Checking Bankruptcy and Restructuring Proceedings

As mentioned, through KRZ you can find entities which are in bankruptcy, restructuring, composition proceedings. Both legal entities and natural persons can be found there.

Entities can be found through its name or any official ID number like KRS, NIP number. Natural persons can be found through their name, surname, or name of their sole proprietorship as well. Moreover, it is possible to check any specific bankruptcy, restructuring or composition proceedings through its case file number.

You can also find specific components of the bankruptcy estate in the KRZ. To clarify, the bankruptcy estate is nothing more than all the property (assets) of the bankrupt entity from which creditors can settle their claims.

Central Register of Ultimate Beneficial Owners (CRBR) – How to Check the Ultimate Beneficial Owner?

The CRBR (Centralny Rejestr Beneficjentów Rzeczywistych) collects information on the real beneficiaries of business entities, i.e. natural persons referred to as beneficial owners those who have direct or indirect control over a company. Verifying a counterparty in the CRBR allows you to:

• Know the ownership structure and identify the persons actually controlling the entity.
• Evaluate the transparency of the company’s operations and its compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regulations

The register is also important for obliged entities that must counteract money laundering and verify whether the ownership structure creates a higher risk. If no beneficial owner can be identified, verification may include a person holding a senior management position.

Rejestr Zastawów – How to Check Encumbrances on Contractor’s Assets

The Pledge Register is a public registry maintained by the Ministry of Justice, containing information on registered pledges established on movable property and property rights. Verification of a counterparty in this register makes it possible to determine whether its assets are encumbered by pledges, which may affect its ability to meet its obligations.

Benefits of counterparty verification in the Pledge Register:

• Identification of property encumbrances: Allows you to determine whether a counterparty has liens on its assets, which may affect its solvency.
• Assessing the risk of cooperation: Information on pledges can indicate the financial condition of the counterparty and potential liabilities to other entities.
• Transaction security: Avoiding the acquisition of pledged items, which could result in claims from creditors.

Available Internet Sources for Contractor Verification in Poland

On the other hand, outside of official registers available on the web or through the authorities, a businessman can find some additional information via common search engines or with the help of artificial intelligence. Some possible examples are:

• contractor’s website – analysis of the website may help with gathering information about the business, history, completed projects and references,
• online reviews and testimonials – opinion portals or industry discussion forums can provide information about a company’s reputation among customers and business partners,
• social media – company profiles on and other social media platforms can provide information about a company’s activities, community involvement and interactions with customers,
• recommendations and references from other companies – making contact with companies that have worked with a particular contractor can provide direct information about its reliability.

Tools for Further Contractor Analysis

Depending on the depth level of intelligence required, an investor can make use of specifically designed tools and services for the analysis of business partner credibility. Usually, such services aren’t free of charge, as those may be paid in the subscription system or charged per search.

In Poland, both the state and private entities grant such services. The official registers, which can be used for more detailed intelligence are:

• information from the tax office about contractor’s arrears,
• Register of Insolvent Debtors.

On the other hand, you can obtain information about financial records of a counterparty through private institutions called Biuro Informacji Gospodarczej (BIG). In Poland, there are several BIG’s which offer paid services of business intelligence.

Lastly, there are so-called business intelligence offices, which act kind of like detectives. On a request, they contact the targeted counterparty to check their credibility by sending a tender enquiry. In such a way, granted their experience in business contacts, they may find out if conducting business with such a party is safe for their client.

Information from the Tax Office About Contractor’s Arrears

One can send an application to the relevant tax office, to check, if his contractor doesn’t have any arrears in payment of taxes. Such information may allow to avoid joint liability for tax arrears.

However, to apply for such information from the tax office, one must be a party of a transaction with the entity, about which information is requested. There is no possibility of applying for information about any potential or future counterparty – the transaction must be already in motion. Moreover, the application costs 21 PLN.

Lastly, not only the information about tax arrears may be requested. Additionally, the information if the entity submits declarations or other documents that it was obliged to submit or includes all necessary information or activities in above mentioned declarations or other documents may be issued.

Register of Insolvent Debtors – Additional Contractor Verification

Register of Insolvent Debtors is being run by institution mentioned earlier – Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy. In there, the debtors are being entered on the basis of court rulings.

To find out, a future contractor must be entered through RDN number, which can be obtained through sending an application to KRS Central Information. The Information issues information whether the entity is being entered into the Register of Insolvent Debtors and what are the RDN numbers of the entity. The cost of such service is 15 PLN per application.

Business information bureaus (BIGs) – How to Check Financial Credibility?

Business information bureaus (BIGs) can verify key information about the financial situation and obligations of a potential contractor or customer. This information helps assess the credibility and risk of doing business with a particular entity.

What can be verified in the BIG?

1. Debts:
   • Information about outstanding financial obligations of business entities and individuals, such as unpaid invoices, loans, or obligations to public institutions (e.g. taxes, fines).
   • An indication of the creditor, the amount of the debt and the maturity date.
2. Payment history:
   • Data on the timeliness of payment of obligations.
   • Information about regular payment of debts or the occurrence of delays.
3. Registration and identification data:
   • Verification of basic company identification data: NIP, REGON, KRS, business address.
   • Confirmation of legal status and timeliness of registration data.
4. Positive entries:
   • Information about entities that pay their obligations on time, which may indicate their reliability and financial stability.
5. Business partners:
   • The ability to check potential business partners to identify risks from their past financial activities.
6. Bankruptcy or liquidation alerts:
   • Information about bankruptcy, restructuring or liquidation proceedings.

Verification of a Foreign Contractor

Above mentioned methods of contractor verification are used for verification of Polish contractors. If it happens to start negotiations with a foreign contractor, the first and most important step is to try and check a commercial register of country of origin of the counterparty. It is worth noting that not all commercial registers are free of charge, unlike in Poland.

Other measures that can be taken before making any binding moves are:

• check of counterparty via online search engines to look on reviews, opinions, websites related to the party,
• asking potential counterparty to present its references or list of clients,
• some countries, like Germany have bilateral commerce institutions which offer help with verification of their local businesses,
• Also, there are international business intelligence agencies – just like Polish BIG’s, who offer various range of services helping with identifying potential risks.

Summary – How to Reduce the Risk of Cooperation with a Contractor in Poland

In conclusion, the guide aims to equip investors and businesses with the essential tools and strategies needed to thoroughly verify contractors in Poland. By leveraging the available public registers, such as CEIDG, KRS, and CRBR, as well as utilizing the resources provided by business information bureaus (BIGs) and other financial intelligence tools, companies can minimize risks and ensure safer business operations. The document emphasizes the importance of transparency, due diligence, and informed decision-making, all of which are crucial for fostering secure and reliable business relationships in both domestic and international markets.

FAQ: Checking Business Partners in Poland