SETTING UP A BUSINESS IN POLAND

BPCC (08-10-2002)

Not easy, but can be done...

There are companies in Warsaw able to help you set up, especially if you lack anyone who speaks Polish. For smaller firms, these agencies can be expensive, though the alternative is so awful that it's a price worth paying for market entry.

The company needs to be registered with the Commercial Court. Unlike the UK, where there is one Companies House, and a company name is registered nationwide, in Poland, the company name is registered only in the area covered by the local Commercial Court. Which explains why there may be several, entirely unconnected, businesses operating in Poland under the same name. Registration at the Commercial Court is expensive and the procedure may take anywhere between two and six months. Your newly-registered company will be written into the Commercial Register, and you will receive an excerpt from it. There are several different forms of business entity in Poland, to find out which one is right for your company, see the table on this page. This is the basis for all business; you will need to show this (“wyciąg z rejestru handlowego“) to potential partners and clients. Any change to the data in the Commercial Register, such as a change of address, a change in the Board of Directors or of the directors' plenipotentiaries or proxies must be notified to the Commercial Court; again you may have to wait for months for the updated excerpt for the Commercial Register.

You will also need to register with the tax office (urząd skarbowy), with the social security office (ZUS) once you start employing people, with the local labour office (urząd pracy), with the national labour inspection office (PIP), and check in with the health and safety at work (BHP) office.

 

After all that you're clear to do business!

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