When registering a company in Poland, usually two main factors are of the essence: cost and time. Registering a limited liability company (i.e. spółka z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością or in short sp. z o.o.) takes different amount of money and time, depending on the type of procedure you choose.
There are basically two ways of registering a limited liability company in Poland:
- Application to the register court in document form.
- Application to the register court in electronic form in s24 electronic system.
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Application to the register court in a document form
This is a “traditional” way of registering a company. In essence, you prepare all of the registration documents in a hardcopy (you need to visit a notary to sign a company agreement), submit an electronic application in PRS portal (https://prs.ms.gov.pl/) and submit all hardcopies to the registration court.
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How much does it cost?
This is a more costly procedure. The costs are:
- The notary fee – it depends on the amount of share capital.
In case of the minimal required share capital of 5000 PLN, the notary fee is 160 PLN + VAT (196,80 PLN gross) + about 150 PLN gross of hardcopy fees = 346,88 PLN gross. - Sworn translator fee – if any of the shareholders doesn’t speak Polish, you are obligated to have a sworn translator present during the meeting at the notary. Sworn translator fee varies a lot, depending on the language.
- Civil-law transaction tax (PCC tax) – also depends on the amount of share capital.
In case of the minimal required share capital of 5000 PLN, the tax is 21 PLN gross. - Court application fee – 600 PLN gross.
- Legal assistance fee (optional) – depends on the lawyer’s service price.
When registering a company with a minimal share capital of 5000 PLN, you should expect costs of 967,88 PLN + possible sworn translator and legal assistance fees. These costs will increase if your share capital is higher then 5000 PLN.
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How long does it take?
According to Polish law, starting from the moment of applying to the court, the proceeding should take no longer then 7 days. However, in most cases, the process takes at least a month or longer to finish.
This is not taking into account the time needed for preparation of all the documents and a visit to the notary.
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Application to the register court in an electronic form in s24 electronic system
This is an option of registering simpler companies, that is currently more popular then a more “traditional” way of registration. The documents are prepared in an electronic form and signed using electronic signatures (Trusted Profile or qualified electronic signature). The application is being sent to the register court in s24 system.
This is a much cheaper procedure. The costs are:
- Civil-law transaction tax (PCC tax) – also depends on the amount of share capital.
In case of the minimal required share capital of 5000 PLN, the tax is 21 PLN gross. - Court application fee – 350 PLN gross.
- Legal assistance fee (optional) – depends on the lawyer’s service price.
There are no notary fees, no translation fees and the court application fee is lower.
When registering a company with a minimal share capital of 5000 PLN, you should expect costs of 371 PLN + possible legal assistance fee.
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How long does it take?
According to Polish law, starting from the moment of applying to the court, the proceeding should take no longer then 1 day. In practice, the process takes about 1-3 business days.
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In conclusion
Application to the register court in document form – in case of a small company costs about 967,88 PLN + possible sworn translator and legal assistance fees. And it takes at least a month to finish the application process.
Application to the register court in electronic form in s24 electronic system – in case of a small company costs about 371 PLN + possible legal assistance fees. And it takes about 1-3 days to finish the application process.
If the company you start doesn’t require any special solutions or detailed customization, it is best to register it in the s24 electronic system – it is both cheaper and faster.
Registering a company may be a very difficult task and if not done right, may cause you a lot of troubles during the process, as well as in the future. Therefore, it is always highly advised to use professional help.
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