--- title: "Księga wieczysta: how to check a Polish property yourself | mScanner" description: "Poland keeps a public land register anyone can read for free at ekw.ms.gov.pl. What its four sections show, how to get the number, and why a PDF extract now carries the force of a court document." url: "https://mscanner.pl/en/buying-property-in-poland/the-land-register" lang: "en" updated: "2026-08-19" source: "mScanner" --- # The land register (księga wieczysta), and how to read it yourself > mScanner › Buying property in Poland › The land register Poland keeps a public register of who owns what, what is mortgaged and what is claimed against a property. Anyone can read it, from anywhere in the world, free of charge and without an account. For a buyer arriving from a country where this information is private or expensive, it is the single most useful thing to know about the Polish system. ## Key facts - The register is called the **księga wieczysta**, and you read it at **ekw.ms.gov.pl** for free, with no account and no personal data. - You need the register number. You cannot search by address or by surname without paying. - Four sections: what the property is, who owns it, what rights burden it, and what mortgages sit on it. - Since 31 March 2026 a PDF extract from the system carries the same legal force as a court-issued document. ## What it is, and why it is public A *księga wieczysta* is a court-maintained record of the legal state of one property. Polish courts run the system, the entries have legal effect, and the whole thing is open. The openness is deliberate: the register only protects buyers if buyers can actually read it before they commit. The register carries a presumption of correctness, and a buyer who relies on it in good faith is protected. That protection is exactly why reading it is not optional diligence but the core of it. ## How to read one, for free Go to **ekw.ms.gov.pl**, the Ministry of Justice system, and enter the register number. You do not create an account, you do not give your name, and you pay nothing to read the contents on screen. The number is the catch: the free system does not let you search by address or by owner. You get the number from the seller, from the notarial deed, from a developer contract, or from mortgage paperwork. Asking the seller for it is a completely ordinary request, and hesitation to give it is worth noticing. Since 31 March 2026, a PDF extract downloaded from the system has the same legal force as a copy issued at a court counter, and can be used at a bank, an office or a notary without a paper stamp. ## The four sections, and what to look for A register is divided into four numbered sections. You do not need legal training to get value from them, only to know what each one is for. - **Section I** — what the property is: location, plot numbers, area, and for a flat, the rooms and the share in the common parts - **Section II** — who owns it, and in what shares. Check that these are the people who are selling to you - **Section III** — rights and claims burdening the property: easements, rights of way, life occupancy rights, enforcement proceedings, warnings - **Section IV** — mortgages. A mortgage does not prevent a sale, but it has to be dealt with in the transaction, and how that is done belongs in the deed ## What the register does not tell you It records the legal state, not the physical one. Damp, a failed roof, a noisy road, a planned development next door and an unrealistic price are all invisible here. It also lags. An entry takes time to appear, so the register can be behind reality by weeks or months; how long a court takes varies a great deal between districts, and the Ministry of Justice publishes no national figure, so treat any number you are quoted as local anecdote. Section III mentions and warnings are the place where a pending change often shows first. ## Where this comes from This page describes the position as at 19 August 2026. It is a general explanation of a public register, not legal advice about a specific property. - Ministry of Justice, the electronic land register system at ekw.ms.gov.pl - Act on land registers and mortgages (ustawa o księgach wieczystych i hipotece) ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I check a Polish land register from abroad? Yes. The system at ekw.ms.gov.pl is open to anyone with an internet connection, free, and requires no account and no personal data. You only need the register number of the property. ### How do I find the register number if the seller will not give it? The free system does not allow searching by address or surname, so without the number you are limited to paid commercial services of varying reliability. A seller who will not give you the number of a public register is telling you something worth taking seriously. ### The flat has a mortgage in section IV. Is that a problem? It is normal, not disqualifying. Most flats sold in Poland carry a mortgage. What matters is that the deed sets out how the existing mortgage is repaid and removed, and the notary will structure that. Ask how it is being handled before you pay anything. ### Is the PDF from the system accepted officially? Since 31 March 2026, a PDF extract from the electronic system has the same legal force as a document issued by a court, and can be presented at a bank, an office or a notary without a paper stamp. ## Related pages - [ekw.ms.gov.pl — the register (Ministry of Justice)](https://ekw.ms.gov.pl/) — Read any Polish land register free, if you have its number. - [What a Polish notary does](https://mscanner.pl/en/buying-property-in-poland/the-notary) — The notary reads this register before your deed. - [What the flat costs every month](https://mscanner.pl/en/buying-property-in-poland/monthly-running-costs) — Czynsz is the monthly charge an owner owes the building — heating, the lift, the repair fund — and it is usually the largest line on the bill. - [Cooperative ownership vs full ownership](https://mscanner.pl/en/buying-property-in-poland/cooperative-ownership) — Spółdzielcze własnościowe prawo do lokalu is a limited property right against the cooperative, and it can exist with no land register at all — which is where mortgage applications fail. - [After the deed is signed](https://mscanner.pl/en/buying-property-in-poland/after-the-deed) — You own the flat from the moment you sign. What follows is the register entry, one tax form the notary does not file for you, and the handover. - [Buying property in Poland](https://mscanner.pl/en/buying-property-in-poland) — The rest of the guides. ## Check a Polish address Prices, surroundings and public records for a specific Polish address. [Check a Polish address](https://mscanner.pl/app/register?redirect=%2Fproperties%2Fnew)