Police clearance certificate in Poland

The certificate is issued by the Information State Bureau of Criminal Register of the Ministry of Justice of Poland. The certificated may be apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland.



The certificate contains the following information on the owner:

• Social insurance number in Poland or series and number of the foreign passport.
• Surname at birth.
• Name at the time of registration.
• First name.
• Father's name.
• Mother's name.
• Date of birth.
• Mother's maiden name.
• Place of birth.
• Citizenship.
• Place of registration (address).

The certificate contains (or does not contain) the purpose and the list of registers that were checked.

The State Bureau of Criminal Register uses three registers to check citizens:

1. Criminal register.
2. Juvenile criminals register.
3. The register of prisoners or persons put on the wanted list.

The police clearance certificates in Poland are stamped confirming payment of the state duty (court fee). Also there are put the stamps of the State Bureau of Criminal Register and the round seal of the Ministry of Justice of Poland. One of the stamps will specify that the owner of the certificate is not listed (not registered) in the State Bureau of Criminal Register.

The main legal instruments regulating the activity of the State Bureau of Criminal Register are:

1. Decree of the Minister of Justice of Poland as of May 02, 2012 on the provision of information on persons and organizations of different legal forms of ownership, based on the data stored in the state register of criminal records.
2. Decree of the Minister of Justice of Poland as of April 05, 2012 on the procedure for drafting and filing registration cards and notifications to the state register of criminal records.
3. Decree of the Minister of Justice of Poland as of August 14, 2003 on the determination of fees for the provision of information from the state register of criminal records.
4. Decree of the Minister of Justice of Poland of March 29, 2012 on the list of codes used to share information on the legal classification of banned actions while delivering judgments on penalties and fines determined by the ECRIS system, as well as on guarantees, corrective measures and education activities, as well as methods of application of these codes.

If a person has a quashed conviction, this person shall personally apply to the central office of the state bureau of criminal register in Warsaw to remove the criminal record from the register.

How to order a Police clearance certificate in Poland?A certificate from the National Criminal Register (it contains an excerpt from the person's criminal records) is available in two formats. Please choose which format would you prefer:

a) on paper with a signature and an official stamp;
b) as a digitally signed electronic document.

About the paper format

The procedure is to be completed and signed with the National Criminal Register.

Please follow the steps below to obtain a certificate:

1. Fill out the following forms:

• Form "Request for information about a person" (RTF format)
• Form "Request for information about a person" (PDF format)

Here you can find a sample form with appropriate fields. Please, note that it has to be filled with the original signature.

2. Pay by transfer the amount of PLN 30.00 (or an equivalent of this fee) 

Since 1 January 2020, the Capital City of Warsaw has been operating a single bank account to which stamp duty payments should be made.

Payments should be made to the account:

Capital City of Warsaw Municipal Office,

Taxpayer Service Centre,

21 1030 1508 0000 0005 5000 0070

Remember, a proof of payment, to be attached to the above-mentioned form.

In a transfer's title please write 'payment for information about a person from KRK - name and surname, date of preparation the form'.

Please, make sure that the amount of money that will reach. The Ministry of Justice is 30 PLN or an equivalent. Some banks charge transfers as a result of the Ministry of Justice.

3. Send a filled form with a proof of payment by post to the address:

Information Office of the

National Criminal Register

Ministry of Justice

ul. Czerniakowska 100

00-454 Warsaw

Poland

Important: they do not accept forms by fax or e-mail.

If you are staying in Poland, the form could be delivered to the National Criminal Register:

1. in person in our head office on Czerniakowska Street number 100 in Warsaw;
2. in one of the Information Points of the National Criminal Register .

Submitting application form at the registered office of the Information Bureau of The National Criminal Register in Warsaw at ul. Czerniakowska 100

A certificate from the National Criminal Register can be obtained directly from the National Criminal Register Information Bureau located in Warsaw at ul. Czerniakowska 100, 00-454. The filled out and paid inquiry for information about a person form together with the proof of payment of a fee of PLN 30 may be submitted in person or by an attorney appointed in writing.

Remember!

• When submitting a request/inquiry in person, you must have with you a photo ID allowing for your identity to be established.
• The Bureau processes inquiries without undue delay within 7 days.
• If your case needs to be clarified/investigated, the deadline for issuing the certificate will be extended until the investigation is completed.
• The Bureau processes no more than 3 inquiries submitted directly by one person in a single day.
• At the cash desk of the Bureau, you can pay the fee in cash only. The fee can be paid in advance by making a bank transfer to the account of the Ministry of Justice, or by purchasing a court fee stamp.
• If you act as an attorney, you must have the original power of attorney together with a confirmation of payment of stamp duty of PLN 17.
• To fill out the form correctly.

Note!!!

• Between 11 am and 11:20 am Monday through Friday, there is a technical break in the operation of the information system.
• During this time no service is provided to customers who come in person to receive certificates from the National Criminal Register.

Submitting application Forms at the Information Points of The National Criminal Register operating at common courts of law

A certificate from the National Criminal Register can be obtained at one of the Information Points of the National Criminal Register located at common courts (list of National Criminal Register Information Points). The filled-out inquiry for information about a person form, together with proof of payment of a fee of PLN 30, may be submitted in person or by an attorney appointed in writing.

Remember!

• When submitting a request/inquiry, you must have with you a photo ID allowing for your identity to be established.
• Inquiries are processed without undue delay within 7 days.
• If you act as an attorney, you must have the original power of attorney along with a confirmation of payment of stamp duty of PLN 17.
• You may pay the fee for the certificate at the courthouse cash desk, by purchasing a court fee stamp or by making a bank transfer to the account of the Ministry of Justice in advance.
• Check by phone or on the website of the particular court whether there are no changes in the operation of the National Criminal Register Information Point.
• To fill out the form correctly.

Can I submit a request on behalf of someone else?

Yes. However, an appropriate power of attorney from the person concerned must be produced.

Each power of attorney must be accompanied by proof of payment of stamp duty.

What must be included in a power of attorney?

Personal data of the person giving the authorisation (the principal) and of the authorised person (including the address of at least one of those persons) and an indication of the scope of the authority.

Example of a power of attorney:

Ja … (name and surname and PESEL number), zamieszkały ... (residence address) upoważniam Panią/Pana... legitymującą/legitymującego się dowodem osobistym (series ... No. ... issued by...) do wszelkich czynności związanych z uzyskaniem zaświadczenia z Krajowego Rejestru Karnego.

The power of attorney must be personally signed by the principal and the original submitted together with the inquiry.

The power of attorney must be prepared in the Polish language

Remember!

• The fee of PLN 17 for the power of attorney may not be paid at the registered office of the Bureau located at ul. Czerniakowska 100.
• The payment should be made to the bank account of the city/municipality/district office with territorial jurisdiction over the authority to which the power of attorney is submitted.
• Family members are exempt from paying the fee for a power of attorney.
• If you use a power of attorney, you are obliged to attach the original or an officially certified copy thereof. No scans of the power of attorney will be accepted.
• Power of attorney must be submitted in a Polish language.

Template of a power of attorney

Obtaining information from the National Criminal Register by electronic means (via the e-KRK e-Platform)

In order to obtain a certificate for natural persons by electronic means, you must: have a qualified electronic signature or a signature confirmed by the e-PUAP trusted profile.

Submit application via EKRK
Step 1. You must register at https://ekrk.ms.gov.pl/ep-web by clicking on the REGISTRATION tab (https://ekrk.ms.gov.pl/ep-web/registration ) with two applications:

1. the first one for natural persons;
2. the other one for companies, institutions (e.g., courts).

Step 2. Select the relevant Registration Form: Form for natural persons.

Step 3. Create an account for a natural person on the MS e-Platform by completing the form on the e-KRK website, then, upon completion, confirm that you have read the Scope and Conditions of Use of the e-KRK system, and consent to the processing of personal data.

Step 4. Click on the account activation link sent to the email address provided during the registration process, the link will be valid for 5 days.

The following fees are charged for obtaining information from the National Criminal Register via the e-KRK system:
PLN 20 – for information about a person;
PLN 20 – for information about a collective entity.

Payments for obtaining certificates by electronic means should be made only through the payment system available via the e-KRK.

Remember!

• The issued document is signed with a certified signature of a B-KRK employee and does not require official seals.
• Requests/inquiries are processed within 7 days (calculated from the day following the day on which they were submitted).
• The issued document has the form of an XML file that can be saved on an electronic data carrier (CD/DVD, USB stick).
• A printout is not a document.

Any information on how to obtain a certificate from the National Criminal Register by electronic means is available in the manuals:

• e-KRK User Manual for natural persons (in polish)