Every legal form in Poland, each with its abbreviation, the kind of entity it is, liability and typical use where they are well established, and the values the Prometiam company object returns.
This guide lists the 47 legal forms the Prometiam dictionary knows for Poland: what each is called, how it is abbreviated, what kind of entity it is and how it appears in the company object. Use it to read the legal_form of a company registered in Poland, or to decode a form you meet in a contract or on an invoice. It is a general reference, not legal advice.
| Form | Abbreviation | Kind | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spółka z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością | sp. z o.o., spółka z o.o. | Private limited company | Shareholders are liable up to their contributions. The minimum share capital is PLN 5,000. A management board (zarząd) runs it; a supervisory board is optional in most cases. The most common form for small and medium businesses; it cannot be listed. |
| Spółka akcyjna | S.A., SA | Public limited company (joint-stock company) | Shareholders are liable up to their contributions. The minimum share capital is PLN 100,000. It has a management board, as a rule a supervisory board (rada nadzorcza) and a general meeting, and its shares can be listed. Used by larger and listed companies. |
| Prosta spółka akcyjna | P.S.A., PSA | Private limited company | The simple joint-stock company, introduced in 2021 with a minimum share capital of PLN 1 and aimed at start-ups. |
| Spółka jawna | sp.j., sp. j. | General partnership | A general partnership: the partners are personally and jointly liable without limit. |
| Spółka komandytowa | sp.k., sp. k. | Limited partnership | A limited partnership: at least one general partner is liable without limit, the limited partners only up to a stated sum. |
| Spółka cywilna | s.c. | Civil partnership | A civil-law partnership: not a legal person, so the partners are personally liable for its debts. |
| Jednoosobowa działalność gospodarcza | - | Sole proprietorship | A sole proprietorship registered in CEIDG: no separate legal person, and the owner is personally liable. |
Every company object carries four legal-form fields: legal_form (the standard abbreviation, null when the form is not mapped), legal_form_family (the cross-country family, so a private limited company compares across countries), local_legal_form (the register’s own value or code as stored) and local_legal_form_name (the register’s name for it, where it publishes one). Each form below shows the values the API returns for it.
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer rk_live_..." \ "https://api.prometiam.com/functions/v1/risk-api/companies/search?country=PL&name=<company name>" # each result carries, for example: # "legal_form": "sp. z o.o." # "legal_form_family": "private_limited_company"
Private limited company: a company with its own legal personality whose owners are, as a rule, not personally liable for its debts and whose shares are not offered to the public.
Shareholders are liable up to their contributions. The minimum share capital is PLN 5,000. A management board (zarząd) runs it; a supervisory board is optional in most cases. The most common form for small and medium businesses; it cannot be listed.
sp. z o.o., spółka z o.o., sp.z o.o., SP Z OOlegal_form sp. z o.o., legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form SPÓŁKA Z OGRANICZONĄ ODPOWIEDZIALNOŚCIĄThe simple joint-stock company, introduced in 2021 with a minimum share capital of PLN 1 and aimed at start-ups.
P.S.A., PSAlegal_form P.S.A., legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form PROSTA SPÓŁKA AKCYJNAPublic limited company (joint-stock company): a company with its own legal personality and share capital whose owners are, as a rule, not personally liable; the family of forms that can usually raise money from the public.
Shareholders are liable up to their contributions. The minimum share capital is PLN 100,000. It has a management board, as a rule a supervisory board (rada nadzorcza) and a general meeting, and its shares can be listed. Used by larger and listed companies.
S.A., SAlegal_form S.A., legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form SPÓŁKA AKCYJNASElegal_form SE, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form SPÓŁKA EUROPEJSKAGeneral partnership: the owners run the business together and, as a rule, answer personally for its debts.
A general partnership: the partners are personally and jointly liable without limit.
sp.j., sp. j.legal_form sp.j., legal_form_family general_partnership, local_legal_form SPÓŁKA JAWNAsp.p., sp. p.legal_form sp.p., legal_form_family general_partnership, local_legal_form SPÓŁKA PARTNERSKALimited partnership: at least one partner answers without limit for the debts, the others only up to what they contributed.
A limited partnership: at least one general partner is liable without limit, the limited partners only up to a stated sum.
sp.k., sp. k.legal_form sp.k., legal_form_family limited_partnership, local_legal_form SPÓŁKA KOMANDYTOWAPartnership limited by shares: a hybrid in which the managing partners are liable without limit and the other owners hold shares.
S.K.A., SKA, sp.k.a.legal_form S.K.A., legal_form_family partnership_limited_by_shares, local_legal_form SPÓŁKA KOMANDYTOWO-AKCYJNASole proprietorship: one person trading in their own name with no separate company; the owner is, as a rule, personally liable.
A natural person, not a company. A sole proprietorship registered in CEIDG: no separate legal person, and the owner is personally liable.
legal_form Sole proprietorship (CEIDG), legal_form_family sole_proprietorship, local_legal_form JDGCooperative: an organisation owned and run by its members.
legal_form spółdzielnia, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form SPÓŁDZIELNIASCElegal_form SCE, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form SPÓŁDZIELNIA EUROPEJSKAlegal_form Cooperative savings and credit union, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form the register’s own textCivil partnership: a company under civil rather than commercial law, often used for property holding, farming or professional practices.
A civil-law partnership: not a legal person, so the partners are personally liable for its debts.
s.c.legal_form s.c., legal_form_family civil_partnership, local_legal_form the register’s own textEconomic interest grouping: members cooperate in a shared activity while staying independent businesses.
EZIGlegal_form EZIG, legal_form_family economic_interest_grouping, local_legal_form the register’s own textAssociation: a membership body, usually non-profit.
legal_form Association, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form STOWARZYSZENIElegal_form Physical-culture association, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form STOWARZYSZENIE KULTURY FIZYCZNEJlegal_form Chamber of commerce, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form IZBA GOSPODARCZAlegal_form Chamber of crafts, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form IZBA RZEMIEŚLNICZAlegal_form Craft guild, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form CECH RZEMIEŚLNICZYlegal_form Polish crafts association, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form ZWIĄZEK RZEMIOSŁA POLSKIEGOlegal_form Employers' association, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form ZWIĄZEK PRACODAWCÓWlegal_form Federation or confederation of employers' associations, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form the register’s own textlegal_form Agricultural circle, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form KÓŁKO ROLNICZElegal_form Agricultural trade association, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form ROLNICZE ZRZESZENIE BRANŻOWElegal_form Union of agricultural trade associations, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form ZWIĄZEK ROLNICZYCH ZRZESZEŃ BRANŻOWYCHlegal_form Union of farmers, agricultural circles and organisations, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form the register’s own textlegal_form Trade union of individual farmers, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form ZWIĄZEK ZAWODOWY ROLNIKÓW INDYWIDUALNYCHlegal_form Union of associations, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form ZWIĄZEK STOWARZYSZEŃlegal_form Trade union, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form ZWIĄZEK ZAWODOWYlegal_form Sports association, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form ZWIĄZEK SPORTOWY or POLSKI ZWIĄZEK SPORTOWYlegal_form Transport trade association, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form ZRZESZENIE TRANSPORTUlegal_form Trade and services association, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form ZRZESZENIE HANDLU I USŁUGlegal_form Cross-industry association, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form OGÓLNOKRAJOWE ZRZESZENIE MIĘDZYBRANŻOWElegal_form Cross-industry union, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form OGÓLNOKRAJOWY ZWIĄZEK MIĘDZYBRANŻOWYlegal_form Other business-operators' organisation, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form INNA ORGANIZACJA PODMIOTÓW GOSPODARCZYCHlegal_form Other social or professional organisation, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form INNA ORGANIZACJA SPOŁECZNA LUB ZAWODOWAlegal_form Local branch of an association with legal personality, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form the register’s own textFoundation: assets set aside for a purpose, with no owners.
legal_form Foundation, legal_form_family foundation, local_legal_form FUNDACJAlegal_form Family foundation, legal_form_family foundation, local_legal_form the register’s own textMutual: a body owned by its members, typical for insurance and guarantees.
TUWlegal_form TUW, legal_form_family mutual, local_legal_form TOWARZYSTWO UBEZPIECZEŃ WZAJEMNYCHTRWlegal_form TRW, legal_form_family mutual, local_legal_form TOWARZYSTWO REASEKURACJI WZAJEMNEJBranch of a foreign company: an establishment or registration of a company incorporated abroad.
oddział w Polscelegal_form oddział w Polsce, legal_form_family branch_of_foreign_company, local_legal_form ODDZIAŁ ZAGRANICZNEGO PRZEDSIĘBIORCYlegal_form Main branch of a foreign insurer, legal_form_family branch_of_foreign_company, local_legal_form the register’s own textPublic body: a state, local-authority or other public-law entity.
legal_form State enterprise, legal_form_family public_body, local_legal_form PRZEDSIĘBIORSTWO PAŃSTWOWElegal_form Research institute, legal_form_family public_body, local_legal_form INSTYTUT BADAWCZYSP ZOZlegal_form SP ZOZ, legal_form_family public_body, local_legal_form the register’s own textlegal_form Budgetary economy institution, legal_form_family public_body, local_legal_form INSTYTUCJA GOSPODARKI BUDŻETOWEJSee the Poland company data API guide for the register behind these records and the free KRS lookup to try an identifier. For the register states that go with these forms, read company status in Poland. All countries: company legal forms.
Side by side: Sp. z o.o. vs S.A. in Poland: Key Differences.
Search by name or identifier and read legal_form, legal_form_family and local_legal_form on every result, or filter a bulk list by family.
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