Guide · Poland · KRS
What is a KRS number?
A KRS number is the 10-digit entry number of a Polish legal entity in the National Court Register. Poland runs three different company identifiers and two separate registers. Here is which is which, what the KRS publishes, and how to query it without guessing.
Key facts: Poland
Register: National Court Register (KRS)
Identifiers KRS, NIP, REGON
- Company recordsYes
- OfficersBoards, names masked
- Insolvency noticesNo
- Corporate eventsRegister changes
- MonitoringYes
- Financial statementsListed companies
- VAT numberBuilt from the number
- NACE classYes
- UpdatedDaily
Financial statements are on the Scale plan and above; the other plans and the free trial get 10 calls a month.
Price From EUR 9.99 a month (Starter plan)
The short version
The Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy (KRS) — the National Court Register — is Poland's register of legal entities: limited companies, joint-stock companies, partnerships, foundations and associations. It is maintained by the district courts, and entries are public and free to search.
Sole traders are not in the KRS. They register in CEIDG, a separate central register. Missing this is the single most common mistake in Polish KYB: searching the KRS for a sole trader returns nothing, and it looks like the business does not exist.
Three identifiers, and which one you actually want
| Identifier | Format | What it identifies |
|---|---|---|
| KRS | 10 digits, zero-padded | The court-register entry. Only legal entities have one. |
| NIP | 10 digits, checksummed | Tax identification number. Every business has one, including sole traders. This is the EU VAT number when prefixed with PL. |
| REGON | 9 or 14 digits, checksummed | Statistical number issued by GUS, the statistics office. The 14-digit form identifies a local unit of the business. |
For counterparty verification, NIP is usually the most useful key: it exists for every business regardless of legal form, it carries a checksum you can validate offline, and it doubles as the VAT number for VIES checks. KRS is the right key only once you know the counterparty is a registered legal entity.
What the KRS publishes
Company name, KRS/NIP/REGON, registered address, legal form, share capital, status, and the management board and representation rules — who may sign on behalf of the company and whether they act alone or jointly. That representation detail is genuinely useful in onboarding, because it tells you whether a single signature binds the company.
Poland also maintains CRBR, the central register of beneficial owners, and KRZ, the national register of debtors, both separate from the KRS.
Querying Polish companies from an API
Prometiam serves Polish legal entities from the KRS at company level — name, KRS number, NIP, REGON, address, legal form and status — alongside every other registry the API covers, under one schema and one key.
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer rk_live_..." \ "https://api.prometiam.com/functions/v1/risk-api/companies/search?name=orlen&country=PL"
Being straight about the limits: Polish directors are not yet served, and neither is CRBR beneficial ownership or the KRZ debtor register. CEIDG sole traders are not included either. If Polish ownership data is your primary requirement, we are not the right tool today.
FAQ
What is a KRS number in Poland?
A KRS number is the 10-digit entry number a Polish legal entity (limited company, joint-stock company, partnership, foundation or association) receives in the Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy, the National Court Register kept by the district courts. Sole traders have none: they register in CEIDG.
Which of NIP, KRS or REGON is the reference number on a Polish work permit document?
None of the three is a number of the permit itself: NIP, KRS and REGON identify the employing company. NIP is the tax number every business has, KRS is the court-register number that only legal entities have, and REGON is the statistical number from GUS. Which number a document or form asks for is stated on that document, so check it there; if you only need to verify the employer, NIP is the usual key.
What is the difference between KRS, NIP and REGON?
KRS is the court-register entry number and only legal entities have one. NIP is the tax number every business has, and is the VAT number when prefixed PL. REGON is the statistical number issued by GUS.
Why can I not find a Polish business in the KRS?
It is almost certainly a sole trader. Sole traders register in CEIDG, not the KRS.
Can I validate a NIP offline?
Yes — NIP carries a weighted checksum, so a malformed number can be rejected before you spend an API call.
Does Prometiam serve Polish directors or UBO?
No. Polish coverage is company-level from the KRS. Directors, CRBR beneficial ownership and the KRZ debtor register are not served.
What does KRS stand for in Poland?
KRS stands for Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy, the National Court Register. A KRS number is the entry number a Polish legal entity receives in that register.
How many digits does a KRS number have?
Ten, normally written with leading zeros and with no check digit. Only legal entities have one; sole traders are registered in CEIDG instead.
Is a KRS number the same as a NIP or a REGON?
No. KRS is the court-register entry number, NIP is the ten-digit tax number and REGON is the statistical number from GUS. A company has all three, a sole trader only NIP and REGON.
Is the KRS a tax number or a tax register?
No. The KRS is a court register of legal entities. The tax number is the NIP, which is also the EU VAT number when prefixed with PL.
How do I find the KRS number of a Polish company?
Search the company by name, NIP or REGON in the free KRS lookup; the result shows the KRS, NIP and REGON together. Sole traders do not appear because they have no KRS entry.