Courts and Codes
Claims are heard by the Sąd Rejonowy (district court) or Sąd Okręgowy (regional court) depending on value, with commercial divisions handling business disputes. Enforcement is carried out by a komornik, a court enforcement officer with direct access to bank and registry data - which makes Polish enforcement notably efficient once a title exists.
Nakaz Zapłaty and the Electronic EPU
The nakaz zapłaty is an order for payment issued on documentary evidence without a hearing. The debtor then has a set period to file an objection, which converts the matter into ordinary proceedings.
The EPU - elektroniczne postępowanie upominawcze - is the electronic variant, handled by a dedicated court and conducted entirely online with reduced court fees. Documents are not filed at the application stage; the creditor describes the evidence rather than lodging it. That makes it fast and cheap on a clean claim, though a debtor objection sends the case back to the ordinary court for the debtor's own district.
Three Years - Ending on 31 December
Claims connected with running a business are subject to a three-year limitation period. Since the 2018 reform, periods of two years or more expire at the end of the calendar year in which they would otherwise run out - so a claim that would technically expire in March simply survives until 31 December of that year.
This works in a creditor's favour more often than not, but it also means Polish claims cluster: everything from a given trading year falls due together. If you are carrying aged Polish receivables, the practical deadline is the year end, and the queue for filings ahead of it is real.
Statutory Late Payment Interest
Poland implements the EU Late Payment Directive with a dedicated statutory rate for commercial transactions, higher than the ordinary civil rate, running automatically from the day after the due date. A fixed sum in compensation for recovery costs is also available. Both should be quantified in the demand - Polish debtors are generally familiar with the regime and respond to a correctly calculated figure.
How Long Does a Polish Claim Take?
| Stage | Typical Duration | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-legal demand Wezwanie do zapłaty, negotiation | 2–5 weeks | Low |
| EPU electronic order Online application to order | 4–10 weeks | Low |
| Ordinary proceedings Where the debtor objects | 10–24 months | High |
| Enforcement Komornik - accounts, receivables, assets | 2–5 months | Medium |
How Does SXB Global Handle a Polish Case?
The limitation year end is the first thing we check on any Polish file, because it sets the clock for everything else. We then assess whether EPU is appropriate - it is cheap and quick, but an objection sends the case to the debtor's own district court, which is a factor worth weighing where the debtor is likely to contest. Where legal proceedings become appropriate, SXB Global coordinates the instruction of appropriately authorised local counsel. Legal services are provided by the relevant independent legal professionals.
Road Haulage and the Payment Cycle
Poland operates one of the largest road haulage fleets in Europe, and a substantial share of EU freight moves on Polish trucks. A creditor supplying that sector faces a debtor profile unlike a conventional importer.
Haulage cash cycles are short on the cost side - fuel, drivers and leasing fall due continuously - while receivable terms from their own customers run long. That gap means default in this sector is far more often a timing problem than an unwillingness to pay. An early structured instalment arrangement recovers more here than escalation does, and the payment order route stays available if it fails.