The Polish certificate of no criminal record is called zaświadczenie o niekaralności (certificate of no criminal record), and technically it is an extract from the KRK - Krajowy Rejestr Karny (National Criminal Register). It is issued by the Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości (Ministry of Justice), and there are two routes: online through e-KRK for 20 PLN (often same day) or a paper application for 30 PLN with a term of up to 7 days. For immigration matters - karta pobytu, citizenship, permanent residence - you always take the "private person" form, not the "for employment purposes" one. Below we explain how to file, what data to give, and where people most often slip up.
What KRK is and who issues it
KRK is Poland's central register of convictions. It is run by the Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości, and the intake points are the Biuro Informacyjne KRK (KRK information office) in Warsaw and the information desks at the sądy okręgowe (regional courts) across the country. A certificate from this register covers verdicts of Polish courts; convictions from your country of origin do not appear here - for those you need a separate certificate from your home country.
Important: a "court certificate" on a specific case and a KRK extract are not the same thing. Wherever you are asked for a zaświadczenie o niekaralności, what is meant is the KRK from the central register, not a letter from a single court.
Two ways to get the certificate - in brief
You can obtain the KRK two ways. Online through the e-KRK system with a profil zaufany (trusted profile) on ePUAP: the fee is 20 PLN, and you receive an electronic document carrying the Ministry's qualified signature, frequently the same day. Or a paper application at the Biuro KRK or a regional court: the fee is 30 PLN, with a term of up to 7 working days. Without a PESEL number and without ePUAP, you file on paper or through a representative.
e-KRK online via Profil Zaufany
The electronic route is fastest if you have a profil zaufany or an e-dowód (electronic ID). You go to the Ministry's e-KRK portal, log in, fill out the electronic wniosek (application), pay 20 PLN by card and sign the submission. In return you get a file carrying the Ministry's qualified signature.
A few practical points:
- The electronic certificate is valid only in electronic form. A printout has no legal force - the signature is verified inside the file.
- The fee is lower than the paper one: 20 PLN versus 30 PLN.
- The document is often ready within hours; by law, within a few days.
- The file must be saved and passed on as a file (by e-mail, through ePUAP, on a drive), not as a printout.
The paper wniosek - the "Zapytanie o udzielenie informacji o osobie" form
If you have no ePUAP, or the office insists on a paper original with a stamp, you submit the "Zapytanie o udzielenie informacji o osobie" form (request for information about a person). You can file it at the Biuro Informacyjne KRK in Warsaw or at any information desk in a regional court - filing takes a few minutes.
| Parameter | e-KRK online | Paper wniosek |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | 20 PLN | 30 PLN |
| Where | e-KRK portal | Biuro KRK / regional court |
| What you need | profil zaufany / e-dowód | ID, completed form |
| Term | often same day | up to 7 working days |
| Format | signed electronic file | paper with a stamp |
Two application forms - do not mix them up
The application has two versions, and your choice decides what goes into the certificate:
- "Osoba prywatna" (private person) - all conviction entries are shown, including spent ones (zatarte). This is the basic, fullest version.
- "Do celów zatrudnienia / pełnienia funkcji" (for employment or holding office) - only entries relevant to a specific position. For working with children, for example, it shows only sexual-offence articles; the rest is filtered out.
For all immigration matters - karta pobytu, permanent residence, citizenship - you take the "osoba prywatna" form. Voivodeship offices and the President's Office for citizenship expect the full picture, not a slice tailored to one employer.
What data to give so the register checks everything
The register looks up entries by your identification data, so a mistake here means an incomplete or incorrect certificate. Provide:
- PESEL - if you have one, it is the primary identifier. Without a PESEL, you enter full details: first name, surname, date and place of birth, parents' names.
- Maiden name and indeed any previous surname - after marriage, divorce, or a name change.
- All first names and surnames you have ever been registered under. If in some documents you are Aleksandr and in others Alexander, give both spellings.
The logic is simple: the register checks exactly the data you write. Skip an old surname and the check will not run against it, leaving the certificate formally incomplete.
If you have no PESEL or ePUAP
Without a PESEL and without a trusted profile, the online route is closed, but it is not a dead end. Two workable options:
- Paper filing. You complete the "Zapytanie o udzielenie informacji o osobie" with full details instead of a PESEL and submit it at the Biuro KRK or a regional court.
- Through a pełnomocnictwo (power of attorney). You sign a power of attorney for a representative, the stamp duty is 17 PLN, and the application is filed and the certificate collected for you. Handy if you are abroad or only in Poland occasionally.
We work on a power of attorney: we prepare the pełnomocnictwo (including before a consul if you are not in Poland), file the wniosek and collect the finished certificate - without your personal visit to the office.
How long a KRK certificate stays valid
There is no rigid statutory term - it all depends on the body receiving it. In practice:
| Purpose | Accepted "age" of the certificate |
|---|---|
| Karta pobytu, permanent residence at the wojewoda | up to 6 months |
| Citizenship | up to 3 months |
| Tenders and public procurement | usually 3 months |
| Employers and banks | often 30-90 days |
By default, count on 6 months, and on 3 for citizenship and tenders. The main rule: make the certificate as close as possible to the filing date so it does not "go stale" while you finish gathering the rest of the file.
How to verify an electronic KRK certificate
The electronic document from e-KRK is a file carrying the Ministry of Justice's qualified signature, and its authenticity is verified inside the file. Open it in a signature-verification tool (for instance on gov.pl, or in software such as Szafir / proCertum) and confirm the signature is valid and belongs to the Ministry. The printout proves nothing - the body accepting the document looks at the signature inside the file. So forward the original file, not a scan of a printout.
Common mistakes
1. Wrong form. You ordered "do celów zatrudnienia" instead of "osoba prywatna" - and for a karta pobytu or citizenship the certificate gets bounced as incomplete. For immigration, always the private version.
2. Expired certificate. You made the KRK early but spent six months assembling the file - and for citizenship the three-month window has already passed. Make the certificate against the filing date.
3. Name mismatch. One transliteration of the surname on the certificate, another in the passport. Give all spellings and previous surnames, otherwise the check will not cover every entry.
4. Printout instead of a file. An electronic KRK is handed over as a signed file. A printout of the e-KRK is not a document.
5. Confusing KRK with apostille. The certificate itself and its legalisation are separate steps. If the document is going abroad, the apostille is affixed separately (see the related article below).
When you need a lawyer
Getting the KRK on your own is realistic if you have a PESEL and ePUAP and the purpose is simple. A lawyer makes sense when:
- you have no PESEL or trusted profile and you are abroad;
- there was a conviction, including a spent one (zatarte), and you need to understand how it affects citizenship;
- the certificate is part of a large file (karta pobytu, permanent residence, citizenship) and deadlines cannot slip;
- the document is going abroad and needs an apostille and a sworn translation;
- spelling discrepancies in your name across documents have already caused problems.
At LegalWin, the certificate of no criminal record (KRK) service covers the consultation, power of attorney, filing via e-KRK or on paper, and collection of the finished document - usually within 1-7 working days. Where needed, we add the apostille and a sworn translation.
This article is informational. Intake terms, office requirements and the treatment of spent convictions depend on the specific situation - for individual cases, consult a lawyer.
Polish criminal record certificate - the full series:
- Criminal Record Certificate Online via e-KRK 2026
- KRK Criminal Record Certificate Without PESEL 2026
- Criminal Record Certificate for Work in Poland 2026
- KRK and RSTPN: criminal record checks for working with children in Poland
- Criminal record certificates for licences: security, transport, finance
- Criminal Record Certificate for Citizenship and PR 2026
- Home-Country Criminal Record Certificate for Poland 2026
- Company criminal record certificate in Poland: when and how
- Apostille on a Criminal Record Certificate (KRK) 2026 for Abroad
- Apostille and Criminal Record Certificates by Country
- Service: Polish criminal record certificate, done for you