Services

    Debt Recovery & Business Disputes in Poland

    Recover unpaid invoices from Polish business partners. English-speaking litigators handle payment orders, enforcement and cross-border claims in Poland.

    Debt recovery and business disputes cover everything from a single unpaid invoice to complex commercial litigation, arbitration and enforcement — in Poland and across borders. We act for Polish and foreign companies at every stage: demand letter, fast-track payment order, trial, and enforcement by a court bailiff (komornik), including recovering money from Polish counterparties on behalf of creditors abroad.

    Key facts

    Limitation period (B2B claims)
    3 years — but expiring at the end of the calendar year (Art. 118 Civil Code)
    Statutory interest on overdue invoices (B2B)
    13.75% p.a. for H2 2026 (11.75% if the debtor is a public health-care entity)
    Fixed recovery compensation
    EUR 40 / 70 / 100 per overdue claim, owed automatically (Art. 10, Act of 8 March 2013)
    Court fee (claims for payment)
    5% of the claim value, capped at PLN 100,000
    EU judgments
    Enforceable in Poland without exequatur (Brussels I bis, Reg. 1215/2012)
    Cross-border tools
    European Order for Payment (Reg. 1896/2006) for uncontested debts; European Small Claims (Reg. 861/2007) up to EUR 5,000
    We defend our clients' interests across the full spectrum of commercial disputes: civil and commercial court proceedings, domestic and international arbitration, mediation and negotiated settlement. We manage cases from the initial demand letter (wezwanie do zapłaty) through judgment to enforcement by a court bailiff (komornik), and we focus on the disputes that businesses face most often — contractual and payment claims, construction and infrastructure disputes, corporate disputes between shareholders or against management, and unfair-competition and trade-secret matters. Where a debt is documented and undisputed, we use Poland's fast payment-order tracks: the order-for-payment procedure (postępowanie upominawcze), the writ-of-payment procedure (postępowanie nakazowe), and the Lublin electronic e-court (EPU) for uncontested claims. Choosing the right track is decisive for both speed and leverage. A writ of payment issued in the postępowanie nakazowe is a particularly powerful tool: from the moment it is issued it serves as a security title (tytuł zabezpieczenia), enforceable against the debtor's assets without first obtaining an enforceability clause (Art. 492 § 1 of the Code of Civil Procedure). For B2B claims, the debtor also owes statutory interest for delay in commercial transactions and fixed recovery compensation of EUR 40, 70 or 100 per claim, on top of the principal. We pursue interim security, negotiated settlement and arbitration wherever they protect your interests faster — and we keep a close eye on limitation, because business claims expire three years after they fall due, at the end of that calendar year (Art. 118 Civil Code).

    When do you need this service?

    • A Polish business partner has not paid your invoices and stopped responding
    • You are a foreign company that needs to litigate, arbitrate or recover a debt in Poland
    • You hold an EU judgment and want it enforced against assets in Poland
    • A contract, construction or corporate dispute is heading toward court or arbitration
    • You want to secure your claim quickly, before the debtor dissipates assets
    • You need to assess whether a claim is still within the limitation period

    How the process works

    1. 1
      Case assessmentWe review the contract, invoices and correspondence, confirm the claim is within the limitation period, assess the debtor's solvency, and recommend the fastest viable route (amicable, payment order, litigation or arbitration).
    2. 2
      Demand for payment (wezwanie do zapłaty)We send a formal pre-action demand setting a payment deadline, calculating the principal plus statutory interest and the fixed recovery compensation. Many debtors pay at this stage.
    3. 3
      Payment-order or court actionIf the demand goes unanswered, we file a claim in the appropriate track: the writ-of-payment procedure (nakazowe), the order-for-payment procedure (upominawcze), the electronic e-court (EPU), or a European Order for Payment for an uncontested cross-border debt.
    4. 4
      Litigation if contestedIf the debtor objects, the case moves to ordinary commercial proceedings; we prosecute the claim to judgment and, where useful, seek interim security over the debtor's assets in the meantime.
    5. 5
      Enforcement by a court bailiff (komornik)With an enforceable title in hand, we instruct a bailiff to seize bank accounts, receivables, real estate and other assets, and we monitor the recovery.
    6. 6
      Cross-border enforcementWhere the debtor or assets are abroad, we enforce a Polish judgment in another EU state — or an EU judgment in Poland — without exequatur under Brussels I bis, working with our network of foreign law firm partners.

    What you'll need

    • The contract or order, and your general terms and conditions
    • The unpaid invoices, with their due dates
    • Proof of delivery or performance (delivery notes, acceptance protocols, work reports)
    • All correspondence with the debtor, including any acknowledgement of the debt
    • Details of the debtor (company name, registration number, known assets or bank accounts)
    • Any earlier demands, settlement proposals or part-payments

    What we cover

    • Commercial litigation before Polish civil and commercial courts
    • Domestic and international arbitration
    • Mediation and settlement negotiations
    • Debt recovery and enforcement proceedings
    • Contract, construction and corporate disputes
    • Cross-border claims and international debt recovery

    For foreign creditors and cross-border claims

    Most of our cross-border work is debt recovery for foreign creditors against Polish counterparties — unpaid invoices owed by a Polish supplier, customer or contractor. A creditor based abroad can sue and enforce in Poland on the same footing as a Polish company; you do not need a local presence, and most of the process can be handled remotely under a power of attorney. For uncontested cross-border debts we can use the European Order for Payment (Regulation 1896/2006), which has no value ceiling, or the European Small Claims Procedure (Regulation 861/2007) for claims up to EUR 5,000. Before any court step, the pre-litigation stage — contacting the debtor, establishing why payment stopped, negotiating and documenting a settlement — is set out on our commercial debt collection in Poland page.

    The enforcement bridge runs both ways. Under the recast Brussels I bis Regulation (1215/2012), a judgment from another EU Member State is enforceable in Poland without any exequatur or declaration of enforceability — you simply present the judgment and a standard certificate — and, equally, a Polish judgment is enforceable across the EU. That makes Poland a practical forum in which to obtain and enforce a title against a Polish debtor, and a base from which to pursue Polish debtors who have moved assets elsewhere in the Union.

    Foreign clients work with one team in their own language for the entire matter. Our managing partner is admitted to the New York State Bar and serves as the New York State Bar Association's Chapter Chair for Poland, and the firm is trusted counsel (Vertrauensanwalt) to the Austrian Consulate General in Kraków. We litigate and arbitrate in Polish, English, German, Ukrainian and Russian, have over 20 years of cross-border experience, coordinate sworn translators and local bailiffs, and collaborate with reputable law firms in Germany, Austria and beyond to pursue enforcement wherever the assets are.

    Frequently Asked Questions

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    Our lawyers are available to advise you in Polish, English, German, Ukrainian and Russian.

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