This article will discuss the essential steps for opening a business in Poland. We will cover the composition of the founders, accounting, legal address, and types of activities.
The information will be useful for anyone who has decided to move to Poland, start a business, bring their family, and begin earning in Europe, but doesn’t yet have a clear idea of what business to pursue. If you want to test different directions and niches, this guide will provide the necessary parameters that apply to 90% of entrepreneurs opening a legal entity here.
- Open a Company in Poland: The Optimal Option
- Who Should Be Included in the Company
- Share Distribution
- Choosing Accounting and Legal Address
- Where to Open a Business Bank Account
- Mobile apps of PKO and Santander banks with Russian and Ukrainian languages
- Consultant or Proxy
- Types of Activities (PKD)
- PKD can be selected on this website
Open a Company in Poland: The Optimal Option
There are two options for registering a business in Poland: through a notary and remotely via the S24 system. We recommend using the second option — it’s faster, cheaper, and more straightforward. If you prepare your PESEL and ePUAP in advance, you can register your legal entity in the state register within 2-3 working days.
Who Should Be Included in the Company
Another important aspect of registration is the composition of the company. It’s crucial to understand that the company must have founders (mandatory) and members of the management board. A company can be opened with a single participant, but we recommend having at least two founders and two members of the management board (they can be the same people). If there is only one founder, you must pay the ZUS tax (about 1300 PLN), regardless of whether there are employees. If there are two members of the management board, no ZUS is paid (only for employees), and it becomes easier to handle paperwork (such as lending money to the company or making resolutions on paying a management fee). It’s much more convenient to sign the majority of papers.
Share Distribution
The most popular option is 50/50 if there are two co-founders. If the partner is not well-known, it is better for one person to have a larger share to avoid delays in decision-making. The person with the larger share holds more responsibility for the company. With a greater number of owners, it’s easier to make decisions as the majority decides.
One important note: If you plan to use the company to apply for residence cards, don’t give a person less than 5% of the shares, and ideally less than 10%. If there are two owners, and one has less than 10%, the government may consider it as an attempt to avoid paying ZUS.
Choosing Accounting and Legal Address
At the beginning, it’s cheaper to outsource accounting services, which cost around 100-200 EUR. This will give you access to an accountant, HR specialist, and sometimes a lawyer or someone who can assist with legal matters. If you hire an accountant in-house, it will cost about 1500 PLN gross, including expenses and taxes.
The same situation applies to the legal address. If you plan to rent an office right away, you can use this premises when registering the company. If you plan to work from home at first, you can rent a virtual office for 25-50 EUR per month, where the correspondence will be sent.
Sometimes, the outsourcing accounting company also provides a legal address. This is convenient because the accountant receives the documents and processes them right away. The documents are in Polish, so initially, you’ll need an accountant or a manager who can explain the content in a comprehensible language.
Where to Open a Business Bank Account
Opening a business in Poland involves interacting with an important partner — a bank. Not all foreign legal entities are granted bank accounts. You can go to PKO Bank or Santander Bank. With a foreign passport and PESEL, foreigners can open a business account without any problems in these banks. These banks also have mobile apps with a Russian-language interface.
Mobile apps of PKO and Santander banks with Russian and Ukrainian languages
Both PKO and Santander banks have mobile apps that support Russian and Ukrainian languages. This makes it easier for foreigners who do not speak Polish to manage their accounts, providing convenient access to financial services.
Consultant or Proxy
One important partner for your business is a consulting company or proxy. They play a key role in the initial stage of business development:
- Consultants help with preparing documents, obtaining work permits, optimizing taxation and finances, and registering the company with various government institutions.
- A proxy (or authorized person) can sign documents on your behalf, open a bank account, and perform other legal actions when you are not present in Poland. They do not claim any share in the company and do not participate in management decisions but carry out important administrative functions.
Types of Activities (PKD)
If you have already decided on the business direction, you can choose the type of activity for your company according to the PKD classification. In Poland, there is a specific classification system for types of activities called PKD (Polska Klasyfikacja Działalności). This is a set of codes for different business sectors that will help you correctly register your business activity in the state register.
These codes can be selected based on what you intend to do, and they are frequently used by Russian-speaking entrepreneurs to declare their business activities in Poland.
PKD can be selected on this website
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Instead of selecting a specific activity, such as selling a particular product online or manufacturing leather sandals, it’s better to choose a broader class, such as leather or wood product manufacturing. Or retail sales — you might want to select a whole class. For example, if you don’t yet know what you want to sell, this will give you the flexibility to expand your options later.
Universal classes:
- Wholesale — Class 46
- Retail — Class 47
- Education, training, courses, seminars — Class 85
- Food products (street food, cafes) — Class 56
- IT — Classes 62 and 63
- Construction — Classes 41 and 43
- Transport — Class 49
- Beauty services (perhaps the most popular for Russian-speaking entrepreneurs) — Class 96, specifically beauty salons — Subclass 96.02.z
This gives you 8 options, and you can add a 9th specific activity if you want to try something else, with the 10th being the main business activity.
These are the main parameters for opening a universal business in Poland. For more information, check out our entrepreneur community. Contact Uniconsulting.group for consultations — our team will answer all questions regarding life and business in Poland.
