Setting up a business in a new country without knowing all the rules and regulations might sound like a challenge but in fact it is relatively easy. In this ”know-how” section we will explain to you in detail how to start a business in Poland.
First things first – two hints before we go through the procedures
Hint 1 – in order to set up a company you are required to have a PESEL number.
Hint 2 – there are many types of business entities available to choose from in Poland. To learn more about the differences between them and to see which one suits you best we recommend to read our type of business in Poland article.
Registering your company
We have decided to describe the most popular type of business you might want to set up – self-employment or in other words ”a one man band”. No matter whether you decide to be self-employed or prefer to create a different business entity, when you want to choose from one of the many types of business available in Poland, the first step is always the same – type in www.firma.gov.pl in your web browser.
After that, the hardest part begins – filling out the registration form. But no worries! As we promised we made things much easier for you and recorded a video showing you how to fill it in a fast, proper and fancy way.
The filled-out form is not just an application to start your business but also function as an application for three additional things:
1. The registration in the Krajowy Rejestr Urzędowy Podmiotów Gospodarki Narodowej (The National Official Register of the Nationalised Industries Units) to receive a REGON number.
2. The application to the Tax Office to receive a NIP number (if you don’t have one yet) and choose the form of taxation.
3. The identification of the insurance contributions payer in ZUS (Social Insurance Institution) which is the person who will be responsible for paying the insurance contributions for themselves and the employees.
If you want to change some information regarding your company in the future, you can easily use the same form you have submitted during your registration.
Classification of business activity
While filling-out the form you also have to define the type of business activity number. You can find the one that describes your kind of business in the Polska Klasyfikacja Działalności (Polish Classification of Activity). Basically, you just put all the business activity numbers you think you might want to do in your company – you can write down as many numbers as you want actually.
The full list of business activity numbers can be found here.
Congratulations! Your entry should be valid and visible the day after you submitted the registration form. To show your family and friends that you run your own business – click here and find yourself among the other entrepreneurs.
What’s next
Now that you have set up your business you are obliged to make social insurance (ZUS) and tax contributions. As always, we are here to walk you through it so check out the tax guide for small businesses and how much you need to pay to be insured in Poland.
If you require any further legal advise for your business application you can contact us via our legal advise form.
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