Regulatory activity registries are not a single, unified database, but rather a number of separate records maintained by various public institutions—ministries, regulatory agencies, and administrative bodies. Each of these registries covers a different type of activity that requires a special license.
The central point of access to this information is the business search engine on the Biznes.gov.pl website, operated by the Ministry of Development and Technology. Through this search engine, you can check the rights and restrictions assigned to a specific entity registered in the National Court Register (KRS).
What is a regulated activity?
A regulated activity is one form of regulation of economic activity in Poland. It means that an entrepreneur may undertake and carry out a specific type of activity only after meeting the specific conditions set forth in the law and obtaining an entry in the relevant register of regulated activities.
A distinction must be made between regulated activities, licensed activities, and activities requiring authorization—these are separate forms of regulation, governed by different laws and requiring different types of authorization.
Conducting a regulated business without the required registration is illegal and punishable by a fine or imprisonment. Being listed in the register of regulated businesses is often a prerequisite for participating in public procurement procedures.
The data available through Biznes.gov.pl covers entities registered in the National Court Register (KRS). To obtain a complete list of all business owners holding a valid license of a given type, it is necessary to combine this data with data from the Central Registration and Information on Business (CEIDG), where licenses held by sole proprietors are reported.
Types of regulated activities
Regulated activities include those types of business activities that require entry in the register of regulated activities and compliance with specific conditions set forth by law.
Examples of regulated activities include:
- operating an individual medical practice or an individual specialist medical practice,
- operating an individual nursing practice or an individual specialized nursing practice,
- organizing continuing education courses and operating a driver training center,
- municipal waste collection services,
- running a psychology practice,
- bottling of wine products,
- employment agency,
- the operations of an employment agency,
- operating a group medical practice or a group nursing practice.
In all cases, an entrepreneur applying for registration submits a statement confirming compliance with the required conditions—the registry authority verifies only the formal completeness of the application, while the substantive verification of compliance with the conditions takes place as part of a follow-up inspection.
Registration is required to legally conduct a regulated business, and failure to register or the revocation of registration results in a prohibition on conducting that business.
