Wieczysta

Wieczysta, commonly referred to as "księga wieczysta" in Polish law, is the official land and mortgage register maintained by the state to document rights, burdens and claims affecting real property. Established in the late 19th century during the partitions of Poland, the system was unified after World War II and modernized in the 1990s to align with EU standards. Each parcel of land is assigned a unique identifier and a separate register entry, which records the owner’s name, type of ownership, and any encumbrances such as mortgages, easements, liens or servitudes.

The register is public, allowing anyone to verify the legal status of a property. Access is provided electronically through the Central Registration of Property (Centralna Ewidencja Mienia) portal, where users may request extracts (odpis) for a small fee. The information in a wieczysta is considered conclusive evidence of the recorded rights, and subsequent transactions—sales, leases, or the creation of new burdens—must be entered to update the record. Courts and notaries rely on these entries when adjudicating disputes or preparing deeds.

Key features of the system include a hierarchical numbering scheme that reflects the cadastral division (region, municipality, parcel) and a chronological list of entries that tracks changes over time. The register also distinguishes between ownership rights (prawo własności) and other property interests (np. prawo użytkowania przestrzennego). Though the register does not contain physical descriptions of the land, it is linked to the cadastre, which provides maps and technical data.

Critics note that the reliance on a single public database can raise privacy concerns, while supporters emphasize the transparency and legal certainty it offers to buyers, lenders and public authorities. Overall, the wieczysta remains a cornerstone of Poland’s property law framework, facilitating secure transactions and protecting property rights.