prawomocne

Prawomocne is a Polish legal adjective meaning "final" or "legally binding," most commonly used to describe court judgments, administrative decisions, or other rulings that have acquired legal force and are no longer subject to ordinary appeal. The word combines prawo (law) and moc (force), conveying that the decision carries enforceable authority.

In practice, a ruling becomes prawomocne when all ordinary remedies (for example, appeals) have been exhausted or the statutory time for bringing such remedies has expired. Once prawomocne, a judgment typically produces binding effects: it may be executed, entered in registers, and in many systems gives rise to res judicata, preventing the same parties from relitigating the same claim. Administrative decisions attain prawomocność under similar rules, after which enforcement and administrative execution can proceed.

Legal systems often distinguish formal finality (procedural non‑appealability) from material finality (substantive conclusiveness and preclusion of re-litigation). Even after a decision becomes prawomocne, extraordinary remedies—such as cassation, revision, or reopening of proceedings—may be available in limited circumstances to challenge apparent grave errors or violations of law. The point at which a decision is considered prawomocne has practical importance for enforcement, legal certainty, and the stability of legal relations.