Property
Land and mortgage registers with public faith protection
Ownership is recorded in the land and mortgage register (księga wieczysta), which enjoys a presumption of accuracy and protects a good-faith purchaser. Transfers of real property require a notarial deed to be valid.
Key rules
- A contract transferring land is void unless made as a notarial deed.
- The register's public faith protects a buyer who relies on it in good faith.
- Perpetual usufruct remains a widespread alternative to full ownership of land.
- Acquisition of agricultural land is restricted mainly to individual farmers.
Governing law
- Civil Code, Book II (1964)Ownership and other rights in rem.
- Land and Mortgage Registers and Mortgage Act (1982)Register effects and mortgages.
- Act on shaping the agricultural system (2003)Farmland acquisition restrictions.
In practice
Check the register online by its number before paying anything; entries in section III and IV reveal claims and mortgages that a seller may not mention.