KRS vs CEIDG – Differences and Company Registry Data in Poland

In Poland's B2B ecosystem, two registers dominate conversations about company data: KRS (National Court Register) and CEIDG (Central Registration and Information on Business). It sounds simple, but in practice many salespeople, marketers, and analysts confuse these sources — sending offers to the wrong entities, looking for financial data where it does not exist, or missing entire market segments.

In this article, we break down the differences between KRS and CEIDG, show what registry data you will find in each, and explain how to combine both registers in an effective B2B prospecting process in 2026.

1. KRS and CEIDG – Two Registers, Two Worlds

Poland's economy rests on two main legal forms of doing business:

The rule is simple: natural person → CEIDG, capital entity → KRS. The exception is civil partnership partners, who — despite operating in a partnership-like form — register in CEIDG.

Official portals:

CEIDG: ceidg.gov.pl
KRS: search available via ekrs.ms.gov.pl and commercial portals aggregating excerpts

Statistics on the structure of entrepreneurship in Poland (how many sole proprietorships vs. companies) are published by GUS at stat.gov.pl — worth tracking when planning prospecting strategy.

2. What Data Will You Find in CEIDG?

CEIDG is a "lighter" register formally, but rich in operational data. Every entry includes:

NIP and REGON — tax and statistical identifiers.
Entrepreneur's first and last name — owner's personal data.
Company name — optional; many sole proprietorships operate under the owner's name.
Business start date — key sales trigger.
PKD codes — main and additional, defining industry profile.
Registered and operating address — geolocation.
Entry status — active, suspended, removed.
Contact data — email and phone (optional).

What CEIDG does NOT contain:

Financial statements.
Management and corporate body composition.
Share capital.
Information on shares and partners (except civil partnerships).
KRS entries on transformations and mergers.

CEIDG is ideal for fast prospecting of new companies — especially sole proprietorships, which account for over 80% of newly registered entities in Poland. Read more about the register in What is CEIDG? How to check company data.

3. What Data Will You Find in KRS?

KRS is a court register — more formal, with a richer scope of information on capital entities. In a KRS excerpt you will find:

Full company name and legal form.
NIP, REGON, KRS — three identifiers.
Registered office and address — including branches.
Share capital — amount and contribution structure.
Management and supervisory board — names, surnames, roles.
Partners and shareholders — who controls the company.
Business activity (PKD) — analogous to CEIDG.
Financial statements — balance sheet, profit and loss (for most companies).
Change history — entries on transformations, liquidations, management changes.

KRS is essential for due diligence — before signing a contract with an LLC for 500,000 PLN, you check its financial condition, management, and history in KRS.

4. KRS vs CEIDG – Comparison Table

5. When to Check CEIDG, and When KRS?

Check CEIDG when:

You seek newly registered companies for prospecting (sole proprietorships register faster and in greater numbers).
You offer services for small entrepreneurs — accounting, websites, insurance, marketing.
You need business start date as a sales trigger.
You verify a sole proprietorship contractor before issuing an invoice.

Check KRS when:

The contractor is a capital company (LLC, joint-stock).
You need financial data — revenue, profit, debt.
You want to know management composition and reach the decision-maker.
You perform due diligence before a larger B2B contract.
You check whether the company is in liquidation or bankruptcy.

In B2B practice in 2026, the best sales teams use both registers simultaneously — CEIDG for daily prospecting, KRS for verifying larger contractors.

6. B2B Prospecting – How to Use Both Registers?

Strategy depends on your product and target segment:

Sole proprietorship segment (CEIDG)

New sole proprietorships are the hottest leads in Polish B2B. An entrepreneur who registered yesterday is today looking for an accountant, website, insurance, and software vendor. They have no fixed partners yet — a conversion window that closes after 30–60 days.

Workflow:

Daily pull new CEIDG entries filtered by PKD and region.
Enrich with email (if provided) or find contact via LinkedIn.
Send personalized cold email within 48 hours of registration.
Track conversion and optimize PKD segments.

Capital company segment (KRS)

New LLCs usually have a larger starting budget than sole proprietorships, but are harder to reach — decisions are made by management, not one person. Key steps:

Identify CEO from KRS excerpt.
Analyze share capital — higher capital means larger budget potential.
Contact via LinkedIn or direct email to management.

Combining both sources

Some industries need both registers. If you sell accounting software, your clients include both sole proprietorships (CEIDG) and accounting firms as LLCs (KRS). When building a B2B prospect list, segment by legal form and adapt messaging.

7. Pitfalls When Working with Registry Data

Even experienced B2B analysts make these mistakes:

Confusing registers. Searching for an LLC in CEIDG or a sole proprietorship in KRS — wasted time and frustration.

Ignoring entry status. Company "active" in CEIDG but suspended in ZUS — cross-check.

Relying only on registry data. CEIDG and KRS do not contain phone numbers (optional in CEIDG), emails, or sole proprietorship revenue data. Enrich from other sources.

Data delays. A new LLC may appear in KRS days after court registration. Sole proprietorships in CEIDG appear faster — often the same day.

False PKD signals. A company with 20 PKD codes from different industries in CEIDG is often an entrepreneur testing the market, not a real client in 20 sectors.

8. Automation – CEIDG and KRS in One Pipeline

Manually searching two registers every day does not scale. In 2026, B2B teams automate this process:

Daily import of new entries from CEIDG (sole proprietorships) and KRS (companies) into CRM.
Filtering by PKD, region, and registration date.
Data enrichment — matching emails, phone numbers, LinkedIn profiles.
Automatic assignment to sequences — cold email or sales rep task.
Status monitoring — alert when a company suspends or removes activity.

Tools like nowe-firmy.pl automate steps 1–2 for CEIDG. For KRS, consider integration with commercial database APIs or manual monitoring of new entries in the eKRS search.

Read more about outreach automation in Automate cold email to new companies – tools 2026.

Summary

KRS and CEIDG are two complementary registers, not competing sources. CEIDG covers sole proprietorships and civil partnership partners — the largest and fastest-growing segment of Polish entrepreneurship. KRS covers capital companies with richer financial data and management structure.

In B2B sales in 2026:

CEIDG = daily prospecting, fresh leads, fast conversion.
KRS = due diligence, larger contracts, financial analysis.

Start by defining which segment is your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile), then choose the right register — or both, if your market is broad.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do KRS and CEIDG differ? CEIDG registers sole proprietorships and civil partnership partners. KRS registers capital companies (LLCs, joint-stock, limited partnerships). They are two different registers for different legal forms.

2. Can I find an LLC in CEIDG? No. Limited liability companies are registered only in KRS. CEIDG contains sole proprietorships and civil partnership partners only.

3. Which register is better for B2B prospecting? CEIDG — due to the number of new daily entries (hundreds of sole proprietorships vs. dozens of companies) and registration speed. KRS is better for due diligence and selling to larger entities.

4. Is KRS and CEIDG data free? Yes, basic access to both registers is free. Full KRS excerpts may require a fee. Aggregating and filtering tools are paid.

5. Where can I check statistics on the number of companies in Poland? Macroeconomic data is published by GUS at stat.gov.pl. Detailed data on individual entities — in CEIDG (ceidg.gov.pl) and KRS.