Don't want to work for someone else and depend on others? The best solution for you will be entrepreneurship, i.e. starting your own business. Probably every person dreams of opening his own business. However, do not forget that an official enterprise requires registration, a unique identifier and inclusion in the national register. And although there is an alternative way of doing business in Poland without official registration, which we discussed in our article, it has its fixed limitations and does not allow you to scale.
Read in aksis' article about what kind of businesses need to be in the REGON register, how to get a number and learn about all sorts of nuances. Let's go!
What is a REGON number?
REGON is an abbreviation that means «Rejestr Gospodarki Narodowej» (Register of the National Economy). This register is maintained by the General Statistical Office (GUS). Today the importance of the REGON number is not the same as it used to be. Since 2009, it has been excluded from the basic data used in most transactions between firms. However, it is worth noting that there are situations where the presence of this number remains mandatory.
The REGON number looks like this:
The first two digits are the identifier of the region where your business is registered. There are 49 Voivodeships in Poland, and each of them has its own unique number. For example, for Warsaw this number is 01. By the way, all region numbers are only odd numbers.
The next six digits are a unique code that refers to your company. This code is like a fingerprint of your business, as its digits cannot match another firm.
The last digit is the check digit. It is calculated using a special formula.
In addition to standard REGON numbers, there are also 14-digit variants. You may ask: «why so»? It is quite simple. Long 14-digit numbers are used for large companies that have branches or subsidiaries in different Voivodships. Let's imagine a large bank with branches all over the country - this extended code is used for it.
Who will need to get a REGON number?
The following business entities must obtain a place in such a register:
→ Individuals engaged in business (IE - individual entrepreneurs)
→ Companies, partnerships and other firms (fundacji, stowarzyszeń, spółek z o.o., spółek akcyjnych)
→ Legal entities
Explaining in simple words: REGON number is assigned to all business entities. However, if you decide to create new branches or structures - you will have to get a new number. If you are a natural person and you decide to suspend your activity and then start again - you will not have to get the code again, the identifier remains the same.
Online registration of REGON number
Let's look at how to get a REGON number in 2023 via the internet. We would like to say right away that the process is slightly different depending on the form of the company. We will consider the process of registration of the identifier for sole proprietorships and spółka cywilna, as these are more simplified forms of organizations.
1. Enter the official CEIDG portal.
2. Сhoosing that we want to start a business activity, i.e. click on the tab "Założyć działalność gospodarczą".
3. Filling in the large CEIDG-1 form where we need to fill in all the data. This is the most responsible and important stage, so be careful and it is better to double-check the data several times. The form can be downloaded here.
4. Save the form and sign it with an electronic signature and press the "Dalej" button. We told you how to do this in our article.
Offline registration of REGON number
There is another way to get a REGON number is to apply for it offline. Follow our simple instructions to apply for REGON offline:
1. Going to the regional statistical office of your city. A list of all regional statistical offices in Poland can be found here by selecting your city in the upper left corner.
2. Picking up the form there and fill it in on the spot or download the form in advance at home and fill it in.
3. Submiting the form to the staff of the regional statistical office. After that you just have to wait.
Surprisingly, the REGON number is not accompanied by a plastic card or a paper certificate. You will simply be informed about the ready number. At the moment of filling out the form, you make sure to include your phone number and email. It is these contacts that will let you know that the number is ready.
What information is available with a REGON number?
If you know the REGON number of a company, you can get valuable information about it. This situation often arises when you are not sure about the reliability of a potential employer or you are going to make a deal with a certain firm. In this case, it is better to do a little checking. Here is what data you can find out about a company by having its REGON number:
Name of the company's owner
PESEL
Form of company
Address and date of incorporation
Number of employees in the company
To obtain such information, it is enough to go to the official state website and in the search box enter the REGON number of the company and tick the entrepreneur «Przedsiębiorcy». After that we press the «szukaj» button and everything is ready. Moreover, in this line you can also enter the NIP or KRS number. Companies such as Spółka cywilna have REGON number on the seal, but everyone prefers to search for companies by NIP number (read about it in our article).
Results
Today you have learnt about who needs a REGON identifier and why. You can choose how you want to make this number, online or offline. If you have a digital signature, we recommend that you do the number online, it will take you quite a bit of time. But what if you are an employee who wants to know more about your employer? In that case REGON is a very useful tool through which we can find out information about the employer.
Our team of experienced agents will help you to start your business activities quickly and easily. We offer comprehensive solutions to your business related questions, including REGON number.
