How long does it take to set up a business?
29/07/2024
It is often said that the process of setting up your own business is complicated and time-consuming. But is this really the case? In this article, we answer that question and explain how long it takes to set up a business (including a sole trader and a company) in Poland in 2024!
How long does it take to set up a business? A process for which it’s worth being properly prepared!
Are you interested in setting up a business in Poland? You have a range of options to choose from!
You can set up a sole trader business. This is the form most commonly chosen by people who are just starting out in business.
You can also register a company. Different types of companies offer different opportunities, but they also come with a wide range of formal requirements.
What types of companies are there in Poland?

Each option has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Each company type also has different requirements and varying procedures for setting up the business, which are worth familiarising yourself with before submitting the relevant application.
But how long does it take, on average, to set up a business in Poland in 2024?
How long does it take to set up a business in 2024? How long does it take to set up a sole trader business?
Registering a sole trader business is, as a rule, a very straightforward process, taking from a few hours to a maximum of a few days.
There are two possible ways to go about this:
- Registering the business online via the https://www.biznes.gov.pl/pl portal;
- Registering the business at the local council.
The first option is the quickest solution. On the website mentioned above, you’ll find an application wizard specially designed for this purpose, which will guide you painlessly through each stage.
Once the wizard has received all the necessary details from you, it will allow you not only to submit notification of the commencement of business to the tax office, but also to the Social Insurance Institution (or the Agricultural Social Insurance Fund) and the Central Statistical Office. Filling in the entire application and submitting it should take no more than a few dozen minutes.
The entry in the CEIDG database will usually be visible immediately after the application is submitted. In the worst-case scenario, however, this will happen on the next working day. We can, however, start trading immediately after submitting the application.
If you decide to register your business at the local council, the whole process should also take no more than one day.
The procedure for registering a business with the CEIDG is therefore quick and simple. It may only be prolonged by any errors made or by the necessary permits and licences that must be obtained for certain types of business. Those who wish to become VAT registrants, or who are required to do so under current regulations, should also remember to complete the necessary registration with the tax office.
How long does it take to set up a business in 2024? Setting up a company is a longer and more complicated process
The process of setting up a company differs significantly from that of setting up a sole trader business. This is because it no longer involves a single, simple application to the CEIDG, but requires entry in the National Court Register.
We must also meet far more conditions, which arise from legal provisions and vary depending on the chosen legal form.
More requirements, however, mean more paperwork and more time needed not only to fulfil them, but also for their subsequent processing and verification by the relevant authority.
The timeframe will therefore depend on the chosen legal form and the number of formalities, but also on the current workload of the relevant authority handling our application.
However, the time taken to register a company will certainly be longer than that required to register a sole trader business. Exactly how long will it take?
It is difficult to estimate. Every individual situation is different. However, the World Bank’s ‘Doing Business’ report, published in 2019, indicates that the average time taken to set up a company in Poland is as long as 37 days.
Do you want to set up your own business? Get started today!
Do you want to set up your own business, but don’t want to waste time on all the paperwork and the whole registration process? Or perhaps you’re wondering whether it makes sense at all? The “Firma Dla Każdego” Foundation is a business incubator that supports entrepreneurship by providing opportunities related to running your own business without the need to register it.
With our help, you’ll be able to test your business idea under market conditions even before you complete your application for entry in the CEIDG or KRS.
Interested? Check out the details of our offer on our website: https://firmadlakazdego.pl/.
Sources:
- https://www.bankier.pl/smart/ile-trwa-zalozenie-dzialalnosci-gospodarczej-jak-zalozyc-firme-w-jeden-dzien
- https://www.infakt.pl/blog/trwa-zalozenie-firmy-szybka-porada-ksiegowa/
- https://tvn24.pl/biznes/dlafirm/ile-trwa-zalozenie-firmy-wlasna-dzialalnosc-krok-po-kroku-st5146122
- https://firmadlakazdego.pl/czym-jest-inkubator-przedsiebiorczosci/
- https://firmadlakazdego.pl/pomysl-na-biznes/
- https://firmadlakazdego.pl/
Przedsiębiorca od prawie 20 lat. Związany m.in. z branżą inkubatorów przedsiębiorczości. Od ponad ośmiu zarządza Fundacją Firma Dla Każdego, która prowadzi jeden z największych inkubatorów w Polsce. Specjalizuje się w zagadnieniach prowadzenia i rozwoju biznesu, legalizacji pobytu i pracy, a także aspektami podatkowymi prowadzenia firmy.
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