Country guide · 10 min read

Jakub Wujec

Last reviewed: 1 August 2026

How to verify a Polish carrier before assigning a load

To verify a Polish carrier, pull KRS or CEIDG for the legal entity, KREPTD for the transport licence, VIES and the VAT whitelist for tax status, and UFG when you have plates for insurance. Compare email and domain with register data on booking day. One mismatch is a risk signal: pause before you send pickup details.

Key checks before you assign the load

KRS full extract for sp. z o.o., CEIDG printout for sole traders.
KREPTD licence status, vehicle count, and validity dates by NIP.
VIES plus Polish VAT whitelist for active status and bank accounts.
UFG insurance check when you provide vehicle plates.
RAR for recent register court filings on the same entity.
KRZ for restructuring, bankruptcy, and related debtor announcements.
Email and domain compared with KRS or CEIDG address.

What to check on a Polish transport company

Polish carrier verification runs across three independent sources: KRS for sp. z o.o., CEIDG for jednoosobowa działalność, and KREPTD for licence rights. Forwarders booking PL lanes should treat those as three independent answers, not one “company OK” tick.

How to check the main registers step by step

Run these on booking day and keep a screenshot or PDF in your load file.

Step 1: check the company in KRS or CEIDG

Open KRS search for limited companies, or CEIDG public search for sole traders.

Search KRS by the KRS number or company name, and CEIDG by NIP.

The result shows legal status and registered address, and for KRS also the board and shareholders.

Compare the name and address against the invoice and the entity you are booking with.

Step 2: check the transport licence in KREPTD by NIP

Open KREPTD (GITD) and search by the carrier NIP. The public search uses reCAPTCHA.

The register returns the licence type, domestic authorisation or community licence, vehicle count, and validity dates.

Compare the licence scope with your lane: a national permit does not cover international haulage.

A missing or expired licence on an otherwise active company is a reason to pause before you send pickup details.

Step 3: check VAT status in VIES and the Polish VAT whitelist by NIP

Open VIES to confirm the NIP is an active EU VAT number.

Open the Polish VAT whitelist search at Polish VAT whitelist and look up the same NIP.

The whitelist shows registration status, registration date, and the bank accounts registered to that NIP.

Match the invoice bank account against the whitelist entry before you release payment.

What else to look for in the remaining registers

Beyond the main steps above, run these additional checks before you commit to the load.

KRS for limited companies: status, address, board, shareholders, recent entries.
CEIDG for sole traders: activity status, transport PKD, blocking dates.
REGON where you need the statistical ID cross-check.
RAR for pending register court filings and electronic KRS case files.
KRZ for restructuring, bankruptcy petitions, and related debtor announcements.
KREPTD: domestic authorisation or community licence, status, vehicle count.
Scope matches your lane: national permit versus community licence.
VIES active status and name match to the invoice entity.
Polish VAT whitelist: status, registration date, registered bank accounts.
UFG (plate): OC active status, insurer, policy number, and vehicle description when plates are provided. Policy holder is not returned by UFG.

Polish identifiers on invoices and rate emails

NIP: 10 digits, often written with or without PL prefix on cross-border paperwork.
KRS number: 10 digits for companies; different from NIP and REGON.
REGON: 9 or 14 digits; statistical ID, not a substitute for KREPTD.
VAT invoice line: PL prefix plus 10 digits; must match VIES and VAT whitelist name.

What KRS or CEIDG alone does not prove

That the entity holds a current KREPTD road transport authorisation.
That UFG will show MTPL on the plates you book without plate numbers.
That the bank account on the invoice is registered on the VAT whitelist today.
That the booking email belongs to the board member or transport manager.

Example mismatch on Polish lanes

A forwarder receives a rate from biuro@haulier-trans.pl. KRS shows Haulier Trans sp. z o.o. active since 2018, but KREPTD returns no licence for that NIP. VAT whitelist is active and VIES matches. The risk is not “fake company”, it is “company without haulage rights”. Ops should pause before sending warehouse address and cargo value.

Documents to request from the carrier

Polish carriers often send a KRS PDF from last month and a KREPTD screenshot without date. Ask for extracts tied to booking day and an invoice bank account visible on the VAT whitelist.

KRS full extract or CEIDG printout dated to booking day.
KREPTD licence confirmation or screenshot with NIP visible.
VIES printout and VAT whitelist result for the invoice NIP.
CMR insurance policy tied to the contracting entity when plates are not yet known.
Invoice bank account that appears on the VAT whitelist.

Email and domain checks

Polish impersonation cases often reuse a real KRS entity but switch to a .pl domain registered after a board change. Compare domain registration data (RDAP/WHOIS) with RAR and KRS management entries, not only the rate thread.

Domain registration age versus company age in KRS or CEIDG.
Email domain matches website and register address, not only freemail.
Phone and fax lines consistent with the registered office.
Booking contact name matches a director or authorised person where the register shows one.

Limits of a Polish carrier check

KREPTD and UFG are separate portals. A manual Friday pass across five sites is where teams skip email checks under load-board pressure.

KRS and CEIDG show legal status, not cargo quality or payment history.
UFG needs plates; without them you rely on policy documents from the carrier.
VAT whitelist bank accounts can change: recheck before first payment.
A Friday-evening manual pass across five portals is easy to skip under pressure.

Red flags and common mistakes

KRS active but KREPTD shows no licence

May indicate a broker posing as a haulier or a company that lost transport rights. Clear before pickup details go out.

Invoice bank account missing from VAT whitelist

Common after a rebrand or split. Ask for an updated whitelist entry or a registered account before you pay.

Recent KRS board change with a new booking email

Could be legitimate succession or impersonation after a takeover. Use an independently found or previously confirmed contact channel, not only the email thread.

Freemail on a fleet that claims multiple trucks

Not proof of fraud, but requires review alongside domain age and KREPTD vehicle count.

When you do not want to repeat this for every load

Send Polish NIP, country PL, booking email, and tractor or trailer plates when you have them. Certica chooses KRS versus CEIDG from the identifier shape and runs KREPTD, whitelist, and UFG in parallel.

Licence, VAT, insurance, and company register checked in one Polish submission.
RAR register-filing signals and KRZ restructuring or bankruptcy signals surface alongside register status in one run.
PDF bundles register extracts for compliance files.

Certica

Don't want to do this on every booking?

Certica pulls data from the same registers, checks it, and shows a clear result: what is OK, and what needs clarifying before loading.

Check 20 carriers for free

Signals worth reviewing together

Across supported registers, checks that most often need human review before load assignment are email and domain mismatches, domains registered recently compared with company age, management or ownership changes in the company register, and transport licence scope that does not fit the booked lane.

These are risk signals, not proof of fraud. Clear them before you assign the load.

Official sources

FAQ

How do I check a Polish transport company register?

Limited companies sit in KRS; sole traders in CEIDG. Pull a current extract on booking day and read status, address, and recent entry numbers before you approve the carrier.

Where do I verify a Polish carrier licence?

Use KREPTD (GITD) by NIP. Confirm domestic authorisation or community licence, status, vehicle count, and validity dates match the lane you want to book.

What is on a Polish carrier verification checklist?

Register (KRS or CEIDG), KREPTD licence, VIES, VAT whitelist, UFG with plates, RAR for recent register filings, KRZ if insolvency is a concern, plus email and domain against register data.

Can I verify a Polish carrier before assigning the load with only the NIP?

NIP plus country starts KRS or CEIDG, KREPTD, VIES, and the VAT whitelist. Add plates to check UFG insurance on the public UFG portal.