General power of attorney (pełnomocnictwo ogólne)

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A Polish power of attorney for acts of ordinary management — running the principal's day-to-day affairs and property: paying bills, collecting post, managing a let flat, dealing with offices. It must be in writing on pain of nullity (art. 99 § 2 of the Civil Code). The document also states what it does not cover — selling property, loans, gifts — since those need a power of attorney naming the type of act or the act itself.

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Common questions

What counts as ordinary management under a Polish general power of attorney?

The running business of the principal's property and daily affairs: collecting rent, paying bills, minor repairs, standard utility contracts, collecting post and routine dealings with offices (art. 98 of the Civil Code). Selling or mortgaging real estate, taking out a loan or making a gift goes beyond ordinary management and needs a power of attorney naming the type of act or the specific act.

Does a Polish general power of attorney have to be signed before a notary?

No — written form is enough, meaning the principal's handwritten signature (art. 99 § 2 of the Civil Code). Banks and some institutions may still want a notarised signature under their own rules for checking agents. Filing a power of attorney with a public office costs 17 zł in stamp duty, unless the agent is the principal's spouse, parent or grandparent, child or grandchild, or sibling.

When does a Polish general power of attorney end?

When the period it was given for runs out, when it is revoked — the principal can revoke it at any time — and on the death of the principal or the agent, unless the power of attorney provides otherwise for reasons grounded in the underlying legal relationship (art. 101 of the Civil Code). Once it ends, the agent should return the document (art. 102).