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FAQ

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What do specific courts deal with?

There are 310 district courts (sądy rejonowe). They act as courts of first instance in cases concerning proprietary rights (rights in relation to real or personal property) where the value of a claim does not exceed PLN 75,000 (€ 17,000). In commercial proceedings this value is increased to PLN 100,000 (€ 22,000).

There are 44 Regional courts (sądy okręgowe) that act as second instance courts and handle appeals against district court decisions. They also consider cases as courts of first instance where the value of the claim exceeds PLN 75,000 (PLN 100,000 in commercial proceedings) as well as in cases where their jurisdiction is founded on specific provisions of law (e.g. cases concerning non-proprietary rights, copyright, intellectual property rights, unfair competition cases and annulments of resolutions).

The 11 courts of appeal (sądy apelacyjne) act as second instance courts from decisions of the regional courts.

The Supreme Court (Sąd Najwyższy) exerts control over activity of the common courts (and military courts). It exercises an extraordinary jurisdiction in appeals against final decisions of the second instance courts. It only exerts formal control over the judgments and cannot review facts.