REGON: what the number is, who gets it and when to apply

REGON is a nine-digit identification number that the President of the Central Statistical Office (GUS) assigns to every firm, company, foundation or farm entered in the national official register of entities of the national economy. Most entrepreneurs do not file any application for it, as the number is generated automatically after registration in CEIDG or the KRS. There are, however, situations in which one has to approach the statistical office directly, and being late means breaching a statutory deadline.

What the REGON register is for

The register is kept by GUS on the basis of the Act of 29 June 1995 on Public Statistics. Its task is to ensure that the same entity is described identically in all administrative databases: in tax records, at ZUS, in court registers and in statistical surveys. From the REGON data, GUS also draws firms for mandatory statistical reports, so after some time a new entrepreneur may receive a summons to complete a survey.

The register records, among other things:

• name and address of the registered office and, for a natural person, also first names, surname, address of residence and PESEL,
• NIP, legal form and form of ownership,
• the predominant type of activity by PKD,
• the dates of formation, start, suspension, resumption and end of activity,
• the expected number of persons employed and contact details, if provided.

All activities related to the entry are free of charge. If anyone demands a fee for "registration in REGON", it is not an official fee.

How the number is built

The basic number has 9 digits: the first eight form a serial number, the last is a check digit. It is given to legal persons, units without legal personality (e.g. partnerships and civil-law partnerships) and natural persons running a business. Branches, plants and subsidiaries, so-called local units, receive a 14-digit number. Its first nine digits repeat the parent firm's number, the next four indicate the specific unit and the fourteenth is the check digit for the whole.

Thanks to this, the number alone shows whether it concerns the whole firm or a specific location, e.g. a second salon in another city.

When the number is assigned automatically

Sole proprietorship

The CEIDG-1 application is at the same time a notification to GUS. CEIDG transmits the data electronically and the statistical office assigns the number without the entrepreneur's involvement. The number then appears in the entry in the CEIDG search tool. The same applies to later changes reported through CEIDG, e.g. a new address or additional PKD codes. We describe the full JDG registration path in our article how to set up JDG step by step.

Companies entered in the KRS

A sp. z o.o., joint-stock company or general partnership does not file a separate REGON application in court. The data goes to GUS directly from the KRS. Supplementary information, such as the expected number of persons employed, form of ownership or contact data, is given by the company on form NIP-8 filed with the head of the tax office within 21 days of entry in the KRS. From NIP-8, this data is forwarded to the REGON register.

When one must file the application personally

Direct contact with the statistical office is necessary in several typical cases:

• civil-law partnership — it is not entered in CEIDG as a whole, so the partners file application RG-OP for the partnership itself (each partner also has their own CEIDG entry),
• capital company in organisation wishing to start activity before entry in the KRS,
• local unit (branch, plant, subsidiary) of an entity entered in the KRS,
• change of data not channelled through CEIDG — a JDG entrepreneur reports it on form RG-OF,
• housing communities, agricultural operators and other entities outside CEIDG and the KRS.

The Act gives 14 days to file an application for entry, counting from the circumstances that justify it. For a change or deletion notification, there are only 7 days. The application is filed with the statistical office competent for the entity's seat (or the natural person's place of residence) — in person, by post or electronically through ePUAP as a general letter with the attached form. A document confirming the formation of the entity is enclosed, e.g. the civil-law partnership agreement.

Example: two physiotherapists set up a civil-law partnership

1. Each partner registers their own activity in CEIDG and receives their REGON automatically.
2. The partners sign the civil-law partnership agreement.
3. Within 14 days they file application RG-OP with a copy of the agreement at the statistical office — the partnership receives a separate number.
4. They then report the partnership to the tax office to obtain a separate NIP for it.
5. After opening a practice in a second location they report a local unit and receive a 14-digit number.

Certificate and checking the number

Confirmation of entry is the appearance of data in the search tool for entities of the national economy on the GUS website. In practice, a printout from the search tool is enough for most banks and counterparties. If an institution requires a formal certificate, the statistical office issues one on request within 7 working days. Entrepreneurs registered through CEIDG-1 do not receive the certificate automatically — they must request it.

The GUS search tool is also useful for verifying counterparties: it shows the legal form, address, date of formation and any end of activity. It is worth combining it with the white list of VAT payers, which confirms VAT status and the account number.

REGON and PKD 2025 — deadline to the end of 2026

From 1 January 2025, the new Polish Classification of Activities (PKD 2025) is in force. According to GUS, firms registered in CEIDG, KRS or REGON may reclassify their codes from PKD 2007 to PKD 2025 themselves until 31 December 2026. From 1 January 2027, automatic reclassification in the registers is planned. An entrepreneur who cares about an accurate description of activity (e.g. because of the ryczałt rate or a bank's requirements) should do it themselves still in 2026. Guidance can be found in our article how to choose PKD codes.

Most common mistakes

• No application for a civil-law partnership — the partners assume that the REGON of their activity also covers the partnership.
• An outdated predominant PKD code in REGON after a change in the business profile.
• Missing a notification of a branch or a second service point.
• Missing the 7-day deadline for reporting a change of data outside CEIDG.

How Good Balance can help

During registration of a firm or company we handle the whole set of filings: CEIDG or KRS, NIP-8, VAT-R, ZUS and — where necessary — the RG-OP and RG-OF applications to the statistical office. After registration we remind you of the next steps, which we describe in our guide what to do after registering a company.