Increased control over real estate acquired by foreigners will be possible through changes to regulations. These are introduced by the government’s amendment to the Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Foreigners and the Notary Act. The amendment introduces an electronic method for transmitting documents by notaries. Previously, they were sent in traditional paper form, which lengthened the entire process. It sometimes happened that documents reached the ministry after the deadline, causing even more confusion, not to mention that it did not aid the control process.
Faster document flow
The regulation adopted by the government calls for the introduction of an electronic method for transmitting documents by notaries. It concerns the acquisition of real estate by foreigners. It covers buildings, apartments or houses, as well as shares and stocks in companies that are owners or perpetual users of real estate.
For sending documents a notary will have to use the Central Repository of Electronic Notarial Acts, abbreviated CREWAN. The system will allow documents to be sent to the office in electronic form. The notary will have 7 days from the moment of signing the notarial act. The program aims to give officials faster access to documents, thereby providing greater control over transactions conducted by foreigners in our country. Additionally, documents will be stored on servers, enabling offices, including the ministry, to have easy and quick access. The changes also mean abandoning the current paper delivery method.
Will it be harder to buy property in Poland?
The regulatory change introduced by the government aims to increase control over transactions where foreigners acquire real estate in Poland, but it will not impose any additional requirements on them. In reality, the change will be unnoticed by foreign buyers. Notaries will feel it, as they will have to send documents in a different way. They will also need to install and operate a new system that will be used for electronic document transmission.
“The need for deregulation of the notary’s duty through its digitization, in the area of transmitting notarial acts involving foreigners stems from the necessity of introducing new digital organizational solutions aimed at ensuring the highest standards in monitoring the acquisition of real estate by foreigners and increasing the security of property transactions” - explains the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration.
As highlighted in the amendment project information, MSWiA records cases of untimely document transmission by notaries each year, affecting the certainty of legal transactions involving foreigners and the correctness of the MSWiA’s property, share, and stake registers acquired or held by foreigners. The amendment aims to eliminate such problems.
See also: Foreigners in Poland without special treatment. The government was alarmed by rising unemployment
