Notary in Poland for Foreigners

A power of attorney to manage property in Ukraine, a certified sale and purchase agreement for a flat, a deed of gift, a notarial copy for your karta pobytu — year after year we help foreigners in Poland put documents with notarial force in order. You can start the process online and we arrange courier delivery of ready documents across Poland. The deed itself is signed in person before a notary, and fees follow the statutory maximum rates.

We are a private service, not a government authority.

A notary in Poland is more than a witness. A notary is a person of public trust who bears personal legal responsibility for the deeds drawn up in the office. That is why notarial certification carries weight outside Poland as well.

What notarial certification is and who needs it

A notarial deed records a legal act in the legally required notarial form; certification of a signature or conformity of a copy is a separate notarial service. Ask the receiving authority which form is required. When drawing up a deed, the notary also checks that the parties act of their own free will and understand its meaning and consequences.

Notarial certification is commonly needed for:

• powers of attorney for managing property in Ukraine (sale of real estate, deeds of gift, wills)
• sale and purchase of real estate in Poland
• handwritten statements and deeds disposing of property
• certifying signatures where a bank, university or other institution asks for it
• notarial copies of documents (for a karta pobytu, education, travel)
• inheritance: acts of inheritance certification, dispositions of an estate
• corporate documents: founding acts, amendments to statutes

Notary in Poland for foreigners — how it works

There is no separate profession of a “Ukrainian notary” in Poland — notarial deeds are drawn up only by a Polish notary, a person of public trust. When you search for a “Ukrainian notary” in Warsaw or any other city, in practice you are looking for a Polish notary who will serve you in Ukrainian, understand Ukrainian documents and prepare a deed that the Ukrainian office is likely to accept. Those are exactly the cases we handle.

For a Ukrainian citizen a valid photo ID is enough — a passport or a karta pobytu. If you do not understand Polish, tell the notary before booking. The notary will decide how to ensure a legally valid explanation or translation under Articles 2(3) and 87 of the Notaries Act; do not assume a friend or informal interpreter can replace a sworn translator where the law requires one. A sworn translation attached to the file still has to be made by a sworn translator. The maximum rates are the same for everyone: they do not depend on the client’s nationality. Maximum notarial fees depend on the date and number of pages. Until 4 November 2026, the maximum for certifying a copy is 6 zł per page; from 5 November 2026, the amended tariff sets 12 zł per page for pages 1–10, 10 zł for pages 11–20 and 8 zł from page 21, plus applicable VAT. Ask the notary for a dated quote. The statutory maximum for a power of attorney depends on the type of act and the tariff in force on the date of the deed.

The most common cases are powers of attorney for managing property in Ukraine — sale of real estate, deeds of gift, bank matters or medical care without flying home. The second large group is notarial copies of Ukrainian certificates, diplomas, passports and civil registry records, needed for a karta pobytu, universities and offices.

Do not confuse a notary with a translator: a sworn translator translates the text, while the notary draws up or certifies the deed and answers for it under Polish law. A power of attorney that the receiving office requires in notarial form will not be accepted without it, so confirm the requirement with that office first.

If the document is to work in Ukraine, check the receiving office’s requirements right away: many documents are recognised without legalization under Article 15 of the 1993 Poland–Ukraine agreement, while others may need an apostille and a sworn translation into Ukrainian. We will tell you before the visit whether your case needs it and prepare the set so that it is less likely to be returned for corrections.

A Ukrainian notary is needed when the act has to take place physically in Ukraine — for example, a deed concerning Ukrainian real estate. In that case you do not have to travel anywhere: a Polish notary can draw up a power of attorney for a trusted person who will handle the matter at a Ukrainian office. Be careful with private “Ukrainian notary services” that do not involve a Polish notary: certification by someone who does not hold that public status is generally not treated as a notarial deed. Check who signs the document and whether the receiving office will accept it.

Does a document from a Polish notary work in Ukraine?

In practice, a Polish notarial deed may be recognised in Ukraine without legalization under Article 15 of the 1993 Poland–Ukraine agreement. Confirm the receiving institution’s requirements; only if an apostille is needed, obtain district-court certification first and then the MSZ apostille. A sworn translation into Ukrainian may also be required. Whether a specific document is accepted is decided by the authority, bank or register you submit it to, so confirm the requirement before you order.