The sales office has handed you an information prospectus (prospekt informacyjny) in Polish and wants a decision on a reservation, while you normally read Ukrainian. A prospectus in Ukrainian is not your right, but you can still check the same document in a few steps before you pay anything. Below: what you may demand from the developer, who translates and when, and eight fields to verify first. Legal position: October 2026.
The basis is the Act on the Protection of the Rights of a Purchaser of a Residential Unit or Single-Family House and on the Developer Guarantee Fund (consolidated text Dz.U. 2026 item 880). We give article numbers in Polish so that you can show them to the developer or a notary.
Must the developer give you the prospectus in your language?
No. The Developer Act, together with its model prospectus, has no rule on language or translation. The general Polish Language Act (Dz.U. 2026 item 81) applies:
- in dealings with a consumer who lives in Poland when the contract is concluded, where the contract is performed in Poland, Polish is used (art. 7 ust. 1), including in documents required by other statutes (art. 7 ust. 3);
- a document may have a parallel version in another language. Where the consumer is a Polish citizen, the Polish version is the basis for interpretation (art. 8 ust. 1a);
- a contract, and any other document used in dealings with a consumer, may be drawn up in a foreign language at the request of a consumer who speaks that language, is not a Polish citizen and was first told about the right to a Polish-language document (art. 8 ust. 1b).
In practice: you may ask for a Ukrainian or English version, but the developer is not obliged to give one. Whether art. 8 ust. 1b covers the prospectus itself in your case is a question for a lawyer.
When and in what form you receive the prospectus
The developer hands over the prospectus before the developer agreement (umowa deweloperska), or, if you sign a reservation first, before the reservation agreement (art. 21 ust. 1). Three rules apply:
- free of charge and with annexes, on a durable medium (art. 21 ust. 2);
- on paper at your request, at the developer’s premises, if you received the prospectus only in another form (art. 21 ust. 3);
- the prospectus is part of the contract. Together with its annexes it forms an integral part of both the reservation agreement and the developer agreement (art. 23 ust. 2). It is not an advertising leaflet.
The developer also publishes the general part of the prospectus on its website, together with the price per m² including VAT. If the price on the website differs from the price in the contract, you may require a contract at the price more favourable to you (art. 19a ust. 6). Prices of Warsaw new developments from the open data portal dane.gov.pl, with the data date, are collected on the page of new-build flats in Warsaw.
Who translates, and when
Timing is where the trap usually lies. The developer agreement takes the form of a notarial deed (art. 40 ust. 1). Notarial acts are performed in Polish, but at a party’s request the notary may additionally carry out the act in a foreign language, personally or through a sworn translator (art. 2 § 3 of the Notaries Act, Dz.U. 2026 item 614). Where a participant does not speak Polish and no translation is attached, the notary translates personally or through a translator (art. 87 § 1 pkt 1). Before signing, the deed is read out and the notary must make sure the participants fully understand its content and meaning (art. 94 § 1).
But all of this starts only at the notary. You receive the prospectus and the reservation agreement earlier, and a reservation is concluded in ordinary written form (art. 30 ust. 1), without a notary. In the developer agreement you also sign a statement that you received the prospectus and read it (art. 35 ust. 1 pkt 16). So it is worth having the prospectus and the draft agreement translated before the reservation, not on the day of the deed.
A sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły) prepares and certifies written translations. The list of translators is kept by the Minister of Justice and published in the BIP (art. 6 ust. 2, art. 10 and art. 13 of the Act on the Profession of Sworn Translator, Dz.U. 2019 item 1326). Ask for a translation of the prospectus and of the draft developer agreement with annexes.
Eight fields to check first
You do not need to understand the whole document to catch the biggest risks. Find these fields and compare them with what you were told in the sales office:
- Date the prospectus was drawn up (“Data sporządzenia prospektu”) and the complete set of annexes. After that date the developer introduces changes by an annex or a new prospectus (art. 22).
- Land and mortgage register number (księga wieczysta) and entries in section IV (mortgages, pending applications for entry). Enter the number in the Electronic Land and Mortgage Registers search.
- The developer’s KRS number. In the KRS search check that the name and registered office match those in the prospectus and the draft agreement.
- Building permit: three yes/no fields: whether it exists, whether it is final, whether it is appealed.
- Type of escrow account (mieszkaniowy rachunek powierniczy) under “Środki ochrony nabywców”: open or closed. The Developer Guarantee Fund (DFG) contribution is calculated and paid by the developer, not by you (art. 49 ust. 5). Rates are set by a regulation of 21 June 2022 (Dz.U. 2022 item 1341): 0.45% for an open account and 0.1% for a closed one, at the rate on the day sales start (art. 49 ust. 6).
- Schedule: at least 4 stages, each costing between 10% and 25% of the total cost of the project (art. 24 ust. 2).
- Date of transfer of ownership in the individual part. This is the date for your flat; compare it with the date in the draft agreement.
- Price, price per m², usable area and the price indexation field (“Dopuszczenie waloryzacji ceny”). If it says “yes”, read the rules before you pay for a reservation.
The reservation fee may not exceed 1% of the price in the prospectus (art. 32 ust. 2). After the agreement is signed, the developer pays it into the escrow account within 7 days (art. 32 ust. 3–4). The price in the individual part is not yet the whole sum: we describe which extra costs to add to the prospectus price separately.
At your request, before the reservation, the developer must allow you to inspect at its premises, among other things, the current state of the land and mortgage register, an extract from the KRS or a CEIDG certificate, the building permit and financial statements for the last two years (art. 26 ust. 1). These documents are also in Polish, so bring someone who reads Polish to the inspection.
A foreigner’s position: the Ministry permit and build time
A foreigner of any nationality acquires a self-contained residential unit without a permit from the Minister of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA) (art. 8 ust. 1 pkt 1 of the Act on Acquisition of Real Estate by Foreigners, Dz.U. 2017 item 2278). Warsaw is not in a border zone, where that exception does not apply (art. 8 ust. 3). A permit may be required for a share in a separate property sold together with the unit, for example an access road. Check in the prospectus and the draft agreement exactly what you are buying.
According to GUS, in 2025 a multi-family building in Poland took 24.8 months to build on average. If you are renting now, count your rent up to the ownership transfer date in the individual part of the prospectus, not to the indicative date from an advertisement.
When the agreement differs from the prospectus
At the reservation stage. The developer must inform you of changes to the prospectus and its annexes and state what they concern (art. 33 ust. 1). If it changed the prospectus and did not inform you, the reservation fee is refunded without delay (art. 34 ust. 1 pkt 3). More on when the fee comes back and when it does not in reserving with a developer: how much you can lose.
At the developer agreement. Changes made between delivery of the prospectus and signing must be clearly separated in the agreement and bind you only if you agree to include them (art. 35 ust. 2–3). Ask the notary to translate those passages separately.
After signing. You have 30 days from signing to withdraw (art. 43 ust. 2), among other cases where information in the agreement does not match the prospectus, the developer did not hand over the prospectus, or the data do not match the factual or legal position. The statement is made in writing with a notarially certified signature (art. 45 ust. 1). This right applies to the developer agreement, not to the reservation.
FAQ
Must a developer provide the prospectus in Ukrainian or English?
No. The Developer Act (Dz.U. 2026 item 880) has no rule on the language of the prospectus. The Polish Language Act (art. 8 ust. 1b) allows a contract or other document to be drawn up in a foreign language if you ask for it yourself, speak that language, are not a Polish citizen and were first told about the right to a Polish-language document. The Act does not impose a duty to translate (as of October 2026).
How much can a developer charge for reserving a flat?
No more than 1% of the flat price in the prospectus (art. 32 ust. 2, as of October 2026). The reservation agreement requires written form on pain of invalidity (art. 30 ust. 1), and the developer hands over the prospectus before it (art. 21 ust. 1).
Who will translate the developer agreement if I do not speak Polish?
The developer agreement is concluded as a notarial deed (art. 40 ust. 1). Where a participant does not speak Polish and no translation is attached, the notary translates personally or through a sworn translator (art. 87 § 1 pkt 1 of the Notaries Act). At the prospectus and reservation stage there is no such duty, so you arrange the translation.
Does a foreigner need a Ministry of the Interior permit for a flat from the prospectus?
Not for the flat itself (art. 8 ust. 1 pkt 1 of the Act on Acquisition of Real Estate by Foreigners, as of October 2026), and Warsaw is not in a border zone. A share in a separate property sold together with the unit may require a permit, so check it in the prospectus and the draft agreement.
What if the developer agreement differs from the prospectus?
You have 30 days from signing to withdraw (art. 43 ust. 2, as of October 2026). The statement is made in writing with a notarially certified signature (art. 45 ust. 1).
Do you have a Polish-language prospectus and a visit booked at the developer’s sales office? Write to us before your first visit. We will register you as our client, go through the information prospectus and the draft agreement with you, point out what to ask the developer or a lawyer, and go to the sales office together. We serve clients in 7 languages, including Ukrainian. You pay us no fee for help buying a flat from a developer. Our remuneration on the primary market arises from agreements with developers.
Jawno · +48 692 649 839 · infojawno@gmail.com
This text is for information only and is not legal advice. Legal position: October 2026.