[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"advice-en-bdo-registration":3},{"slug":4,"title":5,"excerpt":6,"body":7,"datePublished":8,"dateModified":8},"bdo-registration","BDO register — who needs an entry and what it costs in 2026","Who must have a BDO number: online shops, importers, waste producers. Fee of PLN 200 or 800, penalties up to PLN 1 million and the register number on invoices.","\u003Cp>BDO — the state database on products, packaging and waste management — is a system in which companies register, keep records of waste and file reports. The registration obligation does not depend on the size of the company but on what it does: whether it places on the market packaging or specific products, whether it generates waste that must be recorded, and whether it transports or treats waste. The application must be filed before such activity begins.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>Three questions that decide the obligation\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Col>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Is the company the first to place on the Polish market products in packaging or packaging itself?\u003C\u002Fstrong> This applies, among others, to own-brand producers, importers and companies bringing in goods from other EU countries.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Does it place on the market products covered by specific regulations?\u003C\u002Fstrong> This concerns, among others, electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and accumulators, tyres, lubricating oils, vehicles and single-use plastic products.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Does it generate waste in quantities requiring records?\u003C\u002Fstrong> The Regulation of the Minister of Climate of 23 December 2019 exempts eighteen types of waste from records up to a defined annual mass — above these thresholds the company keeps records and needs an entry.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Fol>\u003Cp>A \"yes\" answer to any of these questions usually means an obligation to register. The BDO system also provides a questionnaire that helps to assess this preliminarily — its result is, however, not binding.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>Typical situations in practice\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Ctable>\u003Cthead>\u003Ctr>\u003Cth>Type of company\u003C\u002Fth>\u003Cth>Is an entry usually needed\u003C\u002Fth>\u003Cth>Why\u003C\u002Fth>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Fthead>\u003Ctbody>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Online shop selling goods under its own brand or imported from abroad\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>yes\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>places products in packaging on the market (including imported)\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Company importing electronics or accessories with a battery\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>yes\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>electrical and electronic equipment, batteries\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Car workshop\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>often yes\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>oils, filters, parts — waste above the thresholds\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Construction or renovation company\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>often yes\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>for renovation services the contractor is the producer of the waste, unless the contract provides otherwise\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Office, programmer, consultant\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>usually no\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>waste similar to municipal, no placing of products on the market\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\u003Cp>Borderline cases are common: a beauty salon generating medical waste, catering packing food in single-use plastic packaging or a cleaning company. In case of doubt, the BDO website refers to the relevant Marshal's Office.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>Fees in 2026\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>The registration and annual fee are paid only by entrepreneurs placing on the market: electrical and electronic equipment, batteries or accumulators, vehicles, packaging (producer, importer, intra-EU acquirer), products in packaging, tyres and lubricating oils. The fee amounts to:\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>a micro-entrepreneur pays \u003Cstrong>PLN 200\u003C\u002Fstrong>,\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>any other entrepreneur — \u003Cstrong>PLN 800\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\u003Cp>The fee is paid to the account of the Marshal's Office competent for the registered office of the company or the place of residence of the entrepreneur. The annual fee is due by the end of February of the given year; it is not paid in the year in which the registration fee was paid. A company that needs an entry only as a waste producer does not pay these fees.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>How to obtain an entry — step by step\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Col>\u003Cli>Determining in which sections of the register the company should appear (placing of packaging and products on the market, waste management).\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Logging in to the BDO system via the trusted profile or e-dowód and filing the registration application online.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Paying the registration fee, if applicable.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>The entry is made by the Marshal of the voivodeship and an individual register number is assigned.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Placing the number on documents and keeping records in the system.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Fol>\u003Cp>If the activity has already started without an entry, the application must be filed without delay — waiting for an inspection increases the risk of a penalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>Obligations after registration\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Register number on documents\u003C\u002Fstrong> — including on invoices, receipts, sales contracts, waste transfer cards and waste records cards. It does not have to be included in HR documents and those related to the day-to-day running of the company.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Records\u003C\u002Fstrong> — of the masses of packaging and products placed on the market or of generated waste, kept electronically in BDO.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Annual reports\u003C\u002Fstrong> — filed in the system for the previous year; the deadline is worth noting in the company's calendar of obligations.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Update of the entry\u003C\u002Fstrong> — on a change in the scope of activity (e.g. starting imports) and removal of the entry when it ends.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\u003Ch2>Most common mistakes\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Assuming that a small company is exempt\u003C\u002Fstrong> — the size of the company only affects the amount of the fee, not the obligation to register itself.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Overlooking imports\u003C\u002Fstrong> — goods purchased in another EU country or outside the Union, together with cartons and pallets, mean placing packaging on the Polish market.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Registering \"just in case\" in the wrong section\u003C\u002Fstrong> — an entry with too wide a scope creates reporting obligations and fees that the company would not have to bear.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>No number on invoices\u003C\u002Fstrong> — even with a proper entry, omitting it on documents is subject to a separate penalty.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Not deregistering\u003C\u002Fstrong> — after ending imports or sales under own brand, the entry still generates the obligation to pay the annual fee and submit reports.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Shifting the obligation onto the wholesaler\u003C\u002Fstrong> — who places the product on the market is determined, among others, by the name or brand under which it enters circulation.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\u003Ch2>Penalties\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>Conducting activity without the required entry and having no register number on documents may result in an administrative fine ranging from PLN 1,000 to PLN 1 million. Failure to file an application for an entry, change or removal or submitting data at odds with reality may result in a penalty of arrest or a fine. Transporting waste without an entry is a penalty from PLN 2,000 to PLN 10,000.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch3>Example\u003C\u002Fh3>\u003Cp>Ms Natalia opens an online shop with ceramics, which she orders from a Polish producer but sells under her own brand in her own cartons with a logo. Before sending the first parcel she files an application to BDO as a party placing products in packaging on the market, as a micro-entrepreneur pays PLN 200 and adds the register number to the invoice template and the shop's terms. More broadly on the shop's formalities, see the article \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fadvice\u002Fopening-online-shop\">on opening an online shop\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>How Good Balance can help\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>We help to assess whether the company needs an entry in BDO and in which sections, and to prepare the application before starting the activity. In unusual matters we invite you to a \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fservices\u002Flegal\u002Fconsultation\">legal consultation\u003C\u002Fa>. When setting up a new company we include BDO in the plan of formalities as part of the \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fservices\u002Flegal\u002Fcompany-registration\">company registration\u003C\u002Fa> service. Official information and the application are available on the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fbdo.mos.gov.pl\u002Fzasady-rejestracji\u002F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BDO system\u003C\u002Fa> website.\u003C\u002Fp>","2026-10-09"]