The state postal operator in Poland is Poczta Polska S.A.
Poczta Polska S.A. is a so-called designated operator, which is important for meeting deadlines in court and administrative proceedings. This means that sending a letter to a post office, even on the last day of a deadline set by a court or authority, is considered to meet the deadline. It is important that it is a registered letter, because then the mail is registered, the sender receives a confirmation of the date of mailing and, if necessary, can prove that the deadline was met. Official and judicial letters are usually delivered to the addressee at the place of residence, work or office by the postal workers of the Polish Post Office. In the absence of the addressee, the postal worker leaves a so-called avizo in the mailbox, i.e. an official notification of the parcel (an avizo is left twice, each time with a deadline of 7 days). The addressee can pick up the uncollected mail at the place indicated in the notice (post office or town hall). After the expiration of the time limit, the mail is returned to the sender with a notice of non-delivery. It is important to note that in judicial and administrative proceedings, in the event of failure to collect a notified package, the so-called presumption of delivery is assumed, i.e. such a package is considered to have been delivered (exceptions are indicated in the regulations, e.g. in Article 139 1 of the Code of Civil Procedure).
Legal basis:
Postal Act of November 23, 2012 (consol. text: Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1640, 2024 r. poz. 467, 1222)
Deliveries:
In administrative proceedings – Articles 39 – 49b of the Act of June 14, 1960 Code of Administrative Procedure (consol. text: Journal of Laws 2023, item 775,803.)
In administrative court proceedings – Articles 65-81 of the Act of August 30, 2002 Act on proceedings before administrative courts (consol. text: Journal of Laws of 2024, items 935)
In civil proceedings, Art. 131-147 of the Act of November 17, 1964 (based on: consol. text: Journal of Laws of 2024, items 1568)
In criminal proceedings – Articles 128-132 of the Act of June 6, 1997 the Code of Criminal Procedure (consol. text: Journal of Laws 2024, item 37, 1222,1248)
In addition to the services provided by Poczta Polska S.A., the market of private postal and courier services is developing rapidly in Poland.
Numerous domestic and foreign companies deliver parcels throughout the country. The range of services offered by individual companies is wide and includes the collection of parcels from your home, their delivery to a specified address and the use of postal machines. For about 12 years, post offices in Poland have been operating post boxes, i.e. automatic boxes for sending and receiving mail.
It is important to note that sending an official or judicial mail through an operator other than the designated one (currently Poczta Polska S.A.) does not have the effect of meeting the deadline on the day of posting – in such a situation, the date of delivery of the mail to the court or authority is decisive for assessing compliance with the deadline.
Information current as of: .
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