When one person lives in Kraków and another in Gdańsk, Warsaw or a smaller town, travelling to the same place can be harder than the conversation itself. Online mediation lets people discuss a dispute from different locations. It nevertheless requires the same preparation on the substance of the case as a meeting around one table, together with additional arrangements for privacy, the connection and signing documents. This guide describes civil mediation conducted under Polish law.
Key points before you start
- Both parties should consent to a remote session.
- A private space, clear ground rules and a plan for an interrupted connection are essential.
- Meeting online does not automatically determine how the settlement will be signed.
Does Polish law allow online mediation?
Yes. Article 183¹¹ of the Polish Code of Civil Procedure (KPC) expressly allows a mediator to conduct a session using technical equipment that enables remote participation, provided the parties consent. The rules also allow mediation without a session if the parties accept that approach. However, exchanging a few messages should not be equated with formally completing mediation and obtaining a court-approved settlement.
At the outset, agree who will take part, the language, the platform and how documents will be exchanged. If there is a court referral, the court’s deadline must also be taken into account. A cross-border dispute raises further questions about the applicable law, the competent court and enforceability of the agreement abroad. Having an internet connection does not resolve those issues.
Sources for this section: [1]
Prepare a place where you can speak freely
Choose a room where nobody will enter during the discussion. Headphones make it harder for others nearby to hear the other participants, but they do not stop someone beside you from hearing your own words. Agree whether a legal representative or interpreter may be in the room, and introduce that person to everyone at the start. There should be no listeners who are hidden from the other participants.
Before the session, agree that there will be no recording, screenshots or automatic transcription without an explicit agreement on the rules. Turn off meeting-recording tools and notifications that could reveal someone else’s information while you share your screen. Statutory confidentiality rules remain important online, but the technical configuration of devices requires additional attention from participants.
Sources for this section: [1]
What might a session involve?
The mediator checks participants’ identities in the agreed way, explains the rules and helps establish the order of topics. Everyone should have an opportunity to explain their position without interruption. Where emotions run high, shorter rounds, breaks or individual conversations can be planned. What may be shared with the other party after an individual conversation needs to be clearly agreed.
Have a telephone number available for organisational contact if the connection drops. Agree whether the others will wait or the meeting will be paused. Do not negotiate important terms when someone cannot hear what is being said or see the document. After each substantial part of the discussion, it helps to summarise in your own words what has been agreed and what remains only a proposal.
Sources for this section: [1]
Documents and signatures: plan before the final stage
Prepare organised files, clear filenames and one agreed version of the draft. It is helpful to date working documents and mark the passages that still need a decision. Simply displaying text on a screen or typing “I accept” in a chat should not be presented as a universal way to sign a settlement suitable for court approval.
Article 183¹² § 2² KPC permits an electronic record of mediation or settlement to bear a qualified electronic signature. Signing a paper document can also be arranged. An ordinary scan of a signature and a qualified electronic signature are not the same. Check in advance what form the particular legal act requires: approval of a settlement does not override special form requirements, which matters, for example, in transactions involving real estate.
Does online mediation work in the same way as meeting in person?
It is not appropriate to promise identical effects from every meeting format. In a 2020 experimental study, Damen and co-authors compared trust and understanding of the other party’s perspective in online and face-to-face mediations. In the setting studied, direct contact supported these outcomes more than remote contact. This is a finding from a particular experiment, not a rule that determines the outcome of every real case.
The practical choice should reflect the participants’ needs. Online meetings may make participation easier for people who live far apart, but they will be more difficult without private space, with technical problems or where someone struggles to use the equipment. A change of format or additional preparation can be discussed. The convenience of avoiding travel should not obscure the quality and voluntary nature of the conversation.
Educational scenario — a fictional example, not a case handled by the Foundation.
Two businesses, two cities and one list of agreed points
In this fictional scenario, a Kraków design studio and a client in Wrocław dispute the final part of a fee and the scope of revisions. They choose an online conversation because an in-person appointment would mean postponing other commitments. Before meeting, they establish who can make decisions on each company’s behalf, prepare the contract and draw up a shared list of requested changes.
On screen, they work on a table listing each revision, the person responsible, the deadline and how acceptance will be confirmed. Only after checking the complete draft do they agree how to sign it. When a question about transferring copyright arises, they set that point aside for legal advice. The remote format makes the conversation possible, but it does not remove the need to assess the form and legal effects of the agreed terms.
Questions about this topic
Do I have to live in Kraków?
No. An online conversation can be arranged for participants in different places in Poland, once the time and conditions have been agreed. If someone is abroad, additional legal and organisational questions need to be checked.
Does an online meeting make an electronic signature compulsory?
No. The signing method must be agreed separately. The KPC allows an electronic record of mediation or settlement bearing a qualified electronic signature, and the parties may also arrange to sign paper documents.
Sources for this section: [1]
Sources and further reading
- Ustawa z dnia 17 listopada 1964 r. – Kodeks postępowania cywilnego, tekst jednolity Dz.U. z 2026 r. poz. 468, ze zmianami; w szczególności art. 183¹–183¹⁵, art. 259¹, art. 436 i art. 445².
- Ustawa z dnia 23 kwietnia 1964 r. – Kodeks cywilny, tekst jednolity Dz.U. z 2026 r. poz. 795; w szczególności art. 121 pkt 5–6, art. 917–918 oraz przepisy o formie czynności prawnych.
- Damen, D., van der Wijst, P., van Amelsvoort, M., Krahmer, E. (2020). The Effect of Perspective-Taking on Trust and Understanding in Online and Face-to-Face Mediations. Group Decision and Negotiation, 29, 1121–1156.
Educational material based on sources checked on 23 October 2026. It does not replace an individual legal assessment of a particular case. The scenarios are fictional and do not describe clients’ experiences or outcomes achieved by the Foundation. Legislation, judgments and research publications are cited alongside the relevant topics; DOIs are provided only for publications that have such an identifier.