Clear principles.
Verifiable legal sources.

Civil, family and business cases

Polish Code of Civil Procedure, Articles 183¹–183¹⁵: voluntary participation, impartiality, confidentiality, the mediation process and settlement approval. Article 183¹¹ allows a remote session with the parties’ consent. Article 183¹² § 2² addresses qualified electronic signatures.

Settlement and court approval

In a Polish civil case, a mediated settlement has the effect of a court settlement once approved by the court. Where enforcement is possible, approval takes the form of an enforceability clause. Not every matter can be settled this way; special form requirements remain, and divorce requires a court judgment. After contractual mediation, an application to approve the settlement goes to the district court for the place where it was concluded, unless the parties name another district court in the settlement. If neither basis applies, the district court for the applicant’s residence or registered office has jurisdiction. Following a court referral, the mediator files the record and any settlement with the court hearing the case. Transitional provisions must be considered for older proceedings.

Criminal cases

Article 23a of the Polish Code of Criminal Procedure and the Minister of Justice Regulation of 7 May 2015 on mediation in criminal cases govern this process. The outcome of mediation does not determine the outcome of the criminal proceedings.

The State Treasury bears the costs. Participants do not pay the mediator’s fee for this form of mediation.

Fees & enquiry

Property disputes: 2% of the value up to PLN 200,000, with a PLN 300 minimum and PLN 4,000 maximum. Above PLN 200,000: PLN 4,000 plus 1% of the excess, capped at PLN 8,000. The fee is rounded up to the nearest whole zloty. Non-property cases or cases without an ascertainable value: PLN 300 for the first session and PLN 200 for each subsequent session, capped at PLN 900. Completed mediation without a session in this category: PLN 300.

The result is the total mediator’s fee, not a per-person charge. Documented expenses are separate: room hire up to PLN 110 per session, correspondence up to PLN 50 and travel under the applicable rules. VAT is added where the mediator is required to account for it. If the parties do not commence mediation, reimbursement of incurred expenses is separately limited to PLN 110.