Parcel · Poland, universal postal service
Poczta Polska claim deadlines, liability and evidence
Poczta Polska pays at most ten times the posting fee for a lost postal parcel, fifty times the registered-letter fee for a lost registered letter, or the declared value where one was bought. A complaint cannot be filed until 14 days after posting and must be filed within 12 months, with concealed damage reported within 7 days of acceptance.
Tightest deadline
7 days
Standard cap
10x the posting fee for a parcel; declared value if bought
Liability regime
Postal
Poczta Polska is the one carrier in this dataset with a floor as well as a ceiling on when you may complain. Section 41.3 of the regulamin bars a complaint until 14 days have passed since posting, and a complaint filed outside the statutory windows at either end is left without consideration under 41.5. The ceilings are also unusual: they are multiples of what you paid to send the parcel, not of what was inside it, so a cheap posting of expensive contents is capped low no matter what the goods were worth. Declared value is the only way to change that.
Claim windows
The regulamin for the universal service sets compensation by reference to articles 88 and 89 of Prawo pocztowe rather than stating figures of its own, so the ceilings are multiples of the fee paid rather than values of the goods.
Earliest a complaint may be filed
14 days
Counted from the day of posting.
Section 41.3. Filing before this point is outside the statutory window and is left without consideration under 41.5. This is a floor, not a deadline.
Concealed shortage or damage not visible on receipt
7 days
Counted from acceptance of the registered item.
Section 41.4(3), tracking article 87(6) of Prawo pocztowe.
Lodging the complaint itself
12 months
Counted from the day of posting.
Section 41.3.
Compensation is paid out Carrier commitment
30 days
Counted from the decision granting compensation.
Section 39.4, paid according to the claimant’s written instruction.
Insured versus uninsured
No additional cover
Section 39.1: for loss of a postal parcel, the amount the sender asks for but no more than ten times the fee paid to post it (39.1(2)); for loss of a registered letter, no more than fifty times the fee for registered treatment (39.1(1)); for shortage or damage to either, the amount asked for or the ordinary value of the lost or damaged goods, capped at those same maxima (39.1(4)).
With cover bought
With a declared value: loss is compensated up to the declared value (39.1(3)), shortage at the ordinary value of the lost goods (39.1(5)) and damage at the ordinary value of the damaged goods (39.1(6)), with 39.2 capping both of the latter at the declared value.
Delay and late delivery
Only for a priority registered letter delivered later than the fourth day after posting, and then only the difference between the priority and non-priority fee for that weight band (39.1(7)). There is no published delay compensation for parcels.
Evidence required
- The original proof of posting of the registered item, or the original posting receipt where one is issued, for inspection
- A copy of the protocol drawn up by Poczta Polska on accepting a damaged item or on a shortage found in it
- Or a statement of the shortage or damage made by the person accepting the item at the moment of acceptance
- The packaging of the damaged item, if Poczta Polska asks for it
- A statement of concealed shortage or damage filed within the article 87(6) window, with the circumstances or evidence supporting it
- A statement by the sender waiving the right to pursue claims, in the article 92(1)(2) case
- An account of the circumstances confirming posting or delivery, with the evidence for it
Exclusions
Poczta Polska does not publish an exclusions list for business senders.
Filing the claim
- Who files
- Under section 41.2 the sender or the addressee may complain about a registered item, with or without a claim for compensation.
- How to file
- At any Poczta Polska post office, or on the Poczta Polska form available at ereklamacje.poczta-polska.pl. Electronic filings attach copies of the documents; originals may be demanded where needed for proper consideration.
- Processing time
- Compensation and refunded fees are paid on the claimant’s written instruction within 30 days of the decision granting them (39.4). Where the service was not performed at all, the fee is refunded in full in addition to any compensation (39.3).
What quietly kills Poczta Polska claims
A complaint filed before day 14 is not early, it is invalid, and 41.5 says it is left without consideration. Poczta Polska is the only carrier in this dataset with that floor.
The ceilings are multiples of the postage, not of the contents. Ten times a low parcel fee is a small number, and no amount of evidence about the value of the goods lifts it without a declared value.
Delay compensation exists only for priority registered letters missing the fourth-day mark, and is limited to the price difference between priority and standard. Parcels get nothing for lateness.
For a declared-value item, shortage and damage are paid at the ordinary value of the goods but never above the declared value (39.2), so under-declaring caps the claim.
FAQ
When can I file a complaint with Poczta Polska?
Not before 14 days have passed since posting, and not later than 12 months from posting, under section 41.3 of the regulamin. Concealed shortage or damage that was not visible on receipt has its own 7-day window from acceptance.
How much does Poczta Polska pay for a lost parcel?
The amount the sender asks for, capped at ten times the fee paid to post the parcel, under section 39.1(2). A lost registered letter is capped at fifty times the registered-treatment fee. A declared-value item is compensated up to the declared value instead.
Does Poczta Polska compensate late parcels?
No. The only published delay compensation is for a priority registered letter delivered later than the fourth day after posting, and it is limited to the difference between the priority and non-priority fee for that weight band (39.1(7)).
Sources
- Poczta Polska S.A., Regulamin swiadczenia uslug powszechnych, tekst jednolity in force from 1 August 2026 (sections 38, 39, 41)
- Poczta Polska complaints (BIP)
Verified 1 September 2026. This page summarises publicly published conditions for reference. A negotiated carrier contract, a rate-card annex or a service-specific annex can override any of it. Always check the deadline in your own agreement before relying on a figure here. Spotted a figure that has changed? Tell us and we will correct it.
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