Carrier SLA reference · Poland
Poland carrier claim deadlines and liability limits
Claim windows, compensation ceilings and required evidence for InPost and Poczta Polska, transcribed from their own published regulations.
In Poland a claim can be filed too early
Every other market in this reference only punishes filing late. Poland punishes both ends. Poczta Polska will not accept a complaint until 14 days have passed since posting, and one filed outside the statutory window at either end is left without consideration rather than held. InPost sets no floor but pairs a generous-looking 12-month filing window with a 7-day one that does the real work: accepting the parcel without writing a reservation extinguishes the claim, and only concealed damage reported within 7 days of acceptance, with proof it arose in transit, keeps it alive. The 12 months is irrelevant once that week has passed.
The liability regime behind the numbers
Most disputes about carrier compensation are really disputes about which regime applies. A carrier applying a statutory cap is not lowballing, and knowing which one governs your shipment tells you whether a low offer is negotiable or simply the law.
Prawo przewozowe
Ustawa z dnia 15 listopada 1984 r. - Prawo przewozowe · Domestic road carriage of goods within Poland.
Value of the goods, with no weight cap
The outlier in this reference: art. 80 sets no per-kilogram ceiling at all. Compensation for loss or shortage may not exceed the value of the goods, established in a fixed order of preference — the supplier or seller invoice price, failing that the price list in force on the day of posting, failing that the market value of goods of the same kind and type at the place and time of posting — with an expert appointed where none of the three can be applied. Damage is compensated at the percentage fall in value under art. 81, and art. 82 adds a refund of the carriage charge on top. Art. 76 is the trap: accepting the consignment without reservation extinguishes the claim unless the damage was recorded before acceptance, the carrier was at fault for that not happening, there was intent or gross negligence, or concealed damage was found and a determination of its condition demanded within 7 days, with proof it arose in carriage. Claims lapse after one year under art. 77, but a delay claim that caused no loss or damage lapses after only 2 months from delivery, and art. 75 requires the complaint route to be exhausted before suing, which counts as failed once 3 months pass without payment.
Prawo przewozowe, art. 75-77 and 80-82 (ELI, Dz.U. 1984 nr 53 poz. 272)Prawo pocztowe
Ustawa z dnia 23 listopada 2012 r. - Prawo pocztowe · Postal and courier services in Poland.
10x the posting fee for a parcel, 50x for a registered letter
Where Prawo przewozowe pays the value of the goods, the postal statute pays a multiple of what you paid to send them, which is why the same lost item is worth very different amounts depending on which service carried it. Art. 88 caps a lost registered letter at fifty times the fee charged for registered treatment, a lost postal parcel at ten times the posting fee, and a declared-value item at the declared value. Delay against a guaranteed delivery time is capped at twice the service fee, unless the operator's own regulamin is more favourable, which is the clause carriers use to publish better terms than the statute. Art. 87(6) mirrors the transport-law trap: the claim expires on accepting the item without reservation unless concealed damage is reported within 7 days with proof it arose between posting and delivery. Art. 92 allows the sender to complain, or the addressee where the sender waives its right or the item was delivered, and sets the outer filing limit at 12 months from posting.
Prawo pocztowe, art. 87, 88 and 92 (ELI, Dz.U. 2012 poz. 1529)Claim deadlines at a glance
The shortest published deadline per carrier, and what each pays with no additional cover bought. Where a carrier publishes nothing, the table says so rather than guessing.
| Carrier | Type | Regime | Tightest deadline | Standard cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| InPost (Polska) | Parcel | Mixed | At the moment of acceptanceVisible damage or shortage, from delivery | Ordinary value of the goods; delay capped at 2x the fee |
| Poczta Polska | Parcel | Postal | 7 daysConcealed shortage or damage not visible on receipt, from acceptance of the registered item | 10x the posting fee for a parcel; declared value if bought |
"Tightest deadline" is the shortest published window the sender has to meet, which is usually a damage window rather than a loss window. Carrier response commitments are excluded here and shown on the carrier pages instead. Deadlines differ per event: open a carrier page for the full breakdown.
Every Polish carrier, in detail
Parcel
InPost (Polska)
InPost pays no more than the ordinary value of the lost or damaged goods on a courier parcel, and no more than twice the service fee for delay against a guaranteed delivery time. A complaint can be filed up to 12 months after posting, but concealed damage must be reported within 7 days of accepting the parcel or the claim expires.
Deadlines and evidencePoczta Polska
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.
Deadlines and evidenceFrequently asked questions
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. Concealed shortage or damage that was not visible on receipt has its own 7-day window counted from acceptance. A complaint filed outside those windows is left without consideration.
How long do I have to claim from InPost?
A complaint can be lodged up to 12 months from the day of posting. But that only matters if the claim still exists: accepting the parcel without a reservation extinguishes it, and concealed damage must be reported within 7 days of acceptance with proof that it arose between hand-over and delivery.
How much do Polish carriers pay for a lost parcel?
They work on opposite principles. InPost pays no more than the ordinary value of the lost or damaged goods, with no weight cap. Poczta Polska pays a multiple of what you paid to post it: ten times the fee for a parcel, fifty times for a registered letter, or the declared value where one was bought.
Other markets
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.