Polish E-Court Step by Step: How to File a Lawsuit in the Electronic Payment-Order Proceedings (EPU)?

Why the E-Court, and Not a Traditional Court?

The Polish Electronic Payment-Order Proceedings (EPU — elektroniczne postępowanie upominawcze), popularly called the e-court, are the fastest way to obtain a payment order when your debt is undisputed (it follows from an invoice, contract, etc., and the debtor has not previously contested it).

Main advantages of EPU:

1. Speed: The payment order is often issued within a few weeks.
2. Cost: The court fee is only one quarter of the standard fee (1.25% of the value in dispute).
3. Convenience: Everything is filed online, without leaving your office.

1. Initial Requirements: What You Need to Prepare

Before logging into the EPU system, make sure you have ready:

• Party data: Full details (names, addresses, Tax ID, KRS/CEIDG, REGON) of the creditor (your company) and the debtor.
• Debt data: Principal amount, due dates, invoice/contract numbers, plus the accrued:
  • Statutory interest for late payment in commercial transactions.
  • Flat-rate recovery cost (40, 70 or 100 EUR).
• EPU system account: You must register on the Polish Common Courts Information Portal (PIS) and obtain access to the e-court. Identity confirmation is required (e.g. via Trusted Profile, Profil Zaufany).
  Note: Your legal representative can hold the EPU account — in that case you do not have to set one up yourself.

2. Step by Step: Filling Out the Online Lawsuit Form

Once logged into the EPU system, you go to the section for creating a new lawsuit. The system guides you through successive tabs:

➡️ Step 1: Choose the Procedure and Define the Debt

• Choose the case type: Payment-order proceedings (EPU).
• Specify the Value in Dispute (WPS): Enter the total amount you are claiming (principal + interest + flat-rate compensation).
• Choose the type of claim: Most often "claim arising from a sale / services contract".

➡️ Step 2: Party Data and Addresses

• Enter Creditor (Plaintiff) data: The system can auto-fill from your account.
• Enter Debtor (Defendant) data: It is crucial to provide an up-to-date address — the payment order will be sent there.

➡️ Step 3: Detailed Claim and Factual Basis

This is the key section in which you must demonstrate the existence of the debt.

• Main claim: Enter the debt amount and specify from which date you claim interest.
• Flat-rate fee: Clearly mark that you are claiming 40 / 70 / 100 EUR compensation (converted to PLN at the National Bank of Poland rate on the due date).
• Justification (text field): Briefly describe the basis of the debt.
  Example: "The Defendant has not paid VAT invoice no. [Number] dated [Date] for [Service / Goods]. Payment was due on [Due Date]. Despite a demand letter, the amount has not been settled."

➡️ Step 4: Attachments and Evidence

In EPU you do not attach scans of invoices! It is enough to indicate what evidence you have, e.g.:

• VAT invoice no. 123;
• Services agreement dated...;
• Demand letter (with return acknowledgment of receipt).

3. Paying for the Lawsuit and Finalising the Procedure

Once all sections are filled in, the system automatically calculates the court fee (1.25% of WPS) and lets you pay online, usually via fast payment methods.

1. Monitoring: Check your EPU account regularly. You will receive notifications about the registration of the lawsuit and then about the issuance of the payment order.

4. What Happens Next? Two Scenarios

Once the payment order is issued, the court sends it to the debtor. There are only two scenarios:

A. The Debtor Does Not React

• The order becomes legally binding, and you then file a motion for an enforcement clause.
• With the order and the enforcement clause you can go straight to a court bailiff and start enforcement.

B. The Debtor Files an Objection

• If the debtor files an objection within 14 days, the payment order loses effect and the case is automatically transferred to the traditional court (the court of general jurisdiction).
• You then have to file the lawsuit again (now on paper), attach all the evidence (invoices, contracts) and wait for a hearing date.

EPU is a powerful tool that can shorten the path to your money from months (and, increasingly, even years) to weeks. Use it whenever your debt is undisputed!

Did you know you can additionally secure your receivables by entering the debtor in the BIG register? More on that in our article 7 most common debt collection mistakes.