{"id":3858,"date":"2022-11-07T11:56:01","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T11:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/?p=3858"},"modified":"2026-10-26T10:48:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T10:48:24","slug":"online-shareholders-meetings-poland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/en\/publikacje\/online-shareholders-meetings-poland\/","title":{"rendered":"Online Shareholders\u2019 Meetings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Technology has long made it unnecessary for all shareholders to meet in one place to hold a shareholders\u2019 meeting. Documents can be sent by email, and participants can discuss them while seeing and hearing one another. There is no reason not to use this option.<\/p>\n<p>The pandemic highlighted the value of this approach and also prompted a change to the rules on online shareholders\u2019 meetings. The original provision assumed that the company\u2019s articles had to allow meetings to be held online.<\/p>\n<p>This was a significant barrier. A company whose articles did not contain such a provision first had to hold a meeting before a notary, amend its articles and register the changes with the National Court Register (KRS) before it could hold an online meeting.<\/p>\n<h2>New rules for remote shareholders\u2019 meetings<\/h2>\n<p>Following the amendment adopted on 31 March as part of the so-called special act, the rules for holding online shareholders\u2019 meetings were substantially simplified.<\/p>\n<p>Under Article 234(1) of the Commercial Companies Code, shareholders may participate in a meeting online unless the company\u2019s articles provide otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>The default rule has therefore changed: if the articles do not prohibit online meetings, they are permitted.<\/p>\n<p>The author has not heard of a company with such a prohibition and assumes that most companies can begin holding online meetings. This is the default arrangement and is intended to remain in the Commercial Companies Code permanently, so meetings may continue to be held this way after the pandemic ends.<\/p>\n<h2>Rules for online shareholders\u2019 meetings<\/h2>\n<p>There is one requirement for using the new arrangements: the company must have rules specifying how shareholders may participate in a meeting using electronic communications.<\/p>\n<p>The rules should specify, among other things:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>How shareholders may participate in the meeting;<\/li>\n<li>How they may speak and exercise voting rights during it. These are technical and procedural matters. Most importantly, the system must enable two-way communication, allowing online participants to follow the proceedings and speak during them;<\/li>\n<li>How a shareholder must verify their identity to participate online;<\/li>\n<li>How the meeting\u2019s cybersecurity will be ensured; and<\/li>\n<li>How a shareholder may object to resolutions being adopted.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The supervisory board should adopt the rules. If the company has no supervisory board, shareholders may adopt them by written consent to the rules, without holding a meeting, provided shareholders representing an absolute majority of votes give that consent.<\/p>\n<p>In practice, the rules can therefore be adopted by collecting written approvals from shareholders representing an absolute majority. This also makes it easier to introduce online meetings.<\/p>\n<p>The online-meeting provisions may also be included in the company\u2019s general rules for shareholders\u2019 meetings, if it has such rules.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"blog-article__inline-newsletter blog-article__inline-form flow\" aria-label=\"Article form\">\r\n                    <div class=\"blog-article__inline-newsletter-head flow\">\r\n                                    <h2>Discuss your situation with us<\/h2>\r\n                                                    <p>Leave your details and we\u2019ll get back to you.<\/p>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"form form--cf7 blog-article__newsletter-form blog-article__inline-form-form\">\r\n            \n<div class=\"wpcf7 no-js\" id=\"wpcf7-f769-o1\" lang=\"pl-PL\" dir=\"ltr\" data-wpcf7-id=\"769\">\n<div class=\"screen-reader-response\"><p role=\"status\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\"><\/p> <ul><\/ul><\/div>\n<form action=\"\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3858#wpcf7-f769-o1\" method=\"post\" class=\"wpcf7-form init\" aria-label=\"Contact form\" novalidate=\"novalidate\" data-status=\"init\">\n<fieldset class=\"hidden-fields-container\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7\" value=\"769\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_version\" value=\"6.1.7\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_locale\" value=\"pl_PL\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_unit_tag\" value=\"wpcf7-f769-o1\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_container_post\" value=\"0\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_posted_data_hash\" value=\"\" \/>\n<\/fieldset>\n<p><label class=\"contact__field contact__field--wide\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"contact__label\">Imi\u0119 i\/lub nazwisko<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"contact-name\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-required contact__input\" autocomplete=\"name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"Jan Kowalski\" value=\"\" type=\"text\" name=\"contact-name\" \/><\/span><br \/>\n<\/label>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"contact__field-grid\">\n\t<p><label class=\"contact__field\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"contact__label\">Telefon<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"contact-phone\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-tel wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-tel contact__input\" autocomplete=\"tel\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"+48 123 456 789\" value=\"\" type=\"tel\" name=\"contact-phone\" \/><\/span><br \/>\n<\/label>\n\t<\/p>\n\t<p><label class=\"contact__field\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"contact__label\">E-mail<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"contact-email\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-email wpcf7-validates-as-required wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-email contact__input\" autocomplete=\"email\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"jankowalski@xyz.com\" value=\"\" type=\"email\" name=\"contact-email\" \/><\/span><br \/>\n<\/label>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><label class=\"contact__field contact__field--wide\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"contact__label\">Houston, mam problem...<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"contact-message\"><textarea cols=\"40\" rows=\"10\" maxlength=\"2000\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-textarea contact__textarea\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"Chcia\u0142bym...\" name=\"contact-message\"><\/textarea><\/span><br \/>\n<\/label>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"contact__privacy form__legal-notice\">\n\t<p>By submitting this form, you acknowledge that the personal data you provide will be processed by Kancelaria Prawna Sawaryn i Partnerzy sp.k. to handle your enquiry and contact you about it. Details are available in our <a href=\"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SawaryniPartnerzySpK-PolitykaPrywatnosci_n.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. The rules governing the use of this website are set out in the <a href=\"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/regulamin-serwisu-S-P.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Terms and Conditions<\/a>.\n\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"contact__submit-row\"><button type=\"submit\" class=\"button blog-article__newsletter-submit\">\r\n    <span class=\"button__label\">Submit<\/span>\r\n            <span class=\"button__icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\r\n                <span class=\"icon\" data-icon-size=\"sm\">\n        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/05\/arrow-01.svg\" alt=\"\" class=\"icon__image\" aria-hidden=\"true\" width=\"11\" height=\"13\">\n    <\/span>\n            <\/span>\r\n    <\/button>\n<\/p><div hidden aria-hidden=\"true\"><label>Leave this field blank<input type=\"text\" name=\"asl_website\" value=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" autocomplete=\"off\"><\/label><\/div><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"asl_started_at\" value=\"1793549361.63544ad7915873091dbfef578ad96939a4afdf17902bf32db7c29906cb3289b1\"><div id=\"sawaryn-turnstile-1\" class=\"cf-turnstile\" data-sitekey=\"0x4AAAAAAD2_7crf8smCDxe1\" data-theme=\"light\" data-action=\"contact\"><\/div><div class=\"wpcf7-response-output\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/aside>\n<h2>Where must an online shareholders\u2019 meeting be held?<\/h2>\n<p>An online shareholders\u2019 meeting cannot take place entirely in a virtual setting. At least the chair and the minute-taker should be present at a specific location. Under Article 234 of the Commercial Companies Code, this should be the company\u2019s registered office or another place in Poland, if the articles allow it.<\/p>\n<p>This may matter when convening the meeting, as discussed below.<\/p>\n<p>The meeting must take place in Poland, but remote participants do not have to be in the country. Shareholders participating by electronic means may be anywhere in the world, so a substantial part of the meeting may in practice take place outside Poland.<\/p>\n<h2>How do you convene an online shareholders\u2019 meeting?<\/h2>\n<p>The rules on convening meetings have not changed.<\/p>\n<p>First, a meeting may be convened in the traditional way by registered mail or courier, sent at least two weeks before the meeting date.<\/p>\n<p>Second, a meeting may be convened by email if the shareholder previously consented to this method in writing and provided the email address to which the notice should be sent (Article 238 \u00a7 1 of the Commercial Companies Code).<\/p>\n<p>In either case, the notice must explain:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>How to participate in the online meeting;<\/li>\n<li>How to speak during it; and<\/li>\n<li>How to vote and object to resolutions adopted at the meeting.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The notice must therefore include instructions for remote participation.<\/p>\n<p>The meeting cannot be entirely virtual for the reasons described above. Because the notice specifies the meeting\u2019s location, some shareholders may choose to attend in person rather than online.<\/p>\n<p>An important question is whether an online shareholders\u2019 meeting can also take place without formal notice under Article 240 of the Commercial Companies Code.<\/p>\n<p>This procedure seems particularly suited to an online meeting. If the company needs to adopt an important resolution, all shareholders could meet by video conference and adopt it without formal notices, letters or a two-week wait.<\/p>\n<h2>Remote shareholders\u2019 meeting without formal notice: Article 240<\/h2>\n<p>In the author\u2019s view, an online meeting can be held without formal notice. The new rules do not exclude Article 240 for online meetings, so there appears to be no obstacle to all shareholders meeting online without prior notice.<\/p>\n<p>In that case, identifying participants is especially important. The company should prevent an unauthorized person, or someone impersonating a shareholder, from voting at a hastily convened meeting.<\/p>\n<p>For a small number of shareholders, a video conference is preferable because participants can readily confirm who is present or show identity documents online.<\/p>\n<p>A telephone conference with many participants presents greater difficulty.<\/p>\n<p>In that situation, the management board, and then the chair, has particular responsibility for ensuring the meeting is conducted properly. One possible aid is to give shareholders a password or token in advance, which they must use to join the conference.<\/p>\n<p>It is also worth recording online meetings, not only those held without formal notice. A recording may help establish who attended and what happened.<\/p>\n<h2>Who signs what at an online shareholders\u2019 meeting?<\/h2>\n<p>As with any shareholders\u2019 meeting, minutes should be prepared. The minute-taker prepares them and the chair signs them, which is why the two should be in the same place. An audio or audiovisual recording may supplement the minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Under the rules described in the article, the minutes should confirm that the meeting was duly convened and capable of adopting resolutions, list the resolutions adopted, state the number of votes cast for each and record any objections.<\/p>\n<p>Resolutions should be entered in the book of minutes and signed by those present, meaning at least the chair and minute-taker.<\/p>\n<p>Two attendance lists should be attached to the minutes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>An attendance list signed by shareholders who participated in person; and<\/li>\n<li>A list of shareholders who voted using electronic communications. Their signatures are not required; only the chair and minute-taker sign this list.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Online shareholders\u2019 meetings requiring a notarial deed<\/h2>\n<p>Questions may arise when an online meeting requires its minutes to be drawn up as a notarial deed.<\/p>\n<p>The author sees no obstacle. In that case, the minimum number of people at the meeting location would be the notary and the chair. The details should be agreed with the notary in advance, as not every notary may be willing or technically equipped to record such a meeting.<\/p>\n<p>If the minutes are drawn up as a notarial deed, the management board submits an extract to the book of minutes.<\/p>\n<h2>Can a proxy participate in an online shareholders\u2019 meeting?<\/h2>\n<p>Yes. The remaining issue is how to verify the proxy\u2019s authority and identity. It is preferable for the shareholder to know that someone voted on their behalf.<\/p>\n<p>The proxy must demonstrate authority to act for the shareholder. The article states that the power of attorney must be in writing or it is invalid, and that a copy must be attached to the minutes. One possible process is to send a scan for initial review, then print and attach it to the minutes. The original should promptly be delivered to the company, so the shareholder may send it to the company\u2019s registered office.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you need help organizing an online shareholders\u2019 meeting, contact us.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An overview of online shareholders\u2019 meetings, including meeting rules, notices, signatures, notarial minutes and proxies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":1911,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","sip_alt_url":"","sip_en_pl_url":"","sip_pair_uuid":"","sip_pair_state":""},"categories":[1579],"tags":[1562,1556,1591],"specialization":[1213],"practice_area":[],"class_list":["post-3858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-corporate-law","tag-articles-of-association-and-partnership-agreements","tag-corporate-law","tag-polish-limited-liability-company","specialization-corporate-law"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3858"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4221,"href":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3858\/revisions\/4221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3858"},{"taxonomy":"specialization","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/specialization?post=3858"},{"taxonomy":"practice_area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sawaryn.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/practice_area?post=3858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}