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Criminal penalties in Poland

Checked in October 2026 against the Kodeks karny (Act of 6 June 1997), consolidated text of the Sejm dated 28 August 2026 (Dz. U. 2025 item 383 and later amendments), read in Polish.

These are statutory ranges for a first offence, from the least to the most the law allows. A court decides the actual sentence in each case. We read the code in its original language and give the offences in plain English, with the legal term where it helps. For anything that matters, rely on the code itself. Not legal advice.

How Poland sets penalties

  • Poland's Criminal Code states most penalties as a range of imprisonment: 'od 3 miesięcy do lat 5' (from three months to five years), or as a minimum, 'na czas nie krótszy od lat 10' (not shorter than ten years), with life imprisonment as the alternative for the gravest crimes. Article 37 sets the limits of a fixed term: at least one month and at most 30 years.
  • Fines are set in daily rates (art. 33): from 10 to 540 rates unless a law says otherwise, each rate between PLN 10 and PLN 2,000. Where an offence carries both a fine and imprisonment, the fine is at least 50, 100 or 150 rates depending on the prison maximum (art. 33 § 1a). The Code does not set a fixed fine in zloty for the offences shown here.
  • Poland has no degrees of murder in the American sense. Killing a person is one offence (art. 148 § 1), with a heavier penalty for listed aggravating features (§ 2 and § 3) and a lighter one for a killing in a state of strong emotion justified by the circumstances (§ 4).
  • For an offence threatened only with up to eight years of imprisonment, a court may, if it would impose no more than a year, impose restriction of liberty or a fine instead (art. 37a). This does not apply to repeat offenders or to the repeat drink-driving offence.
  • Several heavier forms apply where the offence is repeated by a repeat offender (art. 64) or committed in an organised group. This table shows first-offence ranges.

Death penalty: No. The penalties listed in article 32 of the Criminal Code are a fine, restriction of liberty, imprisonment and life imprisonment. The most serious punishment is life imprisonment (dożywotnie pozbawienie wolności).

Read the Poland legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →

First-degree murder

At least 10 years, or life imprisonment; at least 15 years or life where the killing was aggravated

Poland has no first and second degree. The basic offence is killing a person (art. 148 § 1). The heavier form (§ 2) covers killing with particular cruelty, in connection with hostage-taking, rape or robbery, from a motive deserving particular condemnation, or with explosives; § 3 applies the same penalty to killing more than one person with one act, to a killer who was earlier finally convicted of homicide, and to killing a public official in the course of duty relating to public safety.

Second-degree murder

The same offence: at least 10 years, or life imprisonment (art. 148 § 1)

Poland does not divide murder into degrees. The basic offence is shown here and the aggravated forms under first-degree murder.

Voluntary manslaughter

1 to 10 years (killing under strong emotion); 3 months to 5 years (unintentional killing)

The nearest offence to voluntary manslaughter is killing a person under the influence of strong emotion justified by the circumstances (art. 148 § 4). Causing death unintentionally is a separate offence (art. 155).

Robbery

2 to 15 years; 3 to 20 years if armed or acting in a way that directly endangers life

Burglary

3 months to 5 years (theft); 1 to 10 years (theft with a break-in)

Poland has no offence of burglary as entering to commit a crime. The nearest is theft with a break-in (kradzież z włamaniem). Theft itself is art. 278.

Arson

3 months to 5 years (destroying another's property); 1 to 10 years (a fire endangering many people or property on a large scale); 2 to 15 years if death or grave harm to many results

  • Destroying, damaging or making unusable another's property (zniszczenie rzeczy) (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    3 months
    Most
    5 years

    In a case of minor significance: a fine, restriction of liberty or imprisonment up to 1 year (§ 2).

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 288 § 1

  • Causing an event endangering the life or health of many people, or property on a large scale, in the form of a fire (and the other events listed) (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    1 year
    Most
    10 years

    If the offender acts unintentionally: 3 months to 5 years (§ 2).

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 163 § 1

  • The same, where death or grave harm to the health of many people results (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    2 years
    Most
    15 years

    If the offender acts unintentionally: 6 months to 8 years (§ 4).

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 163 § 3

Poland's Code has no offence called arson. Setting fire to another person's property is damage to property (art. 288). Causing a fire that endangers the life or health of many people, or property on a large scale, is art. 163.

Aggravated assault

3 months to 5 years (bodily harm); 3 to 20 years (grievous bodily harm); at least 5 years or life if death results

  • Causing bodily harm or impairment of health (naruszenie czynności narządu ciała lub rozstrój zdrowia) (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    3 months
    Most
    5 years

    Where the harm lasts no more than 7 days: a fine, restriction of liberty or imprisonment up to 2 years (§ 2).

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 157 § 1

  • Causing grievous bodily harm (ciężki uszczerbek na zdrowiu): loss of sight, hearing, speech or fertility, other grave disability, a serious or life-threatening illness, and similar (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    3 years
    Most
    20 years

    If the offender acts unintentionally: up to 3 years (§ 2).

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 156 § 1

  • Grievous bodily harm resulting in the death of a person (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    5 years
    Most
    Life imprisonment

    At least 5 years, or life.

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 156 § 3

Rape and sexual assault

2 to 15 years (rape); 3 to 20 years (aggravated); at least 5 years or life (victim under 15, special cruelty or grave harm)

Rape (zgwałcenie, art. 197 § 1) is bringing another person to sexual intercourse by violence, unlawful threat or deceit, or in another way despite the absence of their consent. § 1a covers exploiting a person's inability to understand the act or control their behaviour. Another sexual act without consent is punished under § 2.

Kidnapping

3 months to 5 years (deprivation of liberty); up to 25 years if it was long, with torment or of a helpless person; 3 to 20 years (hostage-taking)

  • Depriving a person of liberty (pozbawienie wolności) (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    3 months
    Most
    5 years

    More than 7 days: 1 to 10 years (§ 2). Of a person helpless because of age or mental or physical condition: 2 to 15 years (§ 2a).

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 189 § 1

  • Depriving a person of liberty with particular torment (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    5 years
    Most
    25 years

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 189 § 3

  • Taking or holding a hostage (wzięcie zakładnika) to force a particular behaviour (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    3 years
    Most
    20 years

    With particular torment of the hostage: 5 to 25 years (§ 2). No penalty for an offender who abandons the intent to coerce and releases the hostage (§ 4).

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 252 § 1

Poland has no offence named kidnapping. Depriving a person of liberty is art. 189. Taking or holding a hostage to force a state body, an institution or a person to behave in a certain way is art. 252.

Embezzlement

Up to 3 years (appropriating another's property); 3 months to 5 years (an entrusted thing); up to 8 years or 10 years (abuse of trust with a gain or great loss)

  • Appropriating another's movable property or property right (przywłaszczenie) (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    No minimum term set by the statute
    Most
    3 years

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 284 § 1

  • Appropriating a movable thing that was entrusted to the offender (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    3 months
    Most
    5 years

    In a case of minor significance, or of a found thing: a fine, restriction of liberty or imprisonment up to 1 year (§ 3).

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 284 § 2

  • Abuse of trust (nadużycie zaufania): causing considerable property loss by abusing powers or failing a duty to manage another's property (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    3 months
    Most
    10 years

    3 months to 5 years (§ 1); 6 months to 8 years if acting for gain (§ 2); 1 to 10 years if the loss is on a large scale (§ 3). No penalty if the offender fully repairs the damage before criminal proceedings begin (§ 5).

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 296 § 1 to 3

Forgery

3 months to 5 years (forging a document or using a forged one)

  • Forging or altering a document in order to use it as authentic, or using such a document as authentic (fałszerstwo dokumentu) (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    3 months
    Most
    5 years

    In a case of minor significance: a fine, restriction of liberty or imprisonment up to 2 years (§ 2a).

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 270 § 1

Drunk driving, first offence

Up to 3 years (driving drunk or under the influence of drugs); a driving ban of at least 3 years and a payment of at least PLN 5,000 are mandatory

  • Driving a motor vehicle while intoxicated or under the influence of an intoxicating substance (prowadzenie pojazdu w stanie nietrzeźwości) (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    No minimum term set by the statute
    Most
    3 years

    Up to 3 years. Driving ban of at least 3 years (art. 42 § 2) and a payment of PLN 5,000 to PLN 60,000 (art. 43a).

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 178a § 1

  • The same, by a person earlier finally convicted of drink-driving, or while a driving ban was in force (Offence (zbrodnia or występek))

    Least
    3 months
    Most
    5 years

    3 months to 5 years. A lifelong ban on driving motor vehicles (art. 42 § 3) and a payment of at least PLN 10,000 (art. 43a § 3).

    Criminal Code of Poland (Kodeks karny), art. 178a § 4

Driving a motor vehicle in a state of intoxication or under the influence of an intoxicating substance is a crime (art. 178a § 1). The Code defines the state of intoxication as more than 0.5 per mille of alcohol in the blood, or more than 0.25 mg per litre of exhaled air (art. 115 § 16); lower levels are dealt with outside the Criminal Code, in rules that were not read. In addition to the penalty, the court must impose a ban on driving of not less than three years (art. 42 § 2) and a payment to the Victims and Post-Penal Assistance Fund of at least PLN 5,000 and at most PLN 60,000 (art. 43a § 2 and § 1).

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