Is it legal to grow hemp in Poland 2026 (FAQ)

Hemp cultivation in Poland is legal and since 2022, it no longer requires any permits. It requires registration in the register maintained by the National Support Center for Agriculture, which is a completely different procedure than the administrative decision mentioned in older guides. The authorities, procedures, deadlines, and penalties have changed: cultivation in violation of the regulations is considered an offense punishable by a fine, not a crime. Below you will find the wording of the regulations read in the consolidated text of the Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction along with the article numbers under which you can check them yourself. You will also find the area allowed for personal use, the scope of control, and what changes the amendment coming into force on August 27, 2026.

KEY INFORMATION
• The condition for cultivation is registration in the hemp register, and the competent authority is the director of the KOWR regional office (Article 47a, paragraph 2 and Article 47b, paragraph 1, Dz.U. 2023 poz. 1939).
• Registration is done within 14 days of the submission of an application that meets the formal requirements.
• The area for personal use cultivation is no more than 1 hectare per year.
• Cultivation of hemp in violation of the provisions of the Act is an offense punishable by a fine (Article 65, point 1), not a crime under Article 63.
• Hemp is a plant in which the sum of delta-9-THC and THCA does not exceed 0.3% of dry mass.

Is hemp cultivation legal in Poland?

Yes, within the limits of a closed catalog of purposes. Article 45, paragraph 3 lists them in five points, and cultivation conducted outside this catalog is considered prohibited under paragraph 4. The catalog is broad, as it includes both industrial and typical agricultural applications:

• textile, chemical, cellulose-paper, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, energy needs;
• potrzeby nasiennictwa, cele naukowo-badawcze;
• breeding of industrial hemp varieties, land reclamation, land remediation;
• food, veterinary, feed, beekeeping, fertilizer, insulation purposes;
• production of composite materials, building materials, natural plant protection products.

The species boundary is defined by Article 4, point 5. Hemp is a plant of the species Cannabis sativa L., in which the sum of the content of delta-9-THC and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid in the flowering or fruiting tops, from which the resin has not been removed, does not exceed 0.3% when calculated on a dry mass basis, with the sum rounded to one decimal place. This wording was established by the Act of March 24, 2022, Dz.U. 2022 poz. 763, effective from May 7, 2022; previously, the threshold was 0.20%.

Cultivation of hemp for purposes other than those mentioned in Article 45, paragraph 3 is prohibited. The only exception is Article 49a: the cultivation of hemp other than hemp for the purpose of producing pharmaceutical raw materials can only be conducted by a research institute supervised by the minister responsible for agriculture, after obtaining permission from the Chief Pharmaceutical Inspector. A private company cannot obtain such permission. We discussed how these two categories of plants differ botanically and chemically in our post about strains and properties of cannabis.

Who maintains the register and what needs to be submitted to be included in it?

The hemp register is maintained by the National Support Center for Agriculture, and the registration is done by the director of the regional office responsible based on the applicant's place of residence or registered office (Article 47b, paragraph 1). The application is submitted on a form available on the KOWR website, before the planned sowing (Article 47b, paragraphs 2 and 3).

The application contains the applicant's data along with NIP, REGON, and PESEL number of the individual, information about the variety, planned cultivation area with the numbers of land parcels, and storage location, as well as the purpose of cultivation (Article 47b, paragraph 4). A copy of the invoice for the purchase of elite or qualified seed material as defined by the seed legislation and a copy of the label from the packaging are attached (paragraph 5). The producer also submits a declaration that they have not been convicted of a crime under Article 63 or Article 64 or an offense under Article 65, point 1.

The data of the purchasing entity is provided only when the cultivation is not for personal use and the yield will not be processed independently (Article 47b, paragraph 4, point 4). This reverses the common opinion that a contract with the buyer is a prerequisite for every application. Registration is done within 14 days of the submission of an application that meets the formal requirements (Article 47c, paragraph 1), and confirmation is provided by a certificate. The termination or suspension of activity must be reported in writing within 30 days (Article 47g, paragraph 1).

Can you grow hemp for personal use?

Yes, and the law states this explicitly. Article 45, paragraph 5 allows cultivation for personal use when it serves the purposes from paragraph 3, point 4, i.e., food, veterinary, feed, beekeeping, fertilization, insulation, or purposes from point 5, i.e., the production of composite materials, building materials, and natural plant protection products. The same possibility applies to textile, energy, and land reclamation needs along with their remediation.

The area of such cultivation cannot exceed 1 hectare per year (Article 45, paragraph 6), and the yield can be processed independently for the purposes mentioned in Article 45, paragraph 3 (paragraph 7). Registration in the register is, however, required just like for commercial cultivation, as Article 47a, paragraph 2 does not provide an exception for scale or purpose.

We have noticed that this particular section of the law is most often omitted in guides, and without it, there is an impression that legal cultivation exists solely in a contractual model with a processing plant. It does not exist solely in this model: a farmer growing hemp for their own feed, insulation material, or building material falls within the law, as long as they stay within the hectare limit and submit an application before sowing. We described the significance of this pathway for farms in more detail in our post about konopiach w rolnictwie ekologicznym.

What do inspections of hemp cultivation look like?

The inspection is carried out by the appropriate director of the KOWR regional office, and its subject is the compliance of the data contained in the register with the actual state (Article 47f, paragraph 1). The law sets a minimum scope: control activities are carried out for at least 10% of hemp producers in a given harvest year and for 10% of entities conducting purchases.

If the inspection reveals a discrepancy, the director changes the entry ex officio and informs the producer. However, if the producer obstructs or hinders the inspection or there is suspicion that the cultivated plants may be cannabis other than fiber hemp, the director immediately notifies the Police (Article 47f, paragraph 4).

The law ties a separate penalty to the area specified in the application. Providing a planned area that differs by more than 5% from the actual area determined as a result of the inspection is an offense punishable by a fine (Article 65, point 2). This is one of the few numerical thresholds explicitly stated in this law, so it's worth keeping an eye on when planning the sowing.

The KOWR inspection does not replace the testing of active substance content. If the test result shows that the sum of delta-9-THC and THCA exceeds 0.3% of dry mass, the plant ceases to meet the definition from Article 4, point 5, and the matter goes beyond the registration procedure. Therefore, the choice of variety and documented purchase of qualified seed material are significant not only formally.

What are the consequences of cultivating cannabis without registration?

A fine, as it is an offense, not a crime. Article 65, point 1 states that anyone who cultivates or purchases low-morphine poppy or fiber hemp in violation of the law is subject to a fine. The provision generally refers to cultivation in violation of the law, so it includes both the lack of registration and cultivation outside the purposes of Article 45, paragraph 3.

Article 63, paragraph 1, most often cited in this context, does not apply to fiber hemp. Its wording refers to the cultivation of cannabis "except for fiber hemp" and provides for a penalty of imprisonment for up to 3 years, but it pertains to cannabis other than fiber hemp, meaning plants exceeding the 0.3% threshold. This distinction is crucial for a farmer who forgot to submit an application: they are liable for an offense, not for a drug crime.

However, the qualification may change along with the test result. If the sum of delta-9-THC and THCA exceeds 0.3%, the cultivation ceases to be fiber hemp cultivation as defined in Article 4, point 5, and the material becomes cannabis other than fiber hemp as defined in Article 4, point 37. Then, criminal regulations concerning narcotic substances come into play, as we described in our post about this. what are the consequences for possessing marijuana in Poland.

What does the amendment coming into force on August 27, 2026 change?

Ustawa z 3 lipca 2026 r., Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1004, it does not affect the 0.3% threshold, the purposes of cultivation, or the rules for trading hemp products. However, it changes several procedural details important for the producer registered.

The deadline for reporting changes in the register is extended from 14 to 30 days (Article 47c, paragraph 3). Paragraphs 8 and 9 are added to Article 45, defining processing for one's own use and cultivation for personal needs; the latter means cultivation for obtaining products used in one's own farm, without the possibility of further resale. Article 47f stipulates that inspections of the same producers do not have to be conducted annually.

The responsibility for hindering inspections on the part of the purchaser also changes: the new Article 52b, paragraph 2, provides for a monetary penalty of 10,000 PLN for an entity that prevents the branch director from conducting an inspection. The amendment also clarifies the offense from Article 65 and adds an exclusion of liability when the reported area turns out to be larger than the actual area due to adverse weather phenomena that caused crop losses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does hemp cultivation require a permit?

No. Since 2022, the condition for conducting cultivation is registration in the hemp register, not an administrative decision. The registration is carried out by the director of the regional branch of the National Support Centre for Agriculture, appropriate to the place of residence or seat of the applicant (Article 47a paragraph 2 and Article 47b paragraph 1 of the Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction).

How long does it take to register in the hemp register?

The registration is done within 14 days from the date of receipt of the application meeting formal requirements by the appropriate director of the branch (Article 47c paragraph 1). The application is submitted before the planned sowing, and the confirmation of registration is a certificate issued to the producer by the director of the branch.

Do you need a contract with the buyer to grow hemp?

Not always. The data of the purchasing entity is provided in the application only when the cultivation is not for personal use and the yield will not be processed independently (Article 47b, paragraph 4, point 4). For personal use cultivation, this requirement does not arise.

What is the allowable area for personal use cultivation?

No more than 1 hectare per year (Article 45, paragraph 6). The yield from such cultivation can be processed independently for the purposes mentioned in Article 45, paragraph 3, and from August 27, 2026, the law adds that cultivation for personal use is conducted without the possibility of further resale of the products.

What are the consequences of growing hemp without being registered?

A fine. Article 65, point 1 of the Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction classifies the cultivation or purchase of hemp in violation of the law as an offense. Article 63, paragraph 1, which provides for a penalty of up to 3 years in prison, applies to cannabis other than hemp and does not cover hemp.

Who controls hemp cultivation?

The appropriate director of the KOWR regional office, in terms of the compliance of the data contained in the register with the actual state (Article 47f, paragraph 1). Control activities are carried out at least for 10% of hemp producers in a given harvest year. If there is suspicion that the plants are not hemp, the director notifies the Police.

Does hemp cultivation count towards EU subsidies?

Areas used for hemp production qualify as eligible hectares only if the varieties used contain a maximum of 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol. This is stated in Article 4, paragraph 4 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115, applicable from January 1, 2023. The previous Regulation 1307/2013 set the threshold at 0.2% and has been repealed.

You can find products from fiber hemp that fall within the legal threshold in the category dried hemp, and we wrote about the raw material in our post about this. what is CBD herb.

The article is for informational and educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. The legal status described in the article is valid as of the publication date: regulations regarding hemp may change. Before making a decision, consult a lawyer or current legal acts.

Author: Michał Waluk · Opublikowano: 2026-07-06 · Aktualizacja: 2026-08-11