Polish industrial security certificate – levels, cost and the „at least level III” requirement
Published: · Maksymilian Kruszewski
Polish defence tenders increasingly require an „industrial security certificate of at least level III”. We explain how the certificate levels differ, how to choose the right one, how much the ABW or SKW proceedings cost at the 2026 rates and how long they take.
Three certificate levels
- Level I – full capacity to protect classified information, including storage and processing in the company's own premises and ICT systems,
- Level II – without processing in the company's own ICT systems,
- Level III – without processing in premises used by the company; cleared staff use the information at the contracting authority's site.
Level and classification are different things
The level is not linked to the classification. The application states both the level and the classification (CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET or TOP SECRET), so a level III certificate for SECRET information is possible. A certificate for a higher classification also covers lower ones. „At least level III” means that a level III, II or I certificate meets the requirement.
Cost in 2026
ABW or SKW charges a flat-rate reimbursement set by the Prime Minister's Regulation of 13 January 2021 as a multiple of the average monthly salary. From 22 January 2026 the base amount is PLN 8,933.84:
- level I or II – PLN 62,536.88,
- level III – PLN 53,603.04,
- vetting of each person named in the application conducted by the service – PLN 5,807.00 per person.
Duration and validity
The proceedings should end within 6 months of submitting all required documents; for levels I and II the company must organise its protection system within 6 months of the start of the proceedings. The certificate is valid for 5 years (TOP SECRET), 7 years (SECRET) or 10 years (CONFIDENTIAL). No certificate is required for RESTRICTED information, but the statutory requirements for that classification still apply.
Let us discuss your matter
The first conversation is used to define the scope of the matter and the fee.