Vouchers could be issued to claimants who have rights to real estate, other assets or shares in enterprises. These vouchers could be used to purchase housing offered by the State Treasury or local authorities but initially could not be sold for cash. On passing of the relevant legislation a Reprivatisation Voucher Investment Fund would be created which would sell units in return for the reprivatisation vouchers, thus in theory creating a secondary market, where monetary value for the vouchers could be realised. In principle the value of vouchers issued should be equal to the value of the 'lost' property. Only Polish nationals and their descendants would have the right to apply for reprivatisation vouchers.
Numbers involved with reprivatisation, at least on paper, are very significant.
Statistical analysis suggests that 170,000 claims could be submitted under reprivatisation legislation. The estimated value in 1998 of property nationalised under the old system was an impressive PLN 190 billion. It is difficult to estimate how much might be subject to sustainable claims but it is suggested that the value of property to be returned could be in excess of PLN 20 billion and the face value of vouchers needing to be issued would be roughly the same. What appears to be a conservative estimate of PLN 80 million represents the technical costs involved in the complex and bureaucratic process. The supporters of the proposal emphasise the advantages of clarifying ownership structures in Poland in line with the constitution.