Business registers in EU countries

In Europe, business registers offer a range of services, which may vary from one Member State to another.

The core services provided by all registers are to register, examine and store company information, such as information on a company's legal form, its seat, capital and legal representatives, and to make this information available to the public.

To obtain detailed information on registers in Member States as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway please click on the flag of the relevant country listed on this page.

Last update: 03/10/2022

This page is maintained by the European Commission. The information on this page does not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Commission. The Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice with regard to copyright rules for European pages.

Business registers in EU countries - International

The Business Register information is also available for the European Economic Area countries that are not EU Member States.

Norway

Iceland

Liechtenstein




Norway

The Brønnøysund Register Centre is a government body under Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. The Register of Business Enterprise is one of the 14 national registers managed by the Brønnøysund Register Centre.

The business register is responsible for registering all Norwegian and foreign business enterprises in Norway. The register shall ensure legal protection and financial overview, and it is an important source for anyone who needs accurate information about the participants in Norwegian industry.

What does the Norwegian business register offer?

The Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises provides information on registered businesses. At the Brønnøysund Register Centre website you can access key information through our search engine. Information from the business register can be found in announcements, and you can order additional information and transcripts from the web shop and through European Business Register (EBR).

Key information:

  • Company organisation number
  • Company name, business address and other addresses
  • Company formation date
  • Company articles of associations and type of activity
  • Roles in the company
  • Bankruptcy information

Announcements:

The business register announces all major events for a company. It announces when a new company is registered, when important changes in a company have been registered, and the dissolution or striking off of a company. In the searchable database for announcements data is stored from November 1st 1999 and onwards. The Link opens in new windowEnglish-language version of announcements is available from August 2006.

Additional information that can be ordered for a fee is transcripts and certificates such as:

  • Certificate of registration
  • Annual accounts

Is access to the business register free of charge?

All key information that is accessible from our search engine and the information from the announcement database is free of charge. Some services as transcripts and certificates are subject to a fee.

How to search the Norwegian business register?

Basic information about the business enterprises registered in the business register is available at the Brønnøysund Register Centre Link opens in new windowweb site Searches can be done either on company name or organization number in the Link opens in new windowAnnouncements database.

To which extent can the documents in the register be relied upon?

Third parties can rely on the information in the Register of business Enterprises being the legally valid information about a company. The information registered is considered to have come to the attention of third parties. This applies both to the information itself and to the documents that are the grounds for registration. In practice this means that a third party should check the registered information about a company before doing business with it.

The rules regarding to which extent a third party can rely on information registered in the Register of Business Enterprises in Norway can be found in the Business Enterprises Registration Act section 10-1. A quick summary of the rules is that information registered is considered to have come to the attention of third parties.

A more detailed explanation is that for cases where a rule of law determines the legal position of a third party as to whether they were aware or not aware of a particular matter, the information registered in the Register of Business Enterprises is considered to have come to the attention of the third party.

For matters where notification of registration should have been sent to register (but has not been sent), and these matters are in contradiction to the information registered, then these matters cannot be brought to bear against a third party. An exception to this rule is the situation were the third party was aware of or should have been aware of the matter. In this situation the third party cannot justifiably claim that they could rely on the registered information.

History of the Norwegian business register

The Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises was established in 1988 and has carried on the functions of the nearly 100 former local trade registers.

Related links

Link opens in new windowThe Business Enterprises Registration Act in Norwegian

 



Iceland

What does the Icelandic business register offer?

The Register of Enterprises is a division within the Directorate of Internal Revenue since 2003 and operates a public file containing information about following entities:

  1. individuals, companies and other entities engaged in business
  2. institutions and state-owned companies
  3. institutions and companies owned by municipalities
  4. associations, organisations and entities, other than individuals, responsible for asset management or carry any tax obligations
  5. other activities the Internal Revenue/Register of Enterprises sees any reason to register in official file.

The register shall contain the following information about above-mentioned entities as applicable:

  1. Name
  2. Identification number, address
  3. Legal form
  4. The date of establishment
  5. Name, address and identification number of the executives
  6. Activity code (ISAT-nr.)
  7. Liquidation
  8. Other items which according to laws is necessary to register.

Upon registration the Register issues a unique identification number for the entity.

The Register of Enterprises provides public bodies, companies and individuals information from the register according to regulation set by the Minister regarding the scope of information and fees.

Is access to the business register free of charge?

Information about the name, address, legal form, ISAT code and VAT number are publicly available on the website of The Internal Revenue/Register of Enterprises free of charge.

Further information must be paid for and hopefully will be available from our web-store in the year 2016.

How to search the business register in Iceland?

On the web site of the Link opens in new windowDirectorate of Internal Revenue it is possible to search for information which is free of charge. Unfortunately it is only in Icelandic yet. For further information it is necessary to contact the office by phone or e-mail until the web store opens next year.

History of the Icelandic business registers.

Until 1980 companies were registered with the local commissioners throughout Iceland. In 1980 a special register for limited companies was set up but Statistics Iceland issued identification numbers for these companies. From 1997 all business companies other than unlimited partnerships were registered at The Register of Enterprises and from 2014 registration of partnerships is also takes place there so now we have only one official business register in Iceland, The Register of Enterprises.

 



Liechtenstein

A business register (Handelsregister) is held for the entire country of Liechtenstein. The business register is maintained by the Department of Justice (Amt für Justiz) in Vaduz.

The business register is a public register and is presumed to be accurate. Its principal objective is to ensure the legal certainty of commerce by disclosing legal relationships governed by private law, in particular the situations of natural and legal persons engaging in business when it comes to liability and authority to act.

What does the business register offer?

The business register contains information about all registered legal entities with their registered office in the Principality of Liechtenstein and about Liechtenstein trusts (Treuhänderschaften). The information covers facts and relationships some of which must be entered in the register by law and some of which are entered voluntarily, along with the relevant supporting documents.

Documents in respect of unregistered trusts are also lodged with the business register, as are data related to foundations (Stiftungen) that are not registered.

Is access to the business registers free of charge?

Access to the business register is subject to the payment of a fee.

Partial information on any of the legal entities registered in the business register and other legal information can be found free of charge in the register's business index (Firmenindex) via the link Link opens in new windowhttps://handelsregister.li/cr-portal/suche/suche.xhtml, and a certified full statement can be ordered for a fee via the same link.

How to search the business register in Liechtestein?

The business register, including notifications and supporting documents, is public.

The business index (Firmenindex) can be used to search for a registered legal entity using its name or commercial name or its register number.

To which extent can the information in the registers be relied upon?

Article 3a of Directive 2009/101/EC, as amended by Directive 2012/17/EU, requires Member States to give information explaining the provisions of national law according to which third parties can rely on the company documents and particulars referred to in Article 2. The Decision of the EEA Joint Committee of 8 October 2013 states that Directive 2012/17/EU is to be incorporated into the EEA Agreement.

Except where the legislation provides that only partial publication or publication of extracts is required, entries in the business register are published by the Department of Justice in the official gazette in full and without delay (Article 956(1) of the Persons and Companies Act (Personen- und Gesellschaftsrecht, PGR)). The official publication of the Principality of Liechtenstein is the electronic official gazette (Amtsblatt) (Article 16 of the Publication Act (Kundmachungsgesetz).

Entries, amendments and deletions in the business register may be relied upon by any person acting in good faith. The content of the entry, amendment or deletion may be relied upon against the party registered provided it was submitted at that party’s wish (Article 948(1) and (2) PGR).

With regard to third parties, an entry in the business register is effective on the day after the day on which the entry is published, always provided that there is a legal requirement for publication (Article 947(2) PGR).

Under Article 949 PGR, entry in the business register has the effect of disclosure, and once registration has taken effect with respect to third parties a person is no longer entitled to object that they were unaware of the entry. However, if there was a requirement that a particular fact must be registered, and that fact was not registered, it can be relied upon against a third party only if it can be proven that the third party was aware of it.

History of the business register

The data in the Liechtenstein business register were originally recorded on index cards. All the current data, as well as a large proportion of the historical data, are now available electronically.

Additional information

Entries in the business register are published in the legally required format in the electronic gazette, and may be relied upon by third parties only with effect from the day after the day on which they are published. In the event of any discrepancy between the entry in the register and the information published, the entry in the register takes precedence.

Publication and effect of entries in the business register

Public naturs of the busines register

The business register, including notifications and supporting documents, is public. Entries can be accessed by anyone. Documents in the register concerning public limited companies (Aktiengesellschaften), limited partnerships (Kommanditaktiengesellschaften) and private limited companies (Gesellschaften mit beschränkter Haftung) can be accessed without restriction; for bodies with other legal forms, the inquirer must prove a legitimate interest (Article 953 PGR).

Publication of entries

Except where the legislation provides that only partial publication or publication of extracts is required, entries in the business register are published by the Department of Justice in the official gazette in full and without delay. All documents and particulars that must by law be lodged and published are published in the same way (Article 956 et seq. PGR). The information published can be relied upon directly against anyone from the end of the day on which it is published.

Notices concerning public limited companies (Aktiengesellschaften), limited partnerships (Kommanditaktiengesellschaften) and private limited companies (Gesellschaften mit beschränkter Haftung) take the form of a reference published in the official gazette to the entry and to the supporting documents and particulars. The same applies in the case of any legal person carrying on a trade in a commercial fashion. In other cases notices take the form of a reference to the entry in the register (Article 957 PGR).

Effectiveness of entries in dealings with third parties

With regard to third parties, an entry in the business register is effective on the day after the day on which the entry was published, always provided there is a legal requirement for publication (Article 947(2) PGR).

In the case of public limited companies (Aktiengesellschaften), limited partnerships (Kommanditaktiengesellschaften) and private limited companies (Gesellschaften mit beschränkter Haftung) a fact that has been registered and published cannot be relied upon against a third party if it relates to a legal transaction that is carried out within fifteen days after the date on which the entry becomes effective and the third party can prove that they were not aware of it and could not have been expected to be aware of it (Article 949(1a) PGR).

Once registration has taken effect with respect to third parties, a person is no longer entitled to object that they were unaware of the entry (Article 949(1) PGR).

Entries in the business register constitute full evidence of the facts they attest unless it is shown that they are incorrect (Article 949(3) PGR).

Discrepencies between entry as submitted and as published

If there is a discrepancy between the entry in the register and the information published, the entry in the register takes precedence, and then the information published, and finally the content of the supporting documents. In the event of a discrepancy between an entry in the register and the information published, third parties acting in good faith can also rely on the information published against the party for whom the entry was made (Article 959(2) and (3) PGR).

Related links

Link opens in new windowPersons and Companies Act (Personen- und Gesellschaftsrecht, PGR) of 20 January 1926 (published LGBl. 1926 No 4)

Link opens in new windowPublication Act (Kundmachungsgesetz) of 17 April 1985 (published LGBl. 1985 No 41)

Link opens in new windowOfficial Gazette Regulation (Amtsblattverordnung ) of 4 September 2012 (published LGBl. 2012 No 284)

Last update: 20/05/2019

This page is maintained by the European Commission. The information on this page does not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Commission. The Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice with regard to copyright rules for European pages.

Business registers in EU countries - Belgium

This section gives an overview of the Belgian business register.

What does the Belgian business register offer?

The Belgian business register, the Business Hub Database (French Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises (BCE), Dutch Kruispunktbank van Ondernemingen (KBO)), is managed by an office in the Link opens in new windowFederal Department of the Economy. The register was created in order to simplify administration and provide a way of identifying businesses unambiguously. The database covers all enterprises, and the law requires all enterprises to register. It also lists businesses’ establishments (or ‘establishment units’): these are the addresses where - or from where - the business conducts its operations. The database also provides links to other databases. It covers not just businesses but other legal persons too. Sole traders, public bodies, and in some cases foreign businesses, are all included.

Is it free of charge to access the Belgian business register?

Everyone can consult the public data concerning businesses free of charge, using the online ‘Public Search’ function.

This search engine makes it possible to search for businesses or establishments using various search criteria. An ‘Open Data’ file is also available free of charge: this can be reused by any interested person provided they register. The ‘Public Search’ function makes it possible to include a large part of the public data in the user’s own applications. However, this latter service is provided for a fee.

How can I search the Belgian business register?

The ‘Public Search’ function allows you to search data on all businesses, whether they are currently active or whether they have ceased trading, and whether they are legal persons or sole traders, and on their establishments.

What data can be found?

At the level of the enterprise:

  1. enterprise registration number
  2. status
  3. legal situation
  4. start date
  5. name
  6. address of head office
  7. telephone number
  8. fax
  9. email‑
  10. website
  11. legal form of the enterprise
  12. number of establishments
  13. officers
  14. professional skills and basic management knowledge for which evidence has been supplied
  15. qualities
  16. authorisations
  17. activities for purposes of VAT and social security
  18. financial information
  19. links with other businesses
  20. External links (official gazette (Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad)), 
    central bank (Banque nationale de Belgique/Nationale Bank van België),
    and the register of employers kept by the social security office (ONSS/RSZ)

At the level of the individual establishment:

  1. enterprise registration number
  2. status
  3. number of establishment
  4. start date
  5. name of establishment
  6. address
  7. telephone number
  8. fax
  9. email
  10. website
  11. authorisations
  12. Activities for social security purposes and commercial and non-commercial activities

How reliable is the data in the register?

Companies are required to disclose certain information and documents. The purpose is particularly to ensure that these things can be relied upon in dealings with third parties. In Belgium, such information has to be published in the official gazette; annual accounts have to be published via the Central Balance Sheet Office (Centrale des bilans/Balanscentrale) at the central bank. Article 76 of the Companies Code sets out the rules governing when documents and information can be relied upon after disclosure.

Article 76 of the Companies Code stipulates that documents and information that have to be disclosed have effects vis-à-vis third parties only from the date on which they are published in extract form or reported in the annexes to the official gazette, unless the company can demonstrate that these third parties were aware of them earlier.

Third parties may nevertheless rely upon documents that have not been published.

Where a transaction takes place before the 16th day following the date of publication, it has no effect vis-à-vis third parties who can demonstrate that they had no way of knowing about it.

In the event of a discrepancy between the text that was filed and the text that was published in the annexes to the official gazette, the text published cannot be relied upon against third parties. However, third parties themselves may invoke it, unless the company can demonstrate that they were in fact aware of the text that was filed.

In the event of a discrepancy between documents that must be filed in an official language of the country and translations into one or more official languages of the European Union that are filed voluntarily, the translations published voluntarily cannot be relied upon against third parties. But third parties may rely upon such voluntarily published translations, unless the company can show that they were aware of the version referred to in Article 67(1)(2) of the Companies Code, which refers to certified copies of authentic documents, duplicates or originals of private deeds, and statements that must be filed, in electronic form or not, with the registry of the commercial court.

The information regarding enterprises that is accessible via the ‘Public Search’ function includes direct links to the notice published in the official gazette and to the central bank’s Central Balance Sheet Office.

How to search

This link will take you to the Link opens in new windowPublic Search function:

There are four different search options, separated by tabs:

  • search by number (if you know the enterprise registration number or the number of the establishment)
  • search by name
  • search by address
  • search by activity

The internet site is available in four languages: English, Dutch, French and German.

You will find general information on the Business Hub Database through the website of the Link opens in new windowFederal Department of the Economy (in the section ‘Enterprises & Self-Employed’ (Entreprises & Indépendants/Ondernemingen & Zelfstandigen), under the heading Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises/Kruispuntbank van Ondernemingen.

Related links

Link opens in new windowEuropean Business Register ; Link opens in new windowFederal Department of Justice; Link opens in new windowFederal Department of the Economy, SMEs, the Self-Employed and Energy

Last update: 18/01/2017

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Bulgaria

This section provides an overview of Bulgaria’s business registers and the BULSTAT register. Bulgaria guarantees that these registers comply with the principles of publicity, transparency and security of information.

History of the national register establishment

When was it founded?

A reform of the registration process began on 1 January 2008, when the Business Register Act (Zakon za targovskiya registar) entered into force and an electronic register of traders and foreign traders’ branches became operational. Traders were to re-register by 31 December 2011.

Under Article 17 of the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act (Zakon za yuridicheskite litsa s nestopanska tsel), as of 1 January 2018 the Registry Agency (Agentsiya po vpisvaniyata) maintains the register of non-profit legal entities. § 25(1) of the Transitional and Final Provisions of the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act provides that non-profit legal entities entered in the register of non-profit legal entities at the provincial courts (okrazhni sadilishta) have the option to submit a re-registration application at the Registry Agency by 31 December 2020. The two registers share the same database.

Results of the reform:

  1. The registration process was transferred from the courts to a central government administrative body: the Registry Agency.
  2. All registers of the 28 provincial courts were consolidated into a single centralised electronic database. The database contains the particulars that are required to be registered and documents required to be kept available for public inspection, as well as electronic versions of all documents submitted, refusals issued, instructions issued and company files.
  3. The principle of publicity of information is of fundamental importance in the registration procedure.
  4. The registration procedure is carried out using various kinds of application forms. The type of application depends on the type of trader or non-profit legal entity and the particulars that are to be entered.

When was it digitised?

The business register, as from 1 January 2008, and the register of non-profit legal entities, as from 1 January 2018, have functioned as a single electronic database that contains information about the particulars subject to entry and the documents subject to publication, as well as all filed documents, issued refusals, instructions and company records in electronic form.

What is the current applicable legislation?

The Act on the Business Register and the Register of Non-Profit Legal Entities (Zakon za targovskiya registar i registara na yuridicheskite litsa s nestopanska tsel, ZTRRYuLNTs) governs the entries, maintenance, storage and access to the business register and register of non-profit legal entities, as well as the effect of the entries, deletions and other information published therein, and Regulation No 1 of 14 February 2007 laying down the rules for the maintenance, storage and access to the business register and the register of non-profit legal entities (Haredba za vodene, sahranyavane i dostap do targovskiya registar i do registara na yuridicheskite litsa s nestopanska tsel, NVSDTRRYuLNTs) lays down the rules for the maintenance, storage and access to the business register and the register of non-profit legal entities, as well as the procedure for the appointment and remuneration of non-cash contribution valuation experts, liquidators, controllers, verifiers and registered auditors.

When reviewing the applications received by the business register and register of non-profit legal entities (TRRYuLNTs), registration officials carry out verification checks on the submitted documents in accordance with the special provisions of the Commerce Act (Targovski zakon), Non-Profit Legal Entities Act, Measures against Money Laundering Act (Zakon za merkite sreshtu izpiraneto na pari), Liens Act (Zakon za osobenite zalozi), Cooperatives Act (Zakon za kooperatsiite), Special Purpose Entities and Securitisation Entities Act (Zakon za druzhestvata sas spetsialna investitsionna tsel i za druzhestvata za sekyuritizatsiya), Activities of Collective Investment Schemes and Other Collective Investment Undertakings Act (Zakon za deynostta na kolektivnite investitsionni shemi i na drugi predpriyatiya za kolektivno investirane), Markets in Financial Instruments Act (Zakon za pazarite na finansovi instrumenti), Public Offering of Securities Act (Zakon za publichnoto predlagane na tsenni knizha), Accounting Act (Zakon za schetovodstvoto), Healthcare Facilities Act (Zakon sa lechebnite zavedeniya), Public Community Centres Act (Zakon za narodnite chitalishta), Credit Institutions Act (Zakon za kreditnite institutsii) and Electronic Document and Electronic Trust Services Act (Zakon za elektronniya dokument i elektronnite udostoveritelni uslugi).

What information does the business register offer?

The business register and the register of non-profit legal entities share a common electronic database containing the particulars that are required by law to be registered and the documents that are required by law to be kept available for public inspection relating to traders, foreign traders’ branches, non-profit legal entities and branches of foreign non-profit legal entities. Files on traders, foreign traders’ branches, non-profit legal entities and branches of foreign non-profit legal entities are kept in electronic form. The files contain applications, documents substantiating the particulars registered, disclosures and other documents, which may also contain personal data identifying individuals representing or managing the trader or non-profit legal entity concerned.

What does the account contain?

The account of the persons entered in the register contains basic information, stored in the form of structured data, about the name, legal form, head office and address of the company, its managing bodies, objects (if applicable), partners (if applicable), and shareholding capital (if applicable).

What does the file contain?

The file of each entity in the register contains all documents substantiating the particulars entered in their account.

Who has the right to access the register?

The business register and the register of non-profit legal entities are in the public domain. Access to the registers’ database is open to everyone free of charge. The Registry Agency provides registered access to the file of the trader or non-profit legal entity. Such access may be provided at the Agency’s local offices upon submission of an application and production of an identity document. Persons requesting electronic access must identify themselves by means of an electronic signature or a digital certificate issued by the Agency; official access is provided under the procedure laid down in a special regulation. The Registry Agency also provides free and open access to particulars and documents through the Business Registers Interconnection System.

What information does the register hold?

Registered in the TRRYuLNTs are traders, branches of foreign traders, non-profit legal entities and branches of non-profit legal entities, along with the particulars on them that are required by law to be registered. Also contained in the TRRYuLNTs are the documents that are required by law to be kept available for public inspection relating to traders and foreign traders’ branches, non-profit legal entities and branches of foreign non-profit legal entities.

The following are subject to entry in the business register and the register of non-profit legal entities: particulars relating to the initial registration of entities, changes in and deletion of declared particulars, information about the annual financial statements, liquidation and insolvency, attachment of company shares (where applicable), pledge of a business enterprise and pledge of company shares, particulars relating to the signatory, branch, beneficial owners and restructuring.

What documents are submitted/kept (files, sets of documents, statutes, minutes of the general assembly, etc.)?

Each application must be accompanied by a receipt of payment of State fees, unless the fee is paid electronically, and a declaration attesting to the authenticity of the particulars to be entered in the register and the acceptance of the documents submitted for entry, as well as documents attesting to the existence of the particulars to be entered in the register or the document subject to entry, such as articles of association, minutes of general meetings, contracts for the purchase and sale of company shares, etc. The application and the annexes thereto must be submitted in Bulgarian. The documents may also be submitted in any of the official languages of the European Union. However, where this is the case, they must be accompanied by a certified translation into Bulgarian.

How can I perform a search (and what are the available search criteria)?

In person

Anyone may search the business register and the non-profit legal entities register for a given particular or document by visiting a local office of the Registry Agency. The offices of the Registry Agency are situated in the areas under the jurisdiction of each provincial court in Bulgaria.

Certificates can be issued by any of the local offices of the Registry Agency (fees are collected in accordance with the schedule of State fees collected by the Registry Agency).

Copies of the documents submitted for entry in the register can be issued by any of the local offices of the Registry Agency (fees are collected in accordance with the schedule of State fees collected by the Registry Agency).

On the register website

The business register is accessible 24 hours a day at Link opens in new windowhttps://portal.registryagency.bg/en/.

Anyone may search the business register and the non-profit legal entities register for a given particular or document.

What are the available search criteria?

On the TRRYuLNTs portal, searches can be conducted using the following criteria:

  • business name/name or Unique Identification Code (UIC) of trader or foreign trader’s branch, non-profit legal entity or branch of foreign non-profit legal entity; names or ID number, or business name or UIC of partner or sole owner of capital.
  • names or ID number, or business name or UIC of a member of the bodies of a legal entity – trader or non-profit legal entity. The file of a trader, branch of a foreign trader, non-profit legal entity or branch of a foreign non-profit legal entity and its officers and legal successors may be searched by particular or document.

How can I obtain documents?

Free of charge?

In addition to the free and open access to the database of the business register and the register of non-profit legal entities mentioned above, the Registry Agency issues the following certificates:

Good standing certificate attesting to registered particulars and documents on record in the account of a trader or a non-profit legal entity at the time of issuance of the document.

Certificate of the entries made over a specific period attesting to the particulars entered in the account of a trader or non-profit legal entity over a period specified by the applicant.

Certificate of documents published over a specific period that lists the documents posted to the account of a trader or non-profit legal entity over the period specified by the applicant.

Certificate confirming that certain particulars/documents have not been entered in/posted to the account of a trader or a non-profit legal entity.

Certificate in respect of particulars entered in the register, attesting to specific particulars that have been entered in the account of the trader or non-profit legal entity. The certificate may contain only particulars relating to the company’s share capital or the registered office of the trader/non-profit legal entity, or several particulars which the applicant has requested to be included in the document.

A certificate attesting to the posting of a document or a copy of a posted document — confirmation that a specific document has been posted to the account of the trader or non-profit legal entity, or a certified copy of a document that has been posted to the account of the trader or non-profit legal entity, issued at the request of an interested party.

Reserved business name/name certificates, attesting to the right of a trader or non-profit legal entity to use a selected and reserved business name/name.

Upon a fee?

A fee is payable in the amount specified in the schedule of State fees collected by the Registry Agency. The fees for the issuance of certificates are as follows: BGN 5.00 for the first page and BGN 2.00 for each additional page of a hard-copy certificate, and BGN 2.50 for the first page and BGN 1.50 for each additional page of a certificate issued in electronic form.

How can I obtain an extract from the register, certified copy or transcript of documents?

The certificate attesting to the absence of registered particulars or posted documents may be obtained only in hard copy from any local office of the Registry Agency, and all other types of certificates may be obtained both in hard copy from any local office of the Registry Agency and in electronic form, in accordance with the conditions and procedure stipulated in the Electronic Document and Electronic Trust Services Act.

Registration procedure

How can I launch the registration procedure (how to submit applications to the register, certification of documents, type of documents which need to be attached)?

In person

Any person may submit an application by visiting a local office of the Registry Agency.

Hard-copy applications may be lodged at any local office of the Registry Agency, irrespective of where the trader is based. Once accepted by the Agency’s offices, hard-copy applications are scanned and stored as attachments in the TRRYuLNTs computer system. Documents attached as annexes to applications must be originals or copies certified by the applicant or by a notary public.

Online

Applications may also be submitted electronically via the TRRYuLNTs web portal at Link opens in new windowhttps://portal.registryagency.bg

Electronic applications may be submitted 24/7 via the TRRYuLNTs portal. The applications for initial registration, entry and deletion of particulars and applications for posting documents relating to the affairs of joint stock companies and limited partnerships with shares may only be submitted in electronic form.

Articles 6 to 63h of Regulation No 1 of 14 February 2007 laying down the rules for the maintenance, storage and access to the business register and the register of non-profit legal entities (NVSDTRRYuLNTs) set out detailed information about the requisite documents to be annexed to each application for initial registration, entry and deletion of particulars, and the posting of documents, per type of company.

How are submitted applications reviewed?

Each item received for entry in the TRRYuLNTs computer system (application, court decision, request for correction of an error, request for appointment of experts, verifiers, controllers, etc.) is given a unique reference number in the format ‘yyyymmddhhmmss’ (year, month, day, hour, minute, second). Once an application, court decision or request has received its unique reference number, it is then randomly allocated by the TRRYuLNTs computer system to a registration official for examination. Applications for entry or deletion or for the posting of documents under Article 14 are automatically allocated, in order of receipt, as soon as a registration official has electronically signed off the previously allocated application and is accordingly recognised by the computer system as being available.

Pursuant to Article 19(2) of the Act on the Business Register and the Register of Non-Profit Legal Entities (ZTRRYuLNTs), the registration official issues a decision on applications for registration or deletion and applications for the posting of a document immediately upon expiry of 3 working days after their receipt, unless the law provides otherwise. First-time-registration applications of traders are examined by the end of the working day following the day of their submission to the business register, and a decision is issued immediately upon examination of the application, except in the cases referred to in Article 22(5) ZTRRYuLNTs, where an instruction is issued.

Depending on the type of decision, the outcomes may be as follows:

  • instructions electronically signed by the registration official on completion of examination of the particular application and published immediately in the trader’s account – to be implemented within the time limit provided for in Article 19(2) ZTRRYuLNTs;
  • a refusal, electronically signed by the registration official on completion of examination and published immediately in the trader’s account;
  • a registration order.

Legal effects of the registration

Effect of entries on third parties in accordance with Article 17 of Directive (EU) 2017/1132

Bulgaria has adopted the principles set out in relevant EU legislation governing the validity of entry or deletion of particulars and posting of documents relating to traders/non-profit legal entities. The specific arrangements applicable at national level are laid down in the ZTRRYuLNTs and the Commerce Act.

According to the ZTRRYuLNTs, a particular entered in the register is deemed, as from time of entry, to have become known to third parties acting in good faith. Until 15 days have expired after an entry has been made, it may not be relied on against third parties who prove that it was impossible for them to have been aware of it. Third parties may cite a particular that is to be registered even though the entry has not yet been made, unless the law specifically provides that it becomes effective only after entry. Once deleted, an entry is ineffective. Documents in the TRRYuLNTs are deemed to have become known to third parties from the date they are posted.

Third parties acting in good faith may cite an entry or posting, even if the particular entered or document posted does not exist. In relation to third parties acting in good faith, particulars not entered in the register are deemed to be non-existent.

Discrepancies between the register entry and its publication

The particulars entered in the register are published without delay on the website of the register and, in the event of an error or incompleteness, the provisions of Articles 96a and 96b NVSDTRRYuLNTs apply, according to which errors and incompleteness in the entry of particulars, the deletion of entries or posting of documents, including in the event of a discrepancy between the data contained in an application and the data contained in the annexes thereto, are rectified by making a new entry or re-posting the document. Where the error in the entry of particulars, cancellation of entries or posting of documents is made by a registration official, the applicant or interested person may request that the errors and omissions be rectified by submitting an application based on a model approved by the Executive Director of the Registry Agency, in which the number of the entry and the error or omission must be indicated.

Who has the responsibility for the accuracy of the records?

Pursuant to Article 28 ZTRRYuLNTs the Registry Agency is responsible for the accuracy of the records.

Data protection procedures

Procedures related to the rights of the data subject regarding publishing and storing their personal data

The TRRYuLNTs is administered jointly by the Registry Agency and Information Service AD (Informatsionno Obsluzhvane AD). Commercial undertakings, respectively non-profit legal entities, are controllers of the personal data of natural persons contained in the documents submitted to the Registry Agency for the purpose of entry in the register within the meaning of Article 4(1)(7) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679. The Agency receives the personal data of natural persons (partners, sole owners of the capital, etc.) from the company/non-profit legal entity and is required to process it in accordance with the procedure laid down by law, in the form in which it is submitted, enter the relevant particulars in the register and publish those that are subject to publication by law. The documents are submitted by the companies in their capacity as data controllers as non-machine-readable files.

According to Article 2(2) ZTRRYuLNTs, the particulars and documents are published in the TRRYuLNTs without the information constituting personal data within the meaning of Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, except for information required to be published by law. According to Article 20(1)(b) of Regulation No 1 of 14 February 2007 laying down the rules for the maintenance, storage and access to the business register and the register of non-profit legal entities, the application must be accompanied by a copy of the company statutes, respectively articles of association, from which all personal data, except that required by law, has been deleted.

In order to exercise the rights under Articles 15 to 22 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the data subject must submit a written application to the Registry Agency, which conforms to the requirements laid down in Articles 37b and 37c of the Personal Data Protection Act (Zakon za zashtita lichnite danni, ZZLD). When it receives a request from a data subject seeking to exercise their rights under Regulation (EU) 2016/679, and establishes the validity of the request for rectification or deletion of personal data under Article 16, respectively Article 17, of the GDPR in the registered particulars or posted documents section of the account of a particular trader/non-profit legal entity in the TRRYuLNTs:

the Agency sends a letter to the primary controller (the trader/non-profit legal entity), with a copy to the data subject, informing the former, in their capacity as primary data controller, that, in connection with a right exercised by a data subject (shareholder, sole owner of the share capital, etc.), it should submit a certified copy of the document posted in the register within 14 days, in which all personal data, except that required by law, is deleted. The certified copy of the document published in the register in which all personal data, except that required by law, has been deleted must be submitted in hard copy or in electronic form to the Information System of the TRRYuLNTs, together with a request for correction of incompleteness in the account of the trader/non-profit legal entity, based on an approved model. A note in respect of the request is entered in the account of the respective trader/non-profit legal entity. When the copy of the document is submitted with the reference number assigned to the case-file by the Agency’s registry department, the document is entered in the Information System of the TRRYuLNTs on an ex officio basis.

When data (registered particulars) entered in the dynamic part of TRRYuLNTs needs to be corrected, the request for correction, along with the annexed evidence, is entered in the Information System of the TRRYuLNTs as a ‘Request for correction of errors and incompleteness’ on an ex officio basis.

Useful links

Link opens in new windowhttp://www.registryagency.bg/

Link opens in new windowhttps://portal.registryagency.bg/en/

20 Elisaveta Bagryana St, 1111 Sofia

tel.: (+359 2) 9486 181

email: Link opens in new windowoffice@registryagency.bg

Last update: 19/01/2024

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Czechia

This section presents an overview of the way in which the public registry is set up in the Czech Republic. The public registry includes the Register of Associations, the Business Register, the Register of Foundations, the Register of Institutions, the Register of Homeowners’ Associations and the Register of Charities.

History of the Czech Republic’s business register

When was it set up?

The business register derives its current form from the recasting of civil law that took effect on 1 January 2014 with the adoption of the new Civil Code (Act No 89/2012) and related legislation, in particular Act No 90/2012 on business corporations and Act No 304/2013 on public registers of legal and natural persons and on the registration of trust funds (‘the Registers Act’). Nowadays the business register constitutes one of what are known as the public registers and is subject to general regulation under the Registers Act. In addition to the business register, the following constitute public registers:

  • the Register of Associations, which records details of associations, trade unions, international trade unions, employers’ organisations, international employers’ organisations and subsidiary associations;
  • the Register of Foundations, which records details of foundations and endowments;
  • the Register of Institutes, which records details of institutes;
  • Register of Homeowners’ Associations, which records details of owners’ associations;
  • the Register of Charities, which records details of charities.

In this text the term ‘public register’ also denotes the business register.

Since 1 January 2018 the Registers Act has also regulated the registration of trust funds (an activity which, unlike public registers themselves, is public only in part).

In addition to the Registers Act, there is also special separate legislation regulating public registers for specific types of legal forms, namely a register of hunting associations (kept by state authorities with responsibility for hunting, i.e. the relevant municipalities with extended competence), a register of political parties and movements (kept by the Ministry of the Interior), registers of registered churches, faith-based organisations and other legal entities (kept by the Ministry of Culture) and a register of educational legal entities (kept by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports). These public registers are regulated and operated in essentially the same way as public registers covered by the Registers Act.

From an historical perspective, the emergence of a business register on Czech soil is linked to the 1863 codification of commercial law in Cisleithania. The business register was established by means of Act No 1/1863 (the General Code of Commerce), which was applicable in other countries as well. The Act made it mandatory for entities to be entered in the business register. As a result of a change in the legal system, the business register was converted in 1950 into a company register. Subsequent social and political developments led to the re-establishment of the business register in 1992 on the basis of the concept underlying both the original business register and the company register. The concept of the 1992 business register has basically persisted to the present day and has survived even the aforementioned recasting of private law in 2014.

When was it digitised?

Even though there was no legal requirement until 1 July 2005 for the business register to be kept in electronic form, it has been kept in such form since 1 January 1997. The business register is a public-administration information system. It is linked to other basic registers (e.g. the Register of Persons). The basic register contains reference data, reference links and identifiers of natural persons – and, where appropriate, authentication data, operational data and other statutory data. The reference data are linked to data contained in other registers, which ensures that the latter are interoperable. This means that if data are changed in one register, the change will automatically take effect in the other basic registers containing the same data. A common example is a change of name, which will take effect in the other basic registers as well.

In certain cases, data concerning persons registered before 1 January 1997 are made available only on paper, since the documents or registered data have not been digitised and are not accessible via the public-registers application.

What legislation currently applies?

Since the recasting of private law in 2014, the content of public registers (including the business register) has been regulated by the Registers Act. Certain other technical aspects are covered by implementing regulations, i.e. Decree No 323/2013 on the specifications of forms used for requesting inclusion in a public register or amending or withdrawing such requests, and on the repeal of certain decrees, and Government Regulation No 351/2013 determining the default-interest rate, the costs associated with claiming receivables and the fees of liquidators, liquidation trustees and court-appointed members of a legal entity’s bodies, and regulating certain matters concerning the Business Gazette [Obchodní věstník], public registers of legal and natural persons and the registering of trust funds and of beneficial owners.

Incidentally, the register of beneficial owners of legal entities has been regulated since 1 June 2021 by a separate Act (No 37/2021 on the register of beneficial owners). From 1 January 2018 until that date, the registration of beneficial owners was covered by the Registers Act.

What data does the register provide?

Who has the right to view the register?

Everyone has the right to view the business register and any other public register, and to make copies of the data contained therein.

In addition to direct perusal of the business register, the relevant file may be viewed at a court. In such a case, however, a legal interest must be demonstrated in order for the competent court to grant access to the file. Persons proving their legal interest may then view the file (including the annexes thereto and a list of all parts thereof) without restriction.

Given the high level of transparency and virtually full disclosure of information and documents, it is more practical to view the business register directly, since anyone can do so and no legal interest needs to be demonstrated.

What data does the register contain?

What types of data are stored in it? (what types of entity are recorded in a public register; what about insolvency information, financial reports etc.?)

All companies (general partnerships, limited partnerships, private limited-liability companies, public limited-liability companies) and their branch offices and cooperatives – and also the businesses and branch offices of foreign legal entities operating in the Czech Republic – are recorded in the business register. Natural persons operating a business in the Czech Republic who apply for registration are also recorded in the business register.

Businesses or branch offices are recorded in the business register only if they are established. The businesses or branch offices of foreign legal entities whose registered office is located outside the European Union and the European Economic Area must be recorded in the business register. If a foreign legal entity falling within that category has not relocated its business or part thereof to the Czech Republic, the entity itself is recorded in the register. Businesses or branch offices of foreign legal entities whose registered office is located within the EU or the EEA are recorded in the register only if they so request.

The business register contains highly detailed information concerning the persons registered. This high level of transparency allows for a high degree of public scrutiny, the need for which is catered for both by the register itself and by the sbírka listin [collection of documents], which is a repository of important documents relating to registered persons.

The following data in particular are recorded in public registers:

  • name (or company name) and registered office, and the address at which the registered person is staying or resident
  • field of activity or business (alternatively, a description of the purpose pursued by the entity)
  • the legal form in which a legal person exists
  • the date on which a legal person is incorporated (and dissolved)
  • a natural person’s birth number or a legal person’s identification number
  • the management board’s name and composition, and the procedure for acting on a legal person’s behalf
  • the supervisory body’s name and composition
  • details concerning the authorised agent and the manner in which he or she acts on behalf of the legal person

The above list is not exhaustive. The range of information recorded in the register varies according to the form assumed by the legal person.

In the case of the business register, the data recorded also include the following:

  • the amount of a limited-liability company’s share capital
  • the amount of a shareholder’s contribution, and the amount actually paid in
  • information concerning liens and other rights in rem relating to a share in a business corporation that is not represented by securities or book-entry securities
  • information concerning branch offices.

Further information concerning the dissolution and erasure of a registered person is also recorded in the business register:

  • the dates on which a legal person is annulled and dissolved (with the legal reason for such action being stated in each case)
  • information concerning the commencement and completion of liquidation proceedings (including detailed information concerning the liquidator)
  • information concerning insolvency proceedings and the initiation thereof, information concerning the insolvency practitioner, restrictions applying to a debtor’s right to dispose of the insolvency estate on the basis of an insolvency-court decision, declaration and annulment of bankruptcy, authorisation for reorganisation, approval of a reorganisation plan and execution of that plan or key parts thereof, court writs of execution affecting a company shareholder’s share or an enforcement order affecting a company shareholder’s share, and also court decisions concerning the cessation of enforcement procedures or notices that enforcement procedures have been terminated by means other than cessation (the reason for the decision to be stated); court writs of execution regarding the sale of a business or part thereof, or enforcement orders regarding the sale of a business or part thereof, and also court decisions concerning the cessation of enforcement procedures or notices that enforcement procedures have been terminated by means other than cessation (the reason for the decision to be stated), and court decisions concerning interim measures restricting or prohibiting the disposal of a shareholder’s share in a company, of a business or of a substantial part of a company’s assets, and also the revocation or termination of such measures (the reason for the decision to be stated), and
  • the legal reason for erasing a legal person from the register.

If a trustee is appointed for a registered legal person, the court adds information concerning the trustee to the business register.

If for whatever reason a natural person is entered in the business register, the following data are also recorded therein: date of birth, birth number (if assigned) and address of stay or residence (if the latter is different from the address of stay). Birth numbers are not made public, however.

In the case of businesses or branch offices of a foreign legal entity, the jurisdiction under which that entity was established must also be recorded in the business register.

In the case of natural persons who are members of management boards and supervisory bodies, authorised agents, members of partnerships and shareholders of private limited-liability companies, data concerning their residence or permanent place of stay and their date of birth must be entered in the business register.

What kinds of document are stored/retained (files, collection of documents, statutes, minutes of general meetings, etc.)?

Public registers include a collection of documents. The law specifies which documents must be deposited in the collection of documents. The main documents are:

  • the instrument of constitution (memorandum of association, articles of association, certificate concerning the constituent meeting of a cooperative, or other instrument of constitution depending on the form assumed by the legal person) and the statutes of foundations, endowments or institutes
  • decisions concerning the appointment, election, removal or other termination of office of persons who are members of a management board or, where appropriate, other persons who are authorised to enter into commitments on behalf of a legal person (e.g. head of a branch office)
  • annual reports
  • ordinary, extraordinary and consolidated financial statements
  • decisions relating to the dissolution of a legal person, final reports on the liquidation procedure and court decisions concerning the appointment of the legal person’s trustee
  • decisions concerning the conversion of a legal person and the conversion project, notices concerning the rejection or non-approval of the conversion project, court decisions concerning the invalidity of the conversion project or the invalidity of the resolution adopted at the general meeting or members’ meeting at which the conversion project was approved;
  • expert opinions on the valuation of a contribution in kind when a foundation, endowment, institute, private limited-liability company or public limited-liability company is established or when their share capital or endowment capital is increased, expert opinions on the valuation of a contribution in kind to a cooperative, expert opinions on the valuation of assets when companies and cooperatives are converted, and expert opinions on the valuation of assets when the assets of a public limited-liability company are acquired from the founders for a consideration pursuant to Act No 90/2012 on business corporations
  • any court decisions adopted in insolvency proceedings
  • court decisions concerning the invalidity of a decision taken by one of a legal person’s constituent bodies
  • documents proving the purchase of a business pursuant to the Civil Code provisions concerning such purchases
  • decisions taken by a general meeting concerning employees’ exemption from paying the full issue price of subscribed shares or their entitlement to acquire such shares on other preferential terms.

The documents that must be deposited in the collection of documents are specified in law. Generally speaking, such documents are ones that have a fundamental influence on the incorporation, dissolution and operation of a legal person; they indicate who may represent the legal person and who is authorised to enter into commitments on its behalf.

How can the register be searched (and what search criteria are available)?

In person

Public registers are accessible only via a web-based public-registers application. Data concerning persons registered before 1 January 1997 are made available on paper if they have not been digitised and may not be accessible via a web-based public-registers application.

On the register’s website

Searches can be undertaken free of charge via the web-based public-registers application. Entries can be searched by name or company name of the registered entity, by the person’s identification number or by the file number under which the person is registered with the competent registry court. Searches can be refined by means of additional data concerning the registered address, the street name, the court at which the entity is registered, the latter’s legal form, and so on. It is also possible to search by type of involvement in a registered person: a search can be carried out for registered natural and legal persons who are involved in any way whatsoever in a registered legal person.

In addition, open data are available at https://dataor.justice.cz/. The current year’s dataset for the local open-data catalogue relating to the public-registers application is updated daily. If the dataset is linked to an earlier year, it is updated annually (always in January of the current year). A description of the dataset can be found in the dataset detail. The content of the dataset and a description of the local open-data catalogue relating to the public-registers application can be found in the user guide available via the Link opens in new windowfollowing link.

What are the available search criteria?

It is possible to search by the name, company name or identification number of the registered person, or by the details of the legal or natural person involved.

How can I obtain documents?

Is it free of charge?

A partial or full extract from the public register or the collection of documents can be obtained. A partial extract contains only the latest valid data entered in the Commercial Code. A full extract contains all the data entered for the person concerned.

Is there a charge?

A charge is made for this service only if the applicant requests a paper copy. However, there is also a charge for sending extracts in electronic form to a data box or via e-mail. There is no charge if the applicant provides a data medium. If, however, the court sends an electronic extract on a data medium not provided by the applicant (i.e. including in cases where the court sends the electronic extract by data box or email), a fee is charged on the grounds that issuing a certified extract is not merely a transfer of data.

How can I obtain an extract from the register, a certified copy or a transcript of documents?

A certified copy may be obtained free of charge from the website of the public-registers application. Both full and partial copies may be obtained in this way. A fee is charged only if the applicant requests a paper copy. Paper copies are subject to a fee of CZK 70 for each page (or part-page) of the copy and may be requested at the registry court where the person concerned is registered.

Proceedings in matters relating to the business register

How can I initiate proceedings in matters relating to the business register (how can I submit an application to the register, how are documents to be certified, what type of documents need to be attached)?

Applications for initial registration, amendments and erasure must be submitted using the prescribed form available on the website of the public-registers application. The form can only be filled in electronically. Once completed, the form containing the application for registration must be generated and submitted in paper form or electronically.

Registration is carried out either by the registry court or by a notary. As a general rule, proceedings are initiated on the basis of an application. In some cases, proceedings may be initiated by a court on its own initiative; these are mainly situations where the court learns of a discrepancy between the registered and actual state of affairs, or where an entry is non-compliant with mandatory legal provisions. After an application is submitted, the court ascertains whether it has jurisdiction over the case, whether the applicant has legal capacity to submit the application, whether the application contains all the requisite details, and whether the relevant documents are attached. If the application has a shortcoming that can be remedied, the court calls upon the applicant to remedy it (e.g. to submit missing documents or to remove the shortcomings in the application). The court then checks whether the data to be registered on the basis of the application are supported by the attached documents and whether the name (company name) to be registered could be confused with another name or is misleading. The court then decides on the registration and processes it.

A registration may be processed by a notary only if the legal requirements are met (which is not always the case). The main advantage of registrations carried out by a notary is that they are processed quickly, since the notary may perform a registration on the very day on which the supporting notarial deed is drawn up. A further advantage is that the applicant is not required to generate an application using the prescribed form.

A notary may carry out a registration if:

  • the facts to be registered are supported by a notarial deed;
  • the notarial deed contains a statement to the effect that the content of the supporting notarial deed is legal; and
  • the applicant has satisfied further formalities by submitting the relevant documents.

A supporting notarial deed is a notarial deed (typically an instrument of constitution) that serves as a basis for registration in a public register, or a record of a decision taken by a body forming part of a legal person (e.g. a general-meeting decision dismissing a management board). Not all legal instruments are required to be in the form of a public document (a notarial deed). However, this does not exclude the possibility of issuing a notarial deed as a legal instrument, even where this is not required by law. A notarial deed may also take the form of a supporting notarial deed and be used for direct registration by a notary.

In each case the following must be attached to the application:

  1. documents evidencing the facts to be registered, and
  2. the documents required by law to be deposited in the collection of documents.

The law does not list all the documents required. The documents to be submitted vary according to the form of the legal person. In general, documentary evidence is required for any fact to be registered that cannot be ascertained from a public-administration information system or part thereof that constitutes a public record, register or list.

Amongst other records, trade or other business licences must be produced in respect of fields of business or activities that are to be registered in the business register.

For example, consent to registration on the part of the members of a limited-liability company need not be documented, since such consent is demonstrated through the conclusion of a memorandum of association in the form of a notarial deed. Where such consent is not granted on the basis of a declaration certified by a public deed, the members' signature on the document of consent must be authenticated.

The legal reason for the use of the premises where a corporation has its registered office must also be documented. This means that if a corporation has its registered office on premises that are covered by a lease agreement, either the lease agreement or a declaration by the owner granting consent to the use of the premises as a registered office must be provided as the legal reason for the use of the premises.

Certain facts to be registered can be documented only by affidavit. These may include, for example, the eligibility conditions relating to a legal person's constituent bodies.

In general, documents that are used to substantiate registered data must be submitted in their original form or as an officially authenticated copy thereof. Documents that are required by law to be deposited in the collection of documents do not need to be authenticated. Such documents are merely submitted in electronic form in Portable Document Format (pdf.) with a text layer, or in Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML).

The following court fees are charged for each entry in the register:

  • CZK 12,000 for the initial registration of a public limited-liability company in a public register
  • CZK 6,000 for the initial registration of a person in a public register, with the exception of a public limited-liability company
  • CZK 2,000 for changes or additions to a registration.

Fees for registration by a notary:

  • CZK 8,000 for the initial registration of a public limited-liability company in a public register
  • CZK 2,700 for the initial registration of a person in a public register, with the exception of a public limited-liability company
  • CZK 1,000 for changes or additions.

Court fees of up to CZK 5,000 may be paid by duty stamp or by transfer to the relevant court’s bank account. Court fees exceeding CZK 5,000 must be paid exclusively by transfer to the relevant court’s bank account. Fees for registration by a notary may be paid directly to the notary.

Proceedings in matters relating to a public register are exempt from fees if:

  1. the registration concerns a natural or legal entity which is subject to an insolvency proceeding, whereby its insolvency or impending insolvency is being dealt with and a decision declaring insolvency has already been issued, or
  2. the registration concerns an association, subsidiary association, trade union, international trade union, employers’ organisation or international employers’ organisation, foundation, endowment, institute or charitable organisation entered in a public register, or changes to that register.

Proceedings in which the applicant is a trade union, international trade union, employers’ organisation or international employers’ organisation (or a branch thereof) are exempt from fees when such bodies are recorded in the public register as having been incorporated, modified in some way or liquidated.

The same conditions for exemption from fees apply in the case of registration by a notary. Registration by a notary on the basis of a notarial deed concerning the constitution of a private limited-liability company which contains only the requisite details prescribed by the Civil Code and the Corporations Act and which states that the obligation to provide a contribution is to be fulfilled by payment in money is also exempt from fees.

In person

Applications for registration in a public register may be submitted in person to the competent registry court’s submissions department or to a notary.

On line

Applications for registration may be submitted electronically. Electronic applications may be submitted primarily by data box, to the email address of the court’s submissions department or via the ePodatelna internet application. The web-based public-registers application may be used for submitting documents to be deposited in the collection of documents. Documents may also be submitted on portable CDs and DVDs. Applications for registration in electronic form must be signed by a recognised electronic signature unless sent via the applicant’s data box.

How are submitted applications reviewed?

The registry court first examines whether the person submitting the application is entitled to do so; whether it was submitted in the prescribed manner, whether it contains all the requisite details, whether it is comprehensible and specific, whether it is accompanied by documents supporting the facts to be registered, and whether the aim pursued by the legal person is lawful.

The court then examines whether the data to be registered on the basis of the application are actually supported by the appended documents. It is important to point out that all the facts to be registered must be supported by the documents appended to the application.

The court also checks that the legal person’s name (company name) to be registered will not be confused with another name (company name) of a person already registered and that the name (company name) to be registered is not misleading.

Legal effects of the registration

Effect of registration on third parties pursuant to Article 17 of Directive (EU) 2017/1132

The state of being registered in a public register is a legally valid state for all persons who are unaware that the state of registration of a given registered entity does not correspond to the actual legal state of affairs. This means that registered persons will be bound by legal acts implemented on the basis of facts registered in a public register, even if they do not correspond to the actual state of affairs. For example, a company’s management board may require the company to implement legal acts even after it has ceased to be the management board, if this fact has not been entered in the public register and a third party was not aware of it. This is to protect third parties’ good faith.

If a fact has not been entered in a public register (even though it should have been), the registered person cannot cite the actual state of affairs as an objection against a third party who acted in good faith with regard to the registered state of affairs. However, this does not apply if the registered person proves that the third party was aware of the actual state of affairs.

Discrepancies between a register entry and its published form

The state of affairs recorded in a public register is effective vis-à-vis third parties from the date on which it is made public. However, a registered person may object that a third party was already aware of the facts registered. The data and content of documents deposited in the collection of documents may not be cited by the registered person as grounds for an objection against third parties until the 16th day after they were made public, but only if the third party proves that it could not have learned of the registered facts within that period of time. This means that the burden of proof that the third party could not have learned of the facts registered lies with the third party.

Who is responsible for the accuracy of entries?

Registered persons are required to ensure that the data entered in the business register are up-to-date. Furthermore, registered persons have an incentive to ensure that the data in the business register are up-to-date and correct, since the state of being registered in a public register is a legally valid state for all persons who are unaware that the state of registration of a given registered entity does not correspond to the actual legal state of affairs. This means that registered persons will be bound by legal acts implemented on the basis of facts registered in a public register, even if they do not correspond to the actual state of affairs. For example, a company’s management board may require the company to implement legal acts even after it has ceased to be the management board, if this fact has not been entered in the public register and a third party was not aware of it. This is to protect third parties’ good faith.

An administrative fine may also be imposed on a registered person if the latter fails to respond to a call from a registry court to disclose facts or submit documents needed for a decision in proceedings initiated at the court’s own initiative or to submit documents which, under this or any other law, are to be deposited in the collection of documents; administrative fines may amount to CZK 100,000. If the registered person repeatedly fails to comply with such requirements or if non-compliance may have serious consequences for third parties and if a corresponding legal interest exists, the registry court may (including at its own initiative) initiate proceedings with a view to liquidating a legal person. The registry court advises the registered person of this fact and provides it with a reasonable period of time within which to remedy the shortcomings.

Registry courts also actively combat the existence of inactive companies, i.e. corporations that do not generate any economic activity and exist only formally. The main reason for penalising and eliminating inactive corporations is the risk that they may serve as money mules for financial (especially tax) fraud; it is easier to use existing corporations for illegal activities. A court may dissolve a corporation that (1) has failed to deposit its financial statements in the collection of documents for at least two fiscal years, despite being required to do so by law; (2) could not be contacted. A corporation is considered non-contactable if it cannot be served with a call to submit missing financial statements to the collection of documents. If a corporation has merely failed to deposit its financial statements (despite being required to do so by law) but a call can be served on it, the court imposes an administrative fine as an incentive to the registered person to submit the requisite documents.

If a fact has not been entered in a public register (even though it should have been), the registered person cannot cite the actual state of affairs as an objection against a third party who acted in good faith with regard to the registered state of affairs. However, this does not apply if the person to be registered proves that the third party was aware of the actual state of affairs.

Furthermore, a penalty may be imposed for an administrative offence under § Section 37a(1)(h) of Act No 563/1991 on accounting, in the form of a fine of up to 3% of the value of assets; the competent tax authority is responsible for dealing with administrative offences. Failure to comply with the requirements relating to a public register may also be penalised as an administrative offence under § Section 9(2) of Act No 251/2016 on certain administrative offences; the competent authority for such cases is a municipality with extended competence. Under certain circumstances, such offences may constitute a criminal offence (§Section 254 of Act No 40/2009 – the Criminal Code).

Data-protection procedures

Procedures relating to data subjects’ rights regarding the publication and storage of their personal data

From the point of view of data-protection legislation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC [the General Data Protection Regulation – GDPR]), the legal basis for such processing is Section 6(1)(c) of the GDPR (i.e. processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject) and (e) of the GDPR (processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller) in conjunction with Article 6(3) of the GDPR, i.e. it is a manner of processing which is directly laid down by law.

The reasons for which the personal data of natural persons – including data concerning residence (place of stay) – are published in public registers stem from the principle of disclosure both formal (§Sections 3 to 6 of the Public Registers Act) and material (§Sections 8 and 9 of the Public Registers Act), which means that the state allows all persons to have general access to individual entities’ data entered in the register and, at the same time, upholds the principle of good faith (public trust) in the registered facts, so that personal data from the business register can, for example, be used to check the correctness of identification data in the context of business relations, to deliver official documents to members of management boards, etc.).

Moreover, disclosing the identity of members of management boards has long been required under European law (see in particular Article 14(d) and Article 30(1)(e) of Directive (EU) 2017/1132 relating to certain aspects of company law, which also contains an amendment to the former First Council Directive 68/151/EEC); in the context of Czech law, the requirements laid down in the Directive also apply to entities registered in public registers.

As regards data recorded in public registers, personal-data subjects enjoy all the rights stemming from Articles 12 to 22 of the GDPR, with the exceptions listed therein. For example, pursuant to Article 17(3)(b) of the GDPR, a request for erasure cannot be granted because ‘the processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation which requires processing by Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject or for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller’; this legal obligation stems directly from Act No 304/2013 on public registers of legal and natural persons and on the registration of trust funds.

Affected data subjects may exercise their rights directly with the competent registry courts or with the Data Protection Officer.

Contact information

Contact details for the registry courts

Prague City Court

Slezská 2000/9, 120 00 Praha

Link opens in new windowpodatelna@msoud.pha.justice.cz

Tel: 224 172 111

Data box: snkabbm

České Budějovice Regional Court

Zátkovo nábř. 10/2, 370 84 České Budějovice

Link opens in new windowpodatelna@ksoud.cbu.justice.cz

Tel: 389 018 111

Data box: 832abay

Plzeň Regional Court

Veleslavínova 21/40, 306 17 Plzeň

Link opens in new windowpodatelna@ksoud.plz.justice.cz

Link opens in new windowsbirkalistin@ksoud.plz.justice.cz

Tel: 377 869 611

Data box: yaraba4

Ústí nad Labem Regional Court

Národního odboje 1274/26, 400 92 Ústí nad Labem

Link opens in new windowpodatelna@ksoud.unl.justice.cz

Tel: 475 247 111 – switchboard

Data box: phgaba8

Hradec Králové Regional Court

Československé armády 218/57, 502 08 Hradec Králové

Link opens in new windowpodatelna@ksoud.hrk.justice.cz

Tel: 498 016 111

Data box: ep7abae

Brno Regional Court

Husova 353/15, 601 95 Brno

Link opens in new windowpodatelna@ksoud.brn.justice.cz

Tel: 546 511 111 - switchboard

Data box: 5wwaa9j

Ostrava Regional Court

Havlíčkovo nábřeží 1835/34, 728 81 Ostrava

Link opens in new windowpodatelna@ksoud.ova.justice.cz

Tel: 596 153 111

Data box: jhyaeqv

Useful references

Web-based public-register application: Link opens in new windowhttps://or.justice.cz/ias/ui/rejstrik

Submissions to public registers: Link opens in new windowhttps://or.justice.cz/ias/ui/podani

Information concerning submissions to public registers on the Public Administration Portal: Link opens in new windowhttps://portal.gov.cz/sluzby-verejne-spravy/rejstriky-katastry-evidence-vypisy-overeni-a-statistika-KAT-419/rejstriky-pravnickych-a-fyzickych-osob-KAT-642

Information concerning registration in public registers on the website of the Czech Chamber of Notaries: Link opens in new windowhttps://www.nkcr.cz/casopis-ad-notam/detail/39_254-zapis-do-verejneho-rejstriku-notarem

Information concerning public registers on the Businessinfo.cz portal: Link opens in new windowhttps://www.businessinfo.cz/navody/verejne-rejstriky-ppbi/2/

Last update: 04/10/2023

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Denmark

This section presents an overview of Denmark’s business register.

The Danish Business Authority (Erhvervsstyrelsen)

History of the Danish Business Register

The Danish Business Authority was established on 1 January 2012.

It has approximately 500 employees. It has a broad portfolio of tasks and responsibilities, which overall should make it easier and more attractive to do business in Denmark. The Business Authority operates in many fields - from planning law and rural development to digitisation, effective supervision and monitoring of funds, companies, money laundering, accounting, auditing, export and EU checks. It is responsible for the Central Business Register (CVR), which is the state’s main register for information on all Danish companies.

The Business Authority is part of the Danish Ministry of Business and Growth (Erhvervsministeriet).

What does the Danish Business Register offer?

On erhvervsstyrelsen.dk, you can find information on all the Authority’s areas of work, including the Danish Business Register CVR.dk.

CVR.dk on the Virk portal is the centralised entry point for information and data on all businesses in Denmark. Regardless of the type of business, you can find information on both the business itself (also known as the legal entity) and its production units. The Register also provides information on founders, owners and managers.

For certain types of business – in particular public limited-liability companies and private limited-liability companies – you can find more information: accounts, facts and reports on the business and the people who manage it.

What information does the Central Business Register contain:

  • The company’s registration (CVR) number
  • Name and address
  • Date of establishment and winding-up where appropriate
  • Type of business
  • Indication of advertising protection where appropriate
  • Credit information
  • Sector and sub-sectors where appropriate
  • Contact information where appropriate
  • Number of employees where appropriate
  • Fully liable partners, founders, owners and managers
    • Name and address
    • Registration (CPR or CVR) number (CPR numbers cannot be passed on to private individuals)
  • Associated production units
    • Production unit number
    • Name and address
    • Date of establishment and winding-up where appropriate
    • Indication of advertising protection where appropriate
    • Sector and sub-sectors where appropriate
    • Contact information where appropriate
    • Number of employees where appropriate

How do I search the Danish Business Register?

In CVR on Virk, you can carry out individual company searches and search/filter on the basis of a whole series of parameters, such as company name, name of a person, company registration number, production unit number, address of company, production unit or person. You can find basic data on all companies registered in the Central Business Register.

On the page Link opens in new windowSådan søger du in CVR-Data you can find help to search for company information in the Central Business Register.

A number of solutions are available for larger quantities of data from the Central Business Register, such as ‘system-to-system access’ and ‘CVR webservices’. Link opens in new windowClick here for more information.

Is it free of charge to access the Danish Business Register?

Documents and services from the Central Business Register which do not require manual processing are free of charge. These are:

  • Various displays
  • Accounts
  • System-to-system access and CVR webservices

A number of documents require manual processing and are subsequently invoiced. However, the products are exempt from VAT:

  • Added signature: DKK 120
  • Older accounts on microfilm or from remote archives: DKK 300
  • Registration certificate: DKK 300
  • Change of name certificate: DKK 500
  • Merger plan: DKK 150
  • Minutes of annual general meeting: DKK 150
  • Documentation on capital: DKK 150
  • Copy of registration form: DKK 150
  • Management statement: DKK 150
  • Report on subsequent acquisitions: DKK 150
  • Report on self-financing DKK 150
  • Demerger plan: DKK 150
  • Articles of association: DKK 150

These prices are valid from 5 December 2014.

How reliable are the documents in the register?

Section 14 of the Companies Act transposes Article 3 of the First Company Law Directive into Danish company law, and describes how the records can be relied upon. Section 14 of the Companies Act states:

‘It is considered that information published on the Danish Business Authority’s IT system has come to the knowledge of third parties. Point 1. However this does not apply to transactions carried out within 16 days of being made public, provided it is shown that a third party could not have had knowledge of the circumstances that were made public.

As long as they have not been published on the Danish Business Authority’s IT system, the circumstances that are to be registered and made public cannot be enforced against third parties, unless it is shown that the third parties had knowledge of them. The fact that circumstances of this kind have not yet been made public does not prevent a third party from proceeding on the basis of them.’

Responsibility for the accuracy of the records

The notifier is responsible for the accuracy of the reported information, see Section 8 of the Notification Order (anmeldelsesbekendtgørelsen), and Section 15(2) of the Companies Act. The notifier may be criminally liable if the notification was not lawfully made, or if the reported information is incorrect.

The Danish Business Authority does not verify the accuracy of the reported information, but records the information that is reported to it. This is the case regardless of whether what is at issue is a manual registration or a self-registration conducted on Virk.dk.

The Danish Business Authority may be liable for damages for use of reported information or documents that are incorrect due to a management factor, such as a processing error.

Related Links

Link opens in new windowDanish Business Authority

Link opens in new windowCentral Business Register

Link opens in new windowThe Danish Ministry for Business and Growth

Link opens in new windowEuropean Business Register (EBR)

Last update: 04/05/2020

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Germany

This page provides an overview of Germany’s Company Register (Unternehmensregister).

History of the national register

When was it founded? When was it digitised?

The Commercial Register in its current form was established in 1861 and has been fully digitised since 1 January 2007. The Link opens in new windowRegister Portal provides centralised access to locally run commercial, cooperative, partnership and association registers and register notices.

On 1 January 2007, the Link opens in new windowCompany Register was created as a single digital information portal through which, alongside the entries in the above-mentioned registers, additional company information such as accounting records and financial reports, company law notices and notices of insolvency courts, and capital market information can be accessed.

What is the current applicable legislation?

The provisions on the Commercial and Company Register are set out in Sections 8-16 of the Commercial Code (Handelsgesetzbuch, HGB) and in the Commercial Register Regulation (Handelsregisterverordnung, HRV) and the Company Register Regulation (Unternehmensregisterverordnung, URV) and are supplemented by Sections 1 ff. and 376 ff. of the Act on Procedure in Family Matters and Non-Contentious Matters (Gesetz über das Verfahren in Familiensachen und in den Angelegenheiten der freiwilligen Gerichtsbarkeit, FamFG). In addition, a large number of individual laws, in particular the HGB, the Public Limited Companies Act (Aktiengesetz, AktG) and the Conversion Act (Umwandlungsgesetz, UmwG), regulate the information that may and must be entered in the Commercial Register.

What information is entered in the Company Register?

Who has the right to access the Register?

Anyone can consult the Commercial and Company Register without having to prove any particular interest.

What information is entered in the Register?

What categories of data are stored (which companies are recorded in the public register, insolvency information, financial statements)?

Depending on their legal form, companies are recorded in different registers. The Commercial Register includes, in particular, sole traders, commercial partnerships (general partnerships (Offene Handelsgesellschaften, OHG), limited partnerships (Kommanditgesellschaften, KG)) and capital companies (limited liability companies (Gesellschaften mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH), joint-stock companies (Aktiengesellschaften, AG), limited joint-stock partnerships (Kommanditgesellschaften auf Aktien, KGaA) and European companies (Europäische Gesellschaften, SE)). Cooperatives (Genossenschaften, eG) and European Cooperatives (Europäische Genossenschaften, SCE) are recorded in the Cooperative Societies Register (Genossenschaftsregister) and Registered Partnerships (Partnerschaftsgesellschaften, PartG) in the Partnerships Register (Partnerschaftsregister). The provisions relating to the Commercial Register apply mutatis mutandis to these registers.

Important facts and legal relationships of companies are recorded in the registers. These relate in particular to the existence of a company, i.e. its creation and termination (e.g. by dissolution, liquidation, or liquidation and cancellation), its representation, i.e. the persons entitled to represent it such as managing directors (GmbH), members of the board of directors (AG) and procurators, including their appointment and termination, the extent of the power of representation (e.g. representation alone or only jointly with another authorised representative), the company’s liability (in particular the amount and changes to the amount of the liability, unless liability is unlimited) and changes of partners in the GmbH. The information which must be entered varies according to the legal form of the company.

However, accounting documents such as annual accounts and other company notices are not registered in the Commercial Register, but published in the Federal Gazette. These documents, as well as capital market information and other information, in particular insolvency notices, can also be accessed in the Company Register. From 1 August 2022, accounting documents will no longer be published in the Federal Gazette, but rather in the Company Register.

Which documents are filed/stored (files, companies’ accounts, articles of association, minutes of meetings)?

The Commercial Register records the documents on which the entries are based, such as registration applications, partnership and conversion contracts and articles of association for capital companies, minutes of general meetings of AGs and lists of shareholders in limited liability companies.

How can I perform a search (and what are the available search criteria)?

A search can be carried out on the website of the Commercial Register portal under the heading ‘Normal Search’ using the name of the company or keywords, as well as the place of establishment or the registered office of the company. The search can be further refined using information such as the type of register, the registration number and the court of registration. In the ‘Advanced search’ field you can also search by address.

A quick search using the company name can also be carried out on the website of the Company Register, with the option of restricting the search to register information or publications. In addition, an advanced search of comparable criteria can be carried out using the Commercial Register portal.

The commercial, cooperative and partnership register may also be consulted in person at the office of the relevant court of registration.

How can I obtain an extract from the register, certified copy or transcript of documents?

An extract from the register can be accessed in electronic form on the register portal on payment of a fee of EUR 4.50. Documents stored in the Commercial Register, such as articles of association, company contracts, etc., can also be accessed electronically on the register portal. A fee of EUR 1.50 is payable for each document accessed. These fees will, however, cease to apply on 1 August 2022.

A simple or certified copy of an extract from the register may also be requested, on payment of a fee, from the competent court of registration, which may send it to the applicant in paper or electronic form, bearing a qualified electronic signature if a certified copy is required.

Extracts from registers and documents stored in the Commercial Register are also available on the website of the Company Register, with the same fees as for direct access to the register portal. Access to accounting documents in the Company Register is free of charge, while a fee of EUR 1.00 per balance sheet is payable for accessing the balance sheets of microenterprises.

Registration procedure

How can I apply for registration (submission of applications to the register; certification of documents; type of documents which need to be attached)?

Registration applications must be submitted electronically in an officially certified form. Applications are certified by a notary as a simple electronic certificate. As of 1 August 2022, notaries may also certify qualified electronic signatures online by means of video communication in the case of Commercial Register entries of limited liability companies and sole traders.

Documents are also submitted in electronic form, as scanned documents. Notarially authenticated or certified documents shall be accompanied by a simple electronic certificate drawn up by a notary.

How are submitted applications reviewed?

The notary certifying the registration application checks that it is registrable before it is filed. Following the submission of the application, the court of registration also checks, on the basis of the ‘two pairs of eyes’ principle, whether the fact submitted is registrable and whether the formal conditions for registration are met, in particular the submission of an application to that effect, the eligibility of the applicant, the provision of documents necessary for filing the application, and the jurisdiction of the court seised. However, the factual accuracy of the facts submitted, e.g. whether the entry or departure of a shareholder has effectively taken place, is in general not checked.

Legal effect of registration

Effect of registration on third parties according to Article 17 of Directive (EU) 2017/1132

A company may, in relation to third parties, appeal only to facts entered and published in the Commercial Register (Section 15(2) HGB).

If a fact that should have been entered in the Commercial Register has not been entered and published, third parties are protected in their expectation that the fact in question does not exist (Section 15(1) HGB).

Discrepancies between the register entry and its published form

If the entry in the Commercial Register differs from the content of its published form, the latter is authoritative. Third parties may invoke inaccuracy of publication unless they were aware of the inaccuracy (Section 15(3) HGB). However, this applies only if the enterprise concerned also initiated, i.e. applied for, the registration.

In transposition of the Digitalisation Directive, from 1 August 2022, register entries will be disclosed on the Commercial Register Portal as soon as they become accessible. No further (separate) publication will take place as of that date. It will then no longer be possible for there to be any discrepancies between a register entry and its published form. From that point in time, therefore, the only decisive factor for the good faith provision of Section 15(3) HGB will be whether the entry in the register is inaccurate.

Who is responsible for the accuracy of entries?

Since, as a general rule, courts of registration do not verify the substantive accuracy of the entries, the undertakings subject to registration bear the responsibility for the accuracy of the facts entered.

Data protection procedures

Procedures related to the rights of the data subject regarding publishing and storing their personal data

Access via the Trade Register Portal is logged with details of the court of registration, the register page and the person or body accessing it. Logged data may be used only for the purpose of ensuring proper data processing and the settlement of costs and must be protected against improper use or other kinds of misuse by appropriate means. Logged data are destroyed no later than 5 years after payment of the costs.

Access via the Company Register may be documented solely for the purpose of settlement and in order to prevent improper access. Logged data must be deleted after no more than 6 months unless they need to be stored for longer for accounting purposes.

The provisions on data protection, in particular the General Data Protection Regulation, also apply to the publication and storage of personal data.

Contact information

Commercial Register portal

Hagen Local Court

-Registration portal service point-

Heinitzstr. 42, 58097 Hagen

Telephone +49 2331985112

Fax +49 21187565114100

Email: Link opens in new windowservice@handelsregister.de

Company Register

Bundesanzeiger Verlag GmbH

Amsterdamer Straße 192, 50735 Köln

Telephone: +49 221976680

Email: Link opens in new windowservice@bundesanzeiger.de

Useful Links

Link opens in new windowGerman Commercial Register portal

Link opens in new windowAdvanced Search

Link opens in new windowNormal search

Link opens in new windowGerman Company Register

Last update: 26/09/2022

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Estonia

This page provides you with an overview of the Estonian commercial register and the register of non-profit associations and foundations.

What information can be found in the Estonian commercial register and the register of non-profit associations and foundations?

The commercial register and the register of non-profit associations and foundations are maintained by the registration department of Tartu County Court. The registers are maintained at the court to ensure the independent status and legal expertise of the registrar. They have strong legal force and their aim is to ensure legal certainty. An entry in the commercial register is held as correct with regard to a third party, unless the third party knew or should have known that the entry was not correct. An entry is deemed not to apply with regard to transactions which are concluded within 15 days after the entry is made if a third party proves that the third party was not aware nor should have been aware of the content of the entry. Thus a third party may, in good faith, trust in the veracity of the entries in the register, for instance presuming, upon entering into a contract, that the person entered in the register as a member of the management board possesses signatory authority for the company in question.

Some legal circumstances are only valid if they are entered in the register: for instance, the signatory authority of a member of a management board may be circumscribed in the articles of association or the contract entered into with the member of the management board, but only the limitations entered in the register apply to third parties.

Certain important circumstances take effect from the moment the register entry is made: for instance, the increasing of a company’s share capital takes effect from the moment the increase is entered in the commercial register, and not from the time the decision to increase the share capital is taken or from the time the contributions are made. The same applies to the establishment of a legal entity, the amendment of its articles of association or to its merger, division and transformation.

The registers are maintained electronically.

The registration department of Tartu County Court maintains the commercial register of self-employed persons, companies (public limited companies, private limited companies, general partnerships, limited partnerships, commercial associations, European Companies (Societas Europaea), European Cooperative Societies (Societas Cooperativa Europaea) and European groupings of territorial cooperation) and branches of foreign companies located in Estonia.

The register of non-profit associations and foundations holds information on the non-profit associations and foundations located in Estonia (non-profit associations are also deemed to include political parties and other not-for-profit associations, as well as trade unions, churches, congregations, associations of congregations, and monasteries). The register of non-profit associations and foundations also includes the register of housing associations and the register of land improvement associations.

The following are opened in the commercial register or the register of non-profit associations and foundations for each self-employed person, legal entity and branch of a foreign company:

  • a registry card;
  • a business file (in the commercial register) or a public file (in the case of non-profit associations, foundations and housing associations);
  • a registry file.

The business and public files contain documents that a legal entity, a self-employed person or a branch of a foreign company has submitted to the registrar in accordance with law, for instance the articles of incorporation or association and other documents entered in the public record. Court judgments, appeals against rulings, correspondence and other documents that are not kept in the business or public files are kept in the registry file.

The following information is entered on the registry card of a legal entity, a self-employed person or a branch of a foreign company:

  • the business name or name and the registry code;
  • the residence or registered office and address of legal entities, self-employed persons and branches of foreign companies, and for these persons and companies also the email address;
  • details concerning the self-employed person, and details concerning the suspension of the person’s operations and the seasonal or temporary nature of the operations;
  • for branches of foreign companies, the register in which the company is entered and, if entry in a register is required under the laws of the country in which the company is established, the registration number; the country under whose laws the company operates in the country in which it is established; when the company’s articles of association were adopted and whether they have been amended, if this is entered in the register in the country in which the company is established;
  • details concerning persons with powers of representation (members of the management board, general partners, managing partners or third parties, limited partners, liquidators, the trustee in bankruptcy), the names and personal identification numbers of the branch managers (and any specific factors regarding their powers of representation), and the names and personal identification numbers of the legal representatives of the foreign company and when their powers of representation took effect and expire; also any agreements concerning the right of representation, and the powers of the members of the management board of a legal entity and of liquidators to represent the legal entity;
  • the name or business name and the personal identification number or registration number of the contact person for a non-profit association, foundation, company and branch of a foreign company, and the Estonian address for delivery of declarations of intent addressed to an undertaking and for service of procedural documents, as well as the email address of the contact person;
  • details concerning the procurator;
  • the legal form of the undertaking or the branch of a foreign company, or the type of company;
  • when the articles of association of the legal entity were approved;
  • the monetary value of the company’s share capital (for a branch of a foreign company, the value of the company’s share capital if it is entered in the register in the country in which the company is established), details concerning limited partners, and the value of their contributions;
  • a note concerning the foundation of the private limited company without contributions being made;
  • a note indicating that the shares have been registered in the Estonian central register of securities or a note of the party maintaining the share register;
  • a note indicating that the formal disposition requirements for the transfer or pledge of a share have been waived;
  • the beginning and end of the financial year for a company, non-profit association, foundation, foreign company or land improvement association (and, for a branch of a foreign company, also whether the company is required to publish an annual report);
  • the information on bankruptcy required by law, and information on the appointment of a cover pool administrator;
  • a note concerning the merger, division and transformation of the company and concerning its dissolution and de-registration;
  • reference to entries made by the registrar as provided by law and without the undertaking making a request;
  • information on the depositary for documents from a liquidated legal entity;
  • for branches of foreign companies, the register in which the company is entered and, if entry in a register is required under the laws of the country in which the company is established, the registration number; the country under whose laws the company operates in the country in which it is established; when the company’s articles of association were adopted and whether they have been amended, if this is entered in the register in the country in which the company is established;
  • the objectives of the foundation; the location of the central administration, if it is in a foreign country; when the establishment decision was taken; the period of operation, if a foundation has been established for a set period;
  • the code of the land improvement system located in the area of operation of the land improvement association;
  • the name and registration number of the manager of the apartment association, and a note indicating that a loan has been taken;
  • the period of operation of a non-profit association if it has been established for a set period;
  • the date of the entry, references to subsequent entries and other remarks;
  • other information provided by law.

Register matters are reviewed as non-contentious civil cases using written proceedings. Entries are made in the registers on the basis of an application for entry or a court decision or on other bases laid down by law. Applications for entry must either bear a digital signature or be in the form of a notarial document.

Entries in the commercial register and the register of non-profit associations and foundations are public. Everyone has the right to examine registry card data and the documents in business or public files and to obtain copies of them. Registry files may be examined by competent government bodies, courts during proceedings and other persons or entities with a legitimate interest.

The central database of the commercial register and the register of non-profit associations and foundations is maintained by the Centre of Registers and Information Systems. The Centre also offers the following services:

The e-Business Register

The e-Business Register is a service based on the database of the registration department of Tartu County Court that displays real-time data concerning all legal entities, self-employed persons and branches of foreign companies registered in Estonia. The e-Business Register makes it possible to:

  • examine registry card data, general data and data on tax arrears free of charge;
  • search by name, registry code, registered office, field of activities, etc.;
  • view, for a fee, annual reports, articles of association and other electronic documents, personal information and commercial pledge data, etc., contained in the business or public files;
  • monitor in real time procedural information concerning companies and changes to their entries;
  • check free of charge any trade bans imposed on Estonian persons or entities;
  • view free of charge the list of members of political parties;
  • view the links between various companies and persons.

The e-Business Register also enables persons and entities to submit documents to the registration department of the court themselves. Applications to register a new company, amend its registry data, liquidate it and delete it from the register can be submitted via the e-Business Register. It is also possible to prepare and submit annual reports. Estonian, Finnish, Latvian and Belgian citizens and e-residents of Estonia can log in to the e-Business Register using their ID cards for authentication. Estonian and Lithuanian citizens can log in using the Mobile-ID service.

Further information about the e-Business Register is available on the Link opens in new windowwebsite of the Centre of Registers and Information Systems.

European Business Register (EBR)

The European Business Register (EBR) is a web-based search system providing official information on European companies. Searches can be made on the Link opens in new windowwebsite.

  • Information is available from the commercial registers of a total of Link opens in new window17 countries.
  • Searches may be made concerning companies and persons.
  • The Link opens in new windowlist of available information varies from country to country.
  • Registry data has a different legal effect in different countries.
  • The search function can be used by both private individuals and companies.
  • A fee is charged for the service.

Is access to the Estonian commercial register free of charge?

Registry data can be accessed Link opens in new windowonline and at Link opens in new windownotaries’ offices.

No fee is charged online for searches concerning legal entities, self-employed persons and branches of foreign companies, for information about court proceedings or for access to registry card data. No fee is charged for persons carrying out an online search on themselves. However, a fee is charged for all other searches, including historical registry card data and access to annual reports, articles of association and other documents. Where a fee is charged for information, payment is made immediately by internet bank transfer. Subscribers with the right to use the extended search parameters pay on the basis of monthly invoices. The rates charged for using the computer data in the commercial register are laid down in a Link opens in new windowRegulation of the Minister for Justice.

A fee is charged for consulting registry data and file documents at a notary’s office. The fees are set out in the Link opens in new windowNotary Fees Act.

How to search the Estonian commercial register

Searches can be made in the commercial register and the register of non-profit associations and foundations using the e-Business Register on the Link opens in new windowwebsite of the Centre of Registers and Information Systems.

How reliable are the documents contained in the register?

This page explains how the use of the data and documents contained in the commercial register is regulated in Estonia.

The registration department of Tartu County Court maintains the commercial register. Self-employed persons, branches of foreign companies, and companies (public limited companies, private limited companies, general partnerships, limited partnerships, commercial associations, European Companies (Societas Europaea), European Cooperative Societies (Societas Cooperativa Europaea) and European groupings of territorial cooperation) are entered in the commercial register. This electronic register has strong legal force, and its aim is to ensure legal certainty. The commercial register is maintained in Estonian.

An entry in the commercial register is held as correct with regard to a third party, unless the third party knew or should have known that the entry was not correct. An entry is deemed not to apply with regard to transactions which are concluded within 15 days after the entry is made if a third party proves that the third party was not aware nor should have been aware of the content of the entry. Thus a third party may, in good faith, trust in the veracity of the entries in the register, for instance presuming, upon entering into a contract, that the person entered in the register as a member of the management board possesses signatory authority for the company in question.

Some legal circumstances are only valid if they are entered in the register: for instance, the signatory authority of a member of a management board may be circumscribed in the articles of association or the contract entered into with the member of the management board, but only the limitations entered in the register apply to third parties.

Certain important circumstances take effect from the moment the register entry is made: for instance, the increasing of a company’s share capital takes effect from the moment the increase is entered in the commercial register, and not from the time the decision to increase the share capital is taken or from the time the contributions are made. The same applies to the establishment of a legal entity, the amendment of its articles of association or to its merger, division and transformation.

The following are opened in the commercial register for each self-employed person, legal entity and branch of a foreign company:

  • a registry card;
  • a business file;
  • a registry file.

The business file contains documents that a company, self-employed person or the branch of a foreign company has submitted to the registrar in accordance with the law, for instance the articles of incorporation or association and other documents submitted to the public record. Court judgments, appeals against rulings, correspondence and other documents that are not kept in the business file are kept in the registry file.

Documents in a foreign language are to be submitted to the registrar with a translation into Estonian by a sworn translator. Documents may also be submitted to the registrar with a translation into Estonian by a notary, if the notary has prepared a notarial act or notarial attestation in a foreign language on the basis of Section 5(2) of the Notarisation Act. Where documents are submitted that do not meet these requirements and that are completely or partly in a foreign language, the registrar proceeds solely on the basis of the documents or passages of text submitted in Estonian. Undertakings and third parties cannot rely on documents or passages of text in a foreign language. An undertaking may not rely on a translation which differs from the original document. A third party may rely on the translation of a document submitted to the registrar unless the undertaking proves that the third party was aware of the inaccuracy of the translation.

Entries in the commercial register are public. Everyone has the right to examine the information contained in the registry cards and the documents in business files and to obtain copies of them. Registry files may be examined by competent government bodies, courts during proceedings and other persons or entities with a legitimate interest.

Documents in the file may be viewed and copies thereof may be requested via the e-Business Register or through a notary.

History of the Estonian commercial register

The Estonian commercial register contains information dating back to 1 September 1995. All data is regularly updated.

Related links

Link opens in new windowEuropean Business Register

Link opens in new windowThe e-Business Register

Link opens in new windowRegistration Department

Link opens in new windowNotaries

Last update: 20/09/2022

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Ireland

This section provides you with an overview of Ireland's business register.

What does the Irish business register offer?

The Link opens in new windowRegister of Companies records certain documents which are kept and maintained by the Companies Registration Office pursuant to filing obligations on companies arising under and by virtue of the Companies Acts, 1963-2012.  The register provides basic company information, such as:

  • The address,
  • Date of incorporation
  • Date of last annual return filed

All documents filed by companies under the Companies’ Acts are publicly accessible. Company profiles may be purchased. This provides an extract of the information on the register, including company officers, charges and a list of the documents filed.

Is access to the Irish register of companies free of charge?

Yes, access to basic company information is free of charge. However, a fee is charged for the retrieval of any other information.

How to search the Irish register of companies and business names?

Searches can be conducted by company/business number or name. There are four possible name searches:

  • 'Contains all these words' searches for names containing these words(recommended)
  • 'Starts with this phrase' searches for names beginning with this phrase
  • 'Contains this phrase' searches for names containing this phrase.
  • The alphasort is a string created by removing common words such as 'Ireland', 'Limited', 'The', 'And', etc. and by stripping out spaces, commas, hyphens, etc. from the company name. To perform an alphasort search you should do the same.

Name searches may be narrowed by including address details.

To which extent can the documents in the register be relied upon?

The Companies Registration Office (CRO) is the central repository of public statutory information on companies in Ireland. The Companies Act 2014 and related legislation are the statutory basis on which companies are required to provide information to the CRO for registration and publication.

The information contained on the companies register is supplied to the CRO by third parties, pursuant to statutory obligation, including the obligation not to knowingly or recklessly supply false information to the CRO. The CRO cannot and does not vouch for the accuracy of the information which has been supplied to it by third parties.

In relation to the submission of certain documents and particulars there is a statutory requirement that the person making the submission must sign a statutory declaration that he or she believes that the required particulars and documents have been properly submitted. In accordance with the Statutory Declarations Act 1938 as amended, any person who knowingly makes a false or misleading statutory declaration is liable to prosecution and, on conviction, to a fine or imprisonment, or both.

Additionally, in accordance with section 876 of the Companies Act 2014, it is a criminal offence to knowingly or recklessly notify false information to the CRO on statutory forms.

History of the Irish register of companies

Electronic data on the register is complete in relation to all companies in normal status.

Related Links

BRIS - Business Register Interconnection System

Last update: 26/04/2023

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Greece

Background to the establishment of the national register

When was it established?

The General Commercial Registry (Geniko Emporiko Mitroo - G.E.MI.) was established under Law 3419/2005 and became operational on 4 April 2011. Law 3419/05 was subsequently repealed and replaced by the recent Law 4919/2022.

When was it digitised?

The Registry was established as a digital electronic register and maintains all the documents and data submitted by companies in digital form.

What is the current applicable legislation?

It is governed by Law 4919/2022, which is divided into two parts: Part A (Articles 1-14), which sets out the provisions on the establishment of companies of all legal forms in Greece, and Part B (Articles 15-59), which sets out the provisions on the documents and data submitted by any form of entity, branches in EU and third countries, as well as matters relating to access, the issuing of documents and data, the relevant sanctions, etc. Link opens in new windowhttps://www.businessportal.gr/backOffice/backOfficeFiles/2022-04-21-115740s02218f074dd98ef8bc23788fcfdb4d6.pdf

What information does the business register offer?

The Registry records all disclosures of business documents and data for limited liability companies and sole proprietorship companies, branches in EU countries as well as branches in third countries. These disclosures are referred to in the relevant company legislation and in Directive (EU) 2017/1132. The website of the General Commercial Registry serves as the ‘National Gazette for the disclosure of commercial information’. Natural or legal persons or associations of such persons as referred to Article 16(1) of Law No 4919/22 are obliged to register in the General Commercial Registry.

You can search on the Registry website for information disclosed by the following types of business:

(a) Public limited liability companies (anonymes etaireies - A.E.), as provided for by Law 4548/2018 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 104).

(b) Private limited liability companies (etaireies periorismenis efthynis - EPE), as provided for by Law 3190/1955 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 91).

(c) Private capital companies (idiotikes kefalaiouchikes etaireies - IKE), as provided for by Law 4072/2012 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 86).

(d) General partnerships (omorrythmes etaireies) or limited partnerships (eterrorythmes etaireies) (ordinary or with a share capital), as provided for by Law 4072/2012.

(e) Cooperatives governed by civil law (astikoi synetairismoi), as provided for by Law 1667/1986 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 196), which include mutual insurance associations, credit cooperatives, building cooperatives and energy communities.

(f) Social cooperative enterprises (koinonikes synetairistikes epicheiriseis) and cooperatives of employees (synetairismoi ergazomenon), as provided for by Law 4430/2016 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 205).

(g) Limited liability social cooperatives (koinonikoi synetairismoi periorismenis efthynis), as provided for by Article 12 of Law 2716/1999 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 96).

(h) Economic interest civil law companies (astikes etaireies me oikonomikou skopou), as provided for by Article 784 of the Civil Code and Article 270 of Law 4072/2012.

(i) European economic interest groupings, as provided for by Council Regulation (EEC) No 2137/1985 (OJ L 199, corrigendum L 247), that have their headquarters in Greece.

(j) European companies, as provided for by Council Regulation (EC) No 2157/2001 (OJ L 294), that have their headquarters in Greece.

(k) European cooperative societies, as provided for by Council Regulation (EC) No 1435/2003 (OJ L 207), that have their headquarters in Greece.

(l) Branches or agencies which foreign companies in the form of public limited liability companies, private limited liability companies and partnerships limited by shares that have their head office in an EU Member State, have in Greece.

(m) Branches or agencies which foreign companies whose headquarters are in a third country and which have a legal form similar to one of the foreign companies referred to in (l) above, have in Greece.

(n) Branches or agencies through which natural or legal persons or associations of such persons that have their principal place of business or their headquarters abroad and that do not fall under points (l) or (m) carry out commercial transactions in Greece.

(o) Consortia, as provided for by Article 293 of Law 4072/2012, (p) profit-oriented sole proprietorships which have an establishment in Greece and which: (i) are regularly engaged in the carrying out of commercial transactions in their name; or (ii) distribute goods or services or act as agents for their distribution, with a business risk, either through organised infrastructure or through the employment of third persons.

Who has the right to access the register?

1. Documents and data that a company or branch submits as part of a company’s establishment, the registration of a branch or the submission of information are stored by the Registry in a searchable machine-readable format or as structured data.

2. Any interested party may receive, exclusively in electronic form, certificates, copies or extracts of documents and data from the files of those obliged to register, upon submitting, exclusively in electronic form, an application to the competent Registry department, in accordance with Article 11 of Law 2690/1999 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 45). The above-mentioned certificates, copies or extracts are issued exclusively in electronic form. Similarly, any interested party may request copies, extracts or certificates of the documents and data which are kept in the file and which are not published on the Registry's website. The Registry is not required to issue copies of documents and data from the files of those obliged to register, if such documents and data were submitted on paper before 31 December 2006.

What information is recorded in the Greek business register?

Which types of data are stored (which entities are registered in the public register, information on insolvency proceedings, financial statements...)?

The documents and data that are published and that can be disclosed to any third party concerned are at least the following:

1. The following documents and data are published in the Registry with regard to the companies referred to in Article 16(1)(a) to (c), (e) to (g) and (i) to (k) of Law 4919/22, whose headquarters are in Greece:

(a) the instrument of constitution, statutes and, where necessary, the management’s decision of approval;

(b) amendments to the statutes and the full consolidated text of the statutes;

(c) the appointment, termination of office and particulars, as provided for by Article 33(2), of the persons who either as a body constituted pursuant to law or as members of any such body:

(i) are authorised to represent the company in dealings with third parties. In the event that this concerns more than one person, the relevant entry must state whether these persons can act alone or whether they must act jointly;

(ii) represent the company before a court of law; and

(iii) take part in the administration, supervision or control of the company;

(d) at least once a year, the amount of the capital subscribed, where the instrument of constitution or the statutes mention an authorised capital, unless any increase in the capital subscribed necessitates an amendment of the statutes;

(e) the accounting documents for each financial year which are mandatory under Council Directives 86/635/EEC (OJ L 372) on the annual accounts and consolidated accounts of banks and other financial institutions, 91/674/EEC (OJ L 374) on the annual accounts and consolidated accounts of insurance undertakings, and 2013/34/EU (OJ L 182) on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings, amending Directive 2006/43/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC;

(f) any change of headquarters of the company;

(g) the winding-up and revival of the company;

(h) any declaration of nullity of the company by the courts;

(i) the appointment and particulars of the liquidators, in accordance with Article 33(2) and (3);

(j) the financial statements for the opening and the closing of liquidation and the removal from the Registry;

(k) the number of partners’ shares as well as the full particulars of the above-mentioned persons.

2. The following documents and data are published in the Registry with regard to sole proprietorship companies as referred to in Article 16(1)(d), (h) and (o) of Law 4919/22, whose headquarters are in Greece:

(a) memorandum of association and amendments thereto, in consolidated form;

(b) object;

(c) company name and short name;

(d) full address of headquarters;

(e) the particulars of partners, in accordance with Article 33(2) and (3), the appointment of a managing director and the extent of the managing director's powers. If the persons referred to in the first paragraph hereof are legal entities, the data published are the Registry number, if any, the key identification particulars, such as company name, legal form and headquarters, and the particulars of the natural person representing the legal persons;

(f) withdrawal or exclusion of a partner;

(g) any change to the rates of participation of partners in the company’s profits and losses;

(h) the winding-up and revival of the company;

(i) any declaration of nullity of the company by the courts;

(j) the appointment and particulars of the liquidators, in accordance with Article 33(2) and (3);

(k) the annual financial statements, if the circumstances described in Article 1(2)(b) and (c) of Law 4308/2014 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 251) on the application of the Greek accounting standards arise;

(l) the financial statements for the opening and the closing of liquidation and the removal from the Registry.

3. The following documents and data are published in the Registry with regard to branches in the EU as referred to in Article 16(1)(l) and (n) of Law 4919/22:

(a) the instrument of constitution and the statutes if they are contained in a separate instrument, together with the amendments thereto;

(b) an attestation from the register in which the company has been registered (certificate of good standing from the competent authority or from the commercial register of the country of origin);

(c) the postal address of the branch;

(d) the indication of the activities of the branch;

(e) the register in which the file referred to in Article 21(2) has been opened for the company, as well as the European unique identifier (EUID);

(f) the company’s name and legal form, and the name of the branch if different from the name of the company;

(g) the appointment, termination of office and particulars, as provided for by Article 33(2) and (3), of the persons who are authorised to represent the company in dealings with third parties and in legal proceedings as:

(i) company bodies constituted pursuant to law or members of such a body, in accordance with the disclosure requirements of the company under Article 14(d) of Directive (EU) 2017/1132 (OJ L 169) relating to certain aspects of company law;

(ii) permanent representatives of the company for the activities of the branch, with an indication of the extent of their powers;

(h) the winding-up of the company, the appointment of liquidators, particulars concerning them and their powers and the termination of the liquidation in accordance with disclosure by the company as provided for in Article 35(h), (j) and (k), insolvency proceedings, arrangements, compositions, or any analogous proceedings to which the company is subject;

(i) the accounting documents (financial statements) of the company, as prepared, have been verified and published in accordance with the law of the Member State by which the company is governed, in accordance with Directives 2013/34/EU (OJ L 182) and 2006/43/EC (OJ L 157) on statutory audits of annual accounts and consolidated accounts, amending Council Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC and repealing Council Directive 84/253/EEC;

(j) the closure of the branch.

3. The following documents and data are published in G.E.MI. with regard to branches in the EU as provided for by Article 16(1)(m) and (n) of Law 4919/22:

(a) the instrument of constitution and articles of association if they are contained in a separate instrument, together with the amendments thereto;

(b) the postal address of the branch;

(c) the indication of the activities of the branch;

(d) the law of the State by which the company is governed;

(e) a company’s registration number in any register the keeping of which is provided for by the law of the Member State by which the company is governed;

(f) the legal form of the company, its principal place of business and its object and, at least annually, the amount of subscribed capital if those particulars are not given in the instrument of constitution or articles of association;

(g) the company’s name and the name of the branch if different from the name of the company;

(h) the appointment, termination of office and identification particulars of the persons who are authorised to represent the company in dealings with third parties and in legal proceedings:

(i) as company bodies constituted pursuant to law or as members of any such body,

(ii) as permanent representatives of the company for the activities of the branch, with an indication of the extent of their powers and whether they may exercise these powers alone;

(i) the winding-up of the company, the appointment of liquidators, particulars concerning them and their powers and the termination of the liquidation in accordance with disclosure by the company as provided for in Article 35(h), (j) and (k), insolvency proceedings, arrangements, compositions, or any analogous proceedings to which the company is subject;

(j) the company's accounting documents, such as the financial statements, as prepared, verified and published in accordance with the law of the Member State by which the company is governed. In the event that the law of the Member State does not provide for the preparation of accounting documents in a manner equivalent to Greek and EU law, the accounting documents, such as the financial statements, for the activities of the branch, are required;

(k) the closure of the branch.

Which documents are submitted/stored (files, document collections, statutes, minutes of general meetings, etc.)?

The following documents are submitted:

  • Financial statements in ESEF
  • Financial statements in XBRL and xHTML
  • Minutes of General Meetings or Meetings of Partners or of the sole Partner in pdf format
  • Minutes of the Board of Directors or Managing Directors and/or Managers in pdf format
  • Electronic declarations of legal representatives without paper format
  • National or cross-border conversion plans for companies (mergers, divisions and conversions)
  • Reports of experts (statutory auditors) for all legal purposes

How can I perform a search (and what are the available search criteria)?

In person

The documents, data and particulars are kept in digital form and therefore it is not necessary to appear in person at the Registry departments.

On the Registry website

You can search for any commercial disclosures on the website of the General Commercial Registry Link opens in new windowhttps://www.businessregistry.gr/publicity/index.

What are the available search criteria?

You can perform a search using just one of the following pieces of information relating to the company:

  • Tax Identification Number (A.F.M. - Greek abbreviation) or
  • General Commercial Registry (Γ.Ε.ΜI.) number or
  • Company name or
  • Short name

How can I obtain documents?

Free of charge?

The following information relating to the company is available free of charge on the Registry website, and via the Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS):

(a) the name, short name(s) and legal form of the company;

(b) its registered office and the Member State where it is registered;

(c) its Registry number and European unique identifier (EUID);

(d) the details of the website, the status of the company, namely if it is active, has suspended registrations, is being wound up, is in liquidation, has been struck off the register or has ceased its operations;

(e) the object of the company;

(f) the particulars of its directors;

(g) the data relating to its branches in EU Member States.

Moreover, any interested party may access free of charge, download, digitally store on their own electronic devices and print or otherwise reproduce any document, information or notice posted on the Registry website Link opens in new windowhttps://www.businessregistry.gr/publicity/index for public consultation either by the Registry department or automatically by the persons required to do so.

Against a fee?

Any interested party may obtain certified copies, extracts and certificates from the Registry on prior payment of a fee for any document, data, copy, extract or certificate.

How can I obtain an extract from the register, a certified copy or a transcript of documents?

If any interested party wishes to obtain official (authentic) certificates, copies or extracts of documents or data recorded in a company’s entry in the Registry, they can register free of charge with the General Commercial Registry’s outreach department.

You can register via the following hyperlinks:

(Α) As a natural person Link opens in new windowhttps://services.businessportal.gr/welcomeNonGemi/nonGemiRegistrationForm

(B) As a legal person Link opens in new windowhttps://services.businessportal.gr/welcomeNonGemi/nonGemiRegistrationForm

You can obtain official certificates or copies of documents and particulars on prior payment of a fee of EUR 5.00 through the relevant electronic application referred to above. Certificates or copies of the relevant documents or data are delivered in two different ways: digitally through the Registry’s outreach application, or by post to the addressee, anywhere in the world.

Registration procedure

How can I launch the registration procedure (how to submit applications to the register, certification of documents, type of documents which need to be attached)?

In person

The procedure for recording documents or data in the Registry is carried out remotely and entirely electronically. Therefore, it is not possible to appear in person.

Online

The procedure for submitting documents and data is carried out entirely electronically.

Each entity has been certified in the Registry's system for submitting documents and data. The entity (its legal or authorised representative) enters the Registry’s Information System and selects the appropriate electronic application. Each application is standardised and requests (lists) a number of documents and data to be submitted.

How are submitted applications reviewed?

Registration applications fall into two general categories:

(Α) applications that are subject to review of legality, and

(B) applications that are subject to review of completeness.

Applications that are subject to review of legality are routed to a competent officer of the Registry department, who carries out the review of legality of the submitted document and, if there is no impediment, approves and registers the application. The system registers the document, creates a single entry, issues a registration code and produces automatically a standardised notice template.

Applications that are subject to review of legality are registered in the Registry automatically, without human intervention, immediately after the entity submits them. The information system carries out a series of checks to verify completeness of the document in accordance with the law.

Legal effects of the registration

Effect of entries on third parties under Article 17 of Directive (EU) 2017/1132

It is mandatory for the legal persons referred to in Article 16(1) of Law 4919/22, in cases other than those provided for by paragraphs (l), (m), (n) and (p), to register and publish in the Registry legal facts, statements, documents and other information in order to produce the following legal effects:

(a) acquisition of legal personality if they are in the course of being set up;

(b) amendments to their statutes;

(c) completion of their merger, division or conversion;

(d) their winding-up, following a decision by their partners or the issuing of the relevant administrative act;

(e) their revival, if they are in liquidation, as well as in the cases where bankruptcy proceedings are discontinued due to fulfilment of the claims of their creditors, of discharge, or in any other case where revival of a legal person is provided for;

(f) loss of legal personality upon registration of the legal person’s removal from the Registry;

(g) re-registration in the Registry and opening of new winding-up proceedings in accordance with Article 28(4).

Natural or legal persons or associations of such persons as referred to in Article 16 of Law 4919/22 may not rely, as against third parties, on documents and data with regard to which the disclosure formalities referred to in Article 17 have not been complied with, unless they prove that the said third parties had been aware of these documents and data.

Discrepancies between the Registry entry and its publication

If the disclosed text is inconsistent with the document or data filed in the Registry, the persons referred to in Article 16(1) to (4) may not rely on it as against third parties. Third parties may rely on the disclosed data unless the above-mentioned persons prove that the said third parties had been aware of the text filed in the Register.

Third parties may rely, in accordance with the above, on documents or data with regard to which disclosure formalities have not yet been completed, unless lack of disclosure renders these documents invalid.

If there is a discrepancy between the filing date and the disclosure date, the disclosure date is regarded as the filing date for the purposes of the limitation periods for use of legal rights and remedies.

Who has responsibility for the accuracy of the records?

The competent Registry department is responsible for the accuracy of the records. More specifically, in accordance with Article 20 of Law 4919/22, the competent Registry department is responsible for the following:

(a) registration in the Registry of those obliged to register under Article 16;

(b) each filing and disclosure relating to those obliged to register;

(c) receipt, registration, if it is not carried out electronically, review of completeness and, where necessary, of legality of the relevant applications, accompanying documents, information or declarations, as well as verification of applications for the approval of name and short name, and the reservation of those names, in accordance with Article 55(3);

(d) replying to questions submitted via the BRIS concerning the documents and information referred to in Articles 33, 35 and 39;

(e) issuing of certificates, copies and extracts, in accordance with Article 46(3);

(f) carrying out of sample checks on the establishment of companies via the Electronic One-Stop-Shop Service (e-YMS) and the automatic filings in the Registry which are carried out in accordance with Article 26(4).

Data protection procedures

Procedures related to the rights of the data subject regarding the disclosure and storing of their personal data

If the Register processes personal data, the Department for Information Systems Support and Development for the General Commercial Registry (G.E.MI.) and the One-Stop-Shop Service of the Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce is the data controller, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) (OJ L 119) and Law 4624/2019 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 137), in conjunction with Article 47 of Law 4623/2019 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 134), on public sector data.

Contact information

Ministry of Development and Investment

Secretariat-General for Trade

Directorate-General for Domestic Trade and Consumer Protection

Company address:

Pl. Kaningos, 10181 ATHENS

e-mail: Link opens in new windowcompanylaw@mindev.gov.gr

Useful Web addresses

Link opens in new windowElectronic publication by the General Commercial Registry (G.E.MI)

Link opens in new windowRegistration of members of the public for the online services of the General Commercial Registry (G.E.MI.)

Link opens in new windowRegistration of businesses in the General Commercial Registry (G.E.MI.)

Link opens in new windowVerification of the authenticity of certificates and copies issued by the General Commercial Registry (G.E.MI.)

Link opens in new windowLegislation on the General Commercial Registry (G.E.MI)

Last update: 12/03/2024

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Aan de vertaling in het Nederlands wordt momenteel gewerkt.
De volgende vertalingen zijn al beschikbaar: Spaans

Business registers in EU countries - Spain

In Spain, 'Registradores' (Registrars) are responsible for maintaining the following registers:

  • Land and Property Registers ('Registros de la Propiedad de Bienes Inmuebles', generically known as the Land Registers (“Registros de la Propiedad”).
  • Movable Property Registers ('Registros de la Propiedad de Bienes Muebles').
  • Business Registers ('Registros Mercantiles').
  • Register of General Contract Conditions ('Registro de Condiciones Generales de la Contratación')

You will find an explanation of the 'Registros de la Propiedad', together with related links, on the e–Justice portal, in the section on Land Registers.

This page contains:

  • An explanation of the Business Registers in Spain, together with related links.
  • A brief explanation of the Movable Property Register, with related links.
  • A brief explanation of the Register of General Contract Conditions , with related links.

What does the Business Register in Spain provide?

Legal and economic certainty.

The main features of the Spanish Business Register system are set out below.

1.- Purpose of the Business Register

1.1.- Entities which must register

  • Individual entrepreneurs
  • Commercial undertakings
  • Non-profit making organisations
  • Credit and insurance entities and mutual guarantee companies
  • Collective investment undertakings
  • Economic interest groups
  • Savings banks
  • Pension funds
  • Branches of any of the above
  • Branches of foreign firms
  • Foreign firms which move their registered headquarters to Spanish territory
  • All undertakings which carry out a commercial activity, provided that the figures for purchases made or brokered, or the sales figures, exceed EUR 600 000.

1.2.- Business Register: areas of activity

  • Company documents. The record of incorporation of a business undertaking is the first item in the historical register of a company. After this, entries will concern documents and contracts relating to each company (e.g. increase or decrease in share capital, changes in the makeup of the board, appointments or terminations of service of administrators or managers, insolvency proceedings, appeals against corporate decisions, etc.).
  • Accounting records. Entrepreneurs and companies must keep accounting records and submit them to their local Business Register for authentication by the Business Registrar. The accounts must be submitted at the latest four months after the end of the company's financial year. Those companies whose financial year ends on 31 December must therefore submit them by 31 May.
  • Submission of the annual accounts of entrepreneurs and other individuals required to submit them. Under the General Accounting Plan (Plan General Contable), it is mandatory to keep annual accounts. These must be approved by the partners or shareholders within six months of the end of the company's financial year and, once approved, must be submitted within the following month for compulsory authentication by the local Business Register. In normal circumstances, therefore, firms for which the date of closure of the financial year is 31 December, and which have approved the accounts by 30 June, must submit them by 30 July.
  • Processing of applications for the appointment of auditors and experts. Any shareholder who holds 5 % of the share capital of a company has the right to request, within three months of the end of the financial year, that the local Business Register appoint an auditor. In companies where the financial year ends on 31 December, partners or shareholders who hold at least 5 % of the share capital have until 31 March of the following year to request the appointment of an auditor. They may also ask the local Business Registrar to appoint business experts in cases where contributions in kind are to be made and in the event of a merger or division.

2.- Legal certainty in the Spanish Business Register

The Business Register is the main legal instrument for recording business activity. It is essential for economic development, as a means to reduce transaction costs.

Entries in the Register are made after verifications are carried out: checks on the legality and validity of the content of the documents and corporate agreements and on the capacity and legitimacy of those who conclude them.

As a consequence of these checks by the Registrar, such entries have powerful legal standing:

  1. The content of the Register is deemed to be accurate and valid.
  2. Instruments registered may be enforceable against bona fide third parties.
  3. Entries in the Register are safeguarded by the courts and will be effective unless a court judgment declares them to be inaccurate or void.
  4. A judgment declaring the entries to be inaccurate or void will not prejudice the legally acquired rights of bona fide third parties.

In this way, firms, citizens and government departments avoid high transaction costs, since they have at their disposal sufficient accredited information on the entities with which they intend to enter into contractual relations, and on their legal and economic situation.

3.- Registration procedure

The general principal is that public certification is required to make entries in the Business Register. Documents may be validated by notaries, the courts or administrative authorities. Private documents may only be entered in cases explicitly provided for by law and under the Business Register regulations. Examples of private documents which can be entered include: registration of an individual entrepreneur not involved in the shipping industry; the appointment, termination of service, acceptance and resignation of the posts of administrators, liquidators and auditors.

The procedure must be requested. This means, other than in exceptional circumstances, it is initiated by the person who wishes to make the entry.

Is access to the Business Register free of charge?

Access to the Business Register in Spain is not free of charge.

The Link opens in new windowFees of Business Registrars and the Link opens in new windowRegulation governing the Business Register set the cost of registration and publications.

The registration fees are dependent on various factors and must be consulted directly at Link opens in new windowFees of Business Registrars.

The cost of publication varies between €1.20 and €24 and can be consulted directly at Link opens in new windowFees of Business Registrars or at Link opens in new windowAssociation of Registrars of Spain.

How do I consult the Spanish Business Register?

1.- Public nature of the register

The Business Register is public. It is the responsibility of the Business Registrar to process the content of the entries in the register for professional purposes.

2.- Extract from the register

Description.- An abbreviated extract from the register (nota simple) is of a purely informative nature and is not an authentic representation of the content of the entry. It contains some or all of the information relating to the entry concerned.

How to obtain an abbreviated extract.- There are two methods:

  • In writing. By requesting it in person from the relevant Business Register.
  • Online. Use the first of the links at the bottom of the page.

3.- Certificates

Description.- A certificate is a copy, transcription or transfer, either in full or in summary form, of the contents of the information held by the Registry which, once it is processed by the Registrar, represents the only way of conveying the authentic nature of the entry in the Business Register. Registrars can also certify documents which are deposited or archived in the Register.

How to obtain a certificate.- Certificates can only be obtained by written request. You can make this request in person, by post or by fax or similar. Electronic certificates can also be requested; these feature the Registrar's recognised electronic signature.

4.- Consulting the Business Register via the Internet

See 'Useful links' below. The procedure is very simple - just follow the instructions on the web page below:

The website offers you the possibility of paying by credit card if you are not a subscriber or do not have a certificate previously recognised by the Association of Registrars:

  • 'Card payments' (pagos con tarjeta). You must then enter your credit card details.
  • Click on 'Enter' (Entrar).

On this page you can choose between: the Land Register, the Business Register, the Movable Property Register or the Register of General Contract Conditions. You should select: 'Public commercial records' (Publicidad Mercantil).

  • Then select your area of interest.

Anyone can consult the interactive commercial information provided by the Association of Registrars in real time using this web page. Certain company information, including the exact content of the registered annual accounts, is available on demand, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The information obtained from registered company documents is updated and truthful.

How reliable are documents in the Register?

Directive 2012/17/EU on the interconnection of central, commercial and companies registers added Article 3a to Directive 2009/101/EC. Article 3a concerns the requirement for Member States to provide up-to-date information explaining the provisions of national law according to which third parties can rely on particulars and each type of document referred to in Article 2, in accordance with Article 3(5), (6) and (7). Specifically, Member States must provide this information for publication on the European e-Justice portal in accordance with the portal’s rules and technical requirements. The information in question relates to how, for each legal system, requests can be made to consult the details referred to in Article 2 of the Directive, and it also relates to the enforceability of instruments recorded in the Register against third parties.

The details referred to in Article 2 of the Directive are published in the Spanish Business Register, which is governed by the principles of the personal form, public certification, legality, legitimacy, official authority, enforceability, chain of title and publication.

Article 19 of Law 14/2013, and its 13th Additional Provision, on support for entrepreneurs and their internationalisation, lay down that the Business Register be kept in electronic format, using a single IT system, as required by law.

Information contained in the Business Register is published as a certificate or an extract.

The certificate issued by the Business Registrar is the only way of conveying the authentic nature of the entries in the Register and reference is made to this certificate in Article 23(1) of the Commercial Code and in Articles 12 and 77 of the Business Register Regulation.

Articles 12 and 78 of the Business Register Regulation relate to extracts of all or some of the information entered in the Register.

It is also possible to consult the Register online, as referred to in Article 79 of the same Regulation.

In accordance with Article 23(4) of the Commercial Code and Article 80 of the Business Register Regulation, the publication rules contained in mortgage law are also applicable, specifically Articles 221, 222, 222a, 227 and 248 of the Mortgage Act, which give the option of publishing information electronically. Article 110(1) of Law 24/2001 relates to publication by the Registrar using an electronic signature and also applies to Business Registers, as part of the incorporation of electronic, IT and digital techniques (Articles 106 to 115).

In accordance with Article 379 of the Business Register Regulation, the purpose of the Central Business Register is to organise, record and publish, for information purposes only, the details it receives from the Business Registers, store and publish the names of entities and legal persons, publish the Official Gazette of the Business Register, maintain the Register of companies and entities that have moved their registered address outside Spain without losing Spanish nationality, and communicate the information referred to in Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 2157/2001. The Central Business Register can provide extracts, in accordance with Article 23 of the Commercial Code and Article 382 of the Business Register Regulation, but it cannot issue certificates other than those related to the names of companies that are registered.

Publication can be requested by post, fax or similar.

On the website of the Link opens in new windowRegistrars of Spain you can request information on registered entities using the search tool (Fichero Localizador de Entidades Inscritas).

As regards enforceability, Article 9 of the Business Register Regulation lays down that: '1. Documents that must be registered may only be enforceable against bona fide third parties once they have been published in the Official Gazette of the Business Register. The operation of the registration itself remains unaffected. 2. As regards transactions carried out within 15 days of publication, the documents registered and published shall not be enforceable against third parties who prove that it was impossible for them to have had knowledge thereof. 3. Where there is a discrepancy between the content of the publication and the content of the entry in the register, third parties acting in good faith may rely on the published version if it is favourable to them. Whoever is responsible for the discrepancy shall be required to compensate the injured party. 4. It is assumed that the third party is acting in good faith as long as it cannot be proved that they had knowledge of a document that should have been registered but was not, a document that was registered but not published, or a discrepancy between the content of the publication and the content of the entry in the register.'

You can find more information on:

History of the Business Register in Spain

1.- Antecedents

Historical antecedents of the current legislation on the Business Register in Spain are:

  • The Ordenanzas de Bilbao (1737), which established a register of matriculation numbers and flagging for ships.
  • The 1885 Commercial Code (Código de Comercio).
  • The Provisional Regulation on drawing up the 1885 Business Register, and the subsequent Regulations of 1919 and 14 December 1956, as amended by the Decree of 21 July 1973.

2.- Current legislation on the Business Register

General rules contained in the Commercial Code of 22 August 1885. While the basic provisions on the Business Register are contained in this Code, they have been amended many times, most recently by Law No 19/1989 of 25 July 1989.

  • Royal Legislative Decree No 1/2010 of 2 July 2010 on public limited liability companies. Law No 3/2009 of 3 April 2009 on structural modifications of companies.
  • Specific legislation on certain companies by sector of activity (financial entities, insurance companies, electricity sector, leasing companies, etc.).
  • Business Register Regulation of 19 July 1996. A new text of the Regulation is currently under preparation.

3.- Organisation

The Business Register is a public institution found in all the provincial capitals and other cities designated by law, which is managed by one or more Business Registrars and is under the direct authority of the Ministry of Justice, specifically the Directorate-General for Registers and Notaries.

The Registrar is a professional legal expert who performs a public service: he/she classifies and checks under their own responsibility all the documents to be entered in the Register.

There is a single Business Register in each provincial capital in Spain. There are also Business Registers in Ceuta, Melilla, Ibiza, Mahón, Arrecife, Puerto del Rosario, Santa Cruz de la Palma, San Sebastián de la Gomera, Valverde and Santiago de Compostela. A Central Business Register deals with the names of companies and commercial entities.

Companies acquire legal personality through registration in the Business Register in the place where their headquarters are established, which means that their entry in the Register is compulsory and forms part of the incorporation process.

Related links

MOVABLE PROPERTY REGISTER

1.- What is the purpose of the Spanish Movable Property Register?

Legal and economic certainty.

1.1.- Purpose of the Movable Property Register

The purpose of the Movable Property Register is the registration of ownership and other rights in rem relating to movable property which can be registered.

What type of movable property can be registered?

Movable property properly speaking: motor vehicles, consumer goods, industrial machinery, industrial premises, stocks, agricultural equipment and livestock farms, and other types of movable property designated by law.

Certain intangible assets and rights that can be registered: industrial and intellectual property rights, film exploitation rights, administrative licences and loans in general.

1.3.- What type of rights are registered with respect to movable property?

Ownership, attachments, reservation of ownership, prohibition on transfer of property, mortgages on immovable property, pledges without displacement and other assets that can be registered or entered in accordance with the law.

2.- Characteristics of the Spanish Movable Property Register

This is a State Register under the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice. It is a legal Register, not a merely administrative one. In general, it is voluntary. There is an incentive to register, however, given the favourable impact of registration. There are no formal requirements: contracts are registered, usually as private documents and also as official models. There is also a system of approval in which, prior to registration, the Registrar checks the legality of the description, title and act being registered.

3.- Organisation

This Register is in electronic and paper format.

Royal Decree 1828/1999 splits the Movable Property Register into six sections:

  • Ships and aircraft
  • Cars and other motor vehicles
  • Industrial machinery, commercial premises and capital goods
  • Other collateral guarantees
  • Other movable property that can be registered
  • Register of General Contract Conditions.

4.- Is access to the Spanish Register of Movable Property free of charge?

No. Its fees are governed by the Order of 20 July 1999, Article 36 of which lists the amounts to be charged depending on the value of what is being registered:

  • Up to €600 in value: €2.40.
  • Between €600 and €6000 in value: €6.
  • Between €6000 and €12000 in value: €10.
  • Between €12000 and €18000 in value: €13.
  • Value in excess of €18000: €1.20 for each €3000 or fraction of that amount.

The fee system of the Land Register applies to mortgages on immovable property and pledges without transfer of possession, so fees from that system are applied (please refer to the section on the Land Register).

As for the information contained in this Register, €3 is charged for each extract and €6 to €24 for a certificate.

The VAT in force at the time is also applied.

5.- Consulting the Movable Property Register via the Internet

See 'Useful links' below. The procedure is very simple - just follow the instructions on the web page below:

Then click on: 'Access to Electronic Register' (Acceso Registro Electrónico). The website offers the possibility of paying by credit card, if you are not a subscriber or do not have a certificate previously recognised by the Association of Registrars:

  • 'Card payments' (pagos con tarjeta). You must then enter your credit card details.
  • Click on 'Enter' (Entrar).

On this page you can choose between: the Land Register, the Business Register, the Movable Property Register or the Register of General Contract Conditions. You should select: 'Public Movable Property Records' (Publicidad Bienes Muebles).

  • Then select your area of interest.

6.- Useful links

REGISTER OF GENERAL CONTRACT CONDITIONS

1.- What is the purpose of the Spanish Register of General Contract Conditions?

This Register protects the interests of consumers and users who enter into a contract with a natural or legal person who uses general contract conditions. It provides greater security for private legal transactions and thus the means necessary to avoid disputes.

1.2.- Purpose of the Spanish Register of General Contract Conditions

The Register of General Contract Conditions aims to achieve the following objectives:

1.- Depositing of general contract conditions

General contract conditions are contractual clauses that have been drafted unilaterally by one of the parties to the contract (standard clauses), for use in a number of contracts. They are in fact conditions which have not been individually negotiated. They need not be unfair.

In practice, not all general conditions forming part of contracts are deposited in this Register, despite the fact that it is easy to use. Depositing general conditions is voluntary, except for specific sectors which can be determined by the Government.

In those cases in which general conditions are deposited, the party who deposits them often refers to the fact that they are deposited in this Register when concluding other contracts in future. Thus instead of reproducing them in future contracts, there is simply a reference to the fact that they have been deposited in the Register of General Contract Conditions. Many users who have signed a contract containing general contract conditions do not know exactly which conditions are binding, thus it may be vital to know what the terms of the contract were, to what they commit the user, how they can obtain release from them subsequently and the consequences of this.

2.- Judgments handed down by Courts declaring that certain clauses in these standard contracts are null and void

These are final judgments in favour of the complainant in cases brought by private individuals (individual actions) or by a consumer organisation representing a number of private individuals (class actions).

Once a final judgment has been registered, it affects other procedures involving identical clauses.

A single judgement declaring certain clauses to be unfair can resolve thousands of complaints, and if the same unfair clause is subsequently used, it should not be necessary to take further legal action, provided that the case involves the same party who set out these clauses originally. Hence the importance of publishing such judgments in this Register.

The eminently legal nature of this Register derives from the effects which registration confers on a legal declaration that a clause is null and void. Registration of a clause as unfair produces effects with respect to third parties. The Register provides that, where a final judgment has been registered, and the clauses declared null and void as a result of an individual or class action continue to be used, the Registrar can take note of the persistent use of such clauses and report this to the Ministry of Justice.

2.- Legislation governing the Register of General Contract Conditions

The 1998 Law on General Conditions established the Register of General Contract Conditions, entrusting it to the Property and Business Registrars. It forms part of the Movable Property Register.

3.- Organisation

The Register of General Contract Conditions is one Section of the Movable Property Register. The Register can be consulted using the links indicated at the bottom of this page.

4.- Is access to the Spanish Register of General Contract Conditions free of charge?

Yes.

5.- Consulting the Business Register via the Internet

Please refer to the 'Useful links' indicated below. The procedure is very simple - just follow the instructions on the web page below:

  • Link: Link opens in new windowhttps://www.registradores.org
  • Then click on: 'Consult Register General Conditions' (Consulta Registro Condiciones Generales).
  • Then select your area of interest.

6.- Useful links

Last update: 26/02/2024

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - France

On this page you will find information regarding the options available for consulting business registers in France.

What do business registers in France offer?

Local business and companies registers (registres du commerce et des sociétés - RCS) are kept by registrars (greffiers) of the commercial courts (tribunaux de commerce) in mainland France, by the mixed commercial courts (tribunaux mixtes de commerce) in the overseas departments and regions, and by registrars of the combined courts with commercial jurisdiction (tribunaux judiciaires à compétence commerciale) in the departments of Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin and Moselle. The registration, amendment and removal declarations made by undertakings in the business and companies registers are checked by the registrars to ensure that the statements comply with the laws and regulations and correspond to the supporting documents and documents attached as annexes. These checks on the substantive and formal requirements are carried out under the supervision of the president or of a judge entrusted with that task who has jurisdiction to settle any disputes between the taxable person and the registrar.

The Kbis, which is an extract from the commercial and companies register, is an undertaking’s ‘ID card’ and contains all the information that the undertaking is required to declare. The objective of the Kbis extract is to ensure legal certainty with regard to commercial transactions by providing any interested party with information on the legal structure of the undertaking, its directors, its activity, the place where the activity is carried out and how the undertaking operates. It also states whether or not collective insolvency proceedings have been brought against it. This official document (acte authentique), issued and signed by the court registrar, is deemed to be authentic unless a plea for forgery is entered.

At national level, a national business and companies register (registre national du commerce et des sociétés - RNCS) is kept by the National Institute for Industrial Property (Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle - INPI). This national register centralises all the information and documents that have been checked and validated by the registrars and entered in the commercial and companies registers kept in each registry. The INPI is responsible for disseminating and making available to the public free of charge the technical, business and financial information contained in the RNCS, for the purpose of further use.

The Link opens in new windowInfogreffe website is the dissemination platform for all business and companies registers (of mainland France, including Alsace-Moselle, and of the overseas departments and regions). The Infogreffe.nc website provides access to the legal information of undertakings in New Caledonia. The Infogreffe website also enables various formalities (registration, amendment, removal and filing of annual accounts) to be carried out online. The service is provided in French and English.

The Link opens in new windowINPI website makes it possible to access, via the DATA INPI portal and as open data, the records of registrations, amendments and removals and companies’ annual accounts.

Official Bulletin of Civil and Commercial Announcements (Bulletin officiel des annonces civiles et commerciales - BODACC)

The Link opens in new windowBODACC is the official bulletin for publication of the documents recorded in the business and companies register, from the establishment of an undertaking to its removal, in particular as regards sales and transfers, collective insolvency proceedings and the filing of accounts. The documents in question are sent to the BODACC without the interested parties having to take any action or initiative. Announcements in the BODACC are made under the responsibility of the registrar who receives the information.

Publication in the BODACC, which ensures the widest possible dissemination of registrations in the business and companies registers, falls within the remit of the Link opens in new windowOffice of Legal and Administrative Information (Direction de l’information légale et administrative - Dila).

Is access to a business register free of charge?

The Infogreffe website provides access to certain information on businesses listed on it free of charge. The extracts from the business and companies register and the documents annexed thereto may be obtained subject to a fee set by the State.

Access to the INPI’s RNCS data via the DATA INPI portal is free of charge. The further use of such data is subject to a licence.

Since 1 July 2015, the BODACC has been distributed solely by electronic means. The content of the website (i.e. the BODACC announcements) has been free of charge since July 2011.

Lastly, a new digital access portal was set up in June 2016, called « Link opens in new windowPortail de la Publicité Légale des Entreprises» [public portal giving access to companies' legal information]. It enables users to access, via a single interface, legal advertising and information published on the following three websites:

Link opens in new windowhttps://www.infogreffe.fr/

Link opens in new windowhttps://actulegales.fr/

Link opens in new windowhttps://www.bodacc.fr/.

How to search a business register in France?

On the Infogreffe website you can search for a business by:

  • its name,
  • the name of its directors and administrators,
  • the town or administrative département where it is domiciled or has its headquarters or where it has its business units,
  • its SIREN number (Business Register Identification System - Système d’Identification du Répertoire des Entreprises),
  • its registration number in the business and companies register.

On the DATA INPI website you can search for an undertaking using its SIREN number, company name, brand name, director or the name of the municipality of the undertaking’s head office, or using words contained in the description of the undertaking’s activity.

On the BODACC website you can search for a notice relating to an undertaking using its SIREN number or its company name.

Related Links

Link opens in new windowRegistre de Commerce européen (European Business Register)

Link opens in new windowInfogreffe

Link opens in new windowINPI

Link opens in new windowCNGTC

Link opens in new windowBODACC

Link opens in new windowPPLE

Last update: 22/02/2022

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Let op: de oorspronkelijke versie van deze pagina (Kroatisch) is onlangs gewijzigd. Aan de vertaling in het Nederlands wordt momenteel gewerkt.

Business registers in EU countries - Croatia

In the Republic of Croatia the court register is managed by the commercial courts (trgovački sudovi).

Court register (Sudski registar)

The court register is a public book containing data and documents on entities which have to be entered in the register by law. Each court that carries out registration is responsible for the authenticity of its entries in the register. The following are entered in the register: public trading companies (javna trgovačka društva), limited partnerships (komanditna društva), economic interest groupings (gospodarska interesna udruženja), joint-stock companies (dionička društva), limited liability companies (društva s ograničenom odgovornošću), sole traders (trgovci pojedinci), European companies (SEs), European Economic Interest Groupings (EEIGs), European Cooperative Societies (SCEs), institutions (ustanove), communities of institutions (zajednice ustanova), cooperatives (zadruge), unions of cooperatives (savezi zadruga), credit unions (kreditne unije), simple limited liability companies (jednostavna društva s ograničenom odgovornošću (j.d.o.o.)) and other persons that have to be registered by law. Subsidiaries are entered in the register if this is required by law.

The register contains no data on artisans or associations.

Without having to prove a legitimate interest, anyone is entitled to examine the information entered in the general book, the documents on which an entry is based and the other documents and information stored in the collection of documents (except for documents that the law states are not subject to the public-domain principle).Anyone may also request an extract, a certified copy or a transcript of documents and data stored in the collection of documents.

Register

Information concerning entry in the register and the publication of data on registered entities

The main pieces of legislation governing the establishment of entities subject to registration and their entry in the register are: the Court Register Act (Zakon o sudskom registru) (hereinafter ‘ZSR’), the Trading Companies Act (Zakon o trgovačkim društvima) (hereinafter ‘ZTD’) and the Rules on the method of making an entry in the court register (Pravilnik o načinu upisa u sudski registar). The data stipulated by law, and any changes to such data, are entered in the register on the basis of these laws.

Data on registered entities are accessible 24 hours a day and may be consulted free of charge on the Link opens in new windowwebsite of the court register.

Launch of the registration procedure

The procedure for making an entry in the register is launched by a written application for data to be entered, or for the data of an entry to be amended, which is delivered on paper or electronically to the court of registration. An application must be submitted to a court within 15 days from the date on which the conditions for entry are met, except where the law provides otherwise. A court may launch the procedure ex officio where this is provided for by law.

Notaries may communicate electronically with the court that is carrying out registration, in accordance with their powers and the provisions of the ZSR.

There is a simplified procedure for registering a simple limited liability company (j.d.o.o.) (a company with no more than three members, a one-member management board and minimum share capital of HRK 10.00). In order to be established in this way, such companies must use the forms drawn up by a notary.

The following persons are authorised to submit applications for entry in the register:

  • Notaries (who are authorised to submit applications electronically and to issue extracts, copies and transcripts under Article 4(2) ZSR).
  • Persons who are authorised by law to propose entries in the register (personally or through an authorised representative).
  • Persons who deal with matters of HITRO.HR offices (who are authorised to submit applications for the establishment of trading companies via the e-Tvrtka system, in accordance with the powers laid down in separate regulations).

Effect of an entry

An entry takes legal effect for the registered entity on the day following the entry in the register (except where the law provides otherwise) and takes legal effect for third parties on the day on which it is published.

No person may claim that they do not know data entered in the general book of the register which have been published in the manner stipulated by the ZSR.

Any person may cite an entry in the register regarding legally settled data and facts which are entered in the register in accordance with the law, except for a person who is proved to have known that the relevant data in the entry in the register did not correspond to reality. The actions undertaken by a third party before the sixteenth day following the date of publication of an entry in the register may not be opposed on the basis of the registered data or the documents referred to in the publication, if the third party can prove that he/she/it could not have known about them.

A person of good faith may not suffer damage for having relied on an entry in the register regarding legally settled data and facts.

Crimes and misdemeanours and the penalties imposed by courts that carry out registration

The crimes, misdemeanours and the penalties imposed by courts that carry out registration are laid down in Articles 624 to 632 ZTD, and the launch of a procedure for warning and punishing persons who had a duty to fulfil legal obligations concerning the submission of an application for entry in the register is governed by Articles 81 and 81a ZSR.

Last update: 06/09/2016

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Italy

This section provides you with an overview of Italy's business register.

What does the Italian business register contain by way of information?

Italy's Link opens in new windowRegistro delle Imprese is run by the Chambers of Commerce, with support from Unioncamere, under the supervision of a judge and the Ministry of Economic Development. The ICT infrastructure is run and maintained by Infocamere, a consortium of the Chambers of Commerce in public limited company form.

The register provides detailed information on businesses, such as:

  • complete names of companies
  • registered office
  • VAT number
  • activity and legal form
  • governing bodies
  • capital
  • legal representatives
  • powers of representatives
  • branches

It also provides access to public documents concerning companies, including:

  • full financial statements
  • instruments of incorporation
  • lists of shareholders

The Italian business register offers two types of reporting:

  1. Legal reporting
  • as guarantee of the existence of the company
  • to ensure that information can be relied upon in dealings with third parties(Article 2193 of the Civil Code)
  1. Economic reporting
  • for statistical and economic purposes

Is access to the Italian business register free of charge?

Access to the register and to a limited amount of information (such as name and address of company) is free of charge. However, on-line access to complete information is available only on request and against payment.

How reliable are the documents in the register?

In Italy the business register is kept by the relevant offices of the Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture. These offices are called business register offices (uffici del Registro delle Imprese), and act under the oversight of a judge appointed by the court with jurisdiction for the place (who supervises the formal correctness of individual registrations) and under the administrative supervision of the Ministry of Economic Development.

Italy's business register was set up in its current form following a reform in 1993 (Article 8 of Law No 580 of 1993) implemented by a 1995 regulation (Decree of the President of the Republic No 581 of 1995).

With this reform the business register, hitherto kept purely in paper form at the record offices of commercial courts, was transferred to the Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture so that they could run it in fully computerised form, making the information and documents contained therein fully and immediately available across the country.

These provisions were subsequently supplemented by Article 31 of Law No 340 of 2000, which made it mandatory for almost all types of enterprises (all companies in particular) to use a digital signature and computer tools for preparing applications for registration and the accompanying documents and for submitting them to the business registrar.

Following further changes in the legislation (Article 9 of Decree-Law No 7 of 2007), all types of enterprise, including sole traders, now correspond with the business register, for the purposes of reporting requirements, using digital signatures and electronic channels.

Before registering an enterprise, the relevant business register office checks (pursuant to Article 11(6) of Decree of the President of the Republic No 581 of 1995) that:

(a) the application is authentic;

(b) the application form is completed correctly;

(c) the act or fact for which registration is requested corresponds to legal requirements;

(d) the documents required by law are attached;

(e) any other legal conditions for registration are complied with.

We should also point out that almost all the documents relating to companies that are entered in the business register are drawn up by a notary. Article 11(4) of DPR No 581 of 1995 lays down that: ‘The document to be recorded shall be lodged in the original version, and in the case of a private deed not lodged with a notary the signature shall be authenticated In other cases an authentic copy shall be lodged. The extract shall be deposited in authentic form in accordance with Article 2718 of the Civil Code.’

Under Article 2193 of the Civil Code

  1. If information that must be registered by law is not registered, it may not be relied upon against third parties by whoever was required to apply for registration, unless they prove that the third parties had knowledge thereof.
  2. Third parties may not claim ignorance of information that must be registered by law once it has been registered.
  3. This is without prejudice to any specific provisions of law.

History of the Italian business register

The Italian business register was established in 1993.

Related Links

Link opens in new windowEuropean Business Register

Last update: 18/01/2022

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Let op: de oorspronkelijke versie van deze pagina (Grieks) is onlangs gewijzigd. Aan de vertaling in het Nederlands wordt momenteel gewerkt.

Business registers in EU countries - Cyprus

This section of the page displays an introductory text concerning the Register of Companies of Cyprus.

The Companies Section deals with the registration, follow-up, control and striking-off of domestic companies, overseas companies, partnerships, business names and also comes under the Department of the Registrar of Companies and Official Receiver (DRCOR) of the Ministry of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism.

The services available on the internet are:

  • Documents and Applications are accessible for the Link opens in new windowCompanies Section.
  • Citizens can find out Link opens in new windowForms and Fees for each document and application form submitted.
  • There are Link opens in new windowStatistics about the Companies Section.

What does the Register of Companies offer?

Anyone can find out on-line whether a particular organisation is in the Register of Companies and its status (currently registered or struck off). It is possible to conduct an on-line search of the data of all companies and to inspect the documents in the companies' electronic files.

The Department of the Registrar of Companies and Official Receiver is responsible for the keeping of the register of companies.

Is access to the register of companies free?

On-line access to the register is free as regards the basic company information.

How reliable are the documents in the register?

The reliability of the documents in the register is secured in Chapter 113 of Companies Law, which ensure the validity of the information given to third parties on the basis of Article 3(a) of the European Directive 2009/101/EC, by the following Articles of the Law:

Article 365

Inspection, production and evidence of documents kept by registrar.

Article 365A

Notice from the Registrar on keeping records - Prevalence of particulars entered in the register or published in the Official Gazette of the Republic.

Article 365B(7)

The Registrar of Companies ensures that the instruments and the documents referred to in paragraph 2 are available via the intra‑EU electronic system of interconnection of registers in standard message format and are electronically accessible, ensuring compliance with minimum security requirements for data transmission.

Article 366

Enforcement of duty of company to make returns to registrar, including the Annual Report and the Financial Statement for each year (Articles 118 - 121).

How can you search in the Register?

You can search by the name and/or the company number. More guidelines on how to search appear on the search page

The Background of the Register

The on-line register of the Registrar of Companies and Official Receiver includes all organisations registered from 1923 until the present day, including foreign companies, partnerships and business names.

Related Links

Link opens in new windowDepartment of the Registrar of Companies and Official Receiver (Τμήμα Εφόρου Εταιρειών και Επίσημου Παραλήπτη)

Link opens in new windowMinistry of Energy, Commerce and Industry

Last update: 19/07/2023

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Let op: de oorspronkelijke versie van deze pagina (Lets) is onlangs gewijzigd. Aan de vertaling in het Nederlands wordt momenteel gewerkt.

Business registers in EU countries - Latvia

This section provides you with an overview of Latvia’s business register.

History of the establishment of the national register

When was it established?

The Enterprise Register of the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republikas Uzņēmumu reģistrs) was founded on 1 December 1990.

Link opens in new windowThe Enterprise Register is a Latvian public body which registers businesses (companies), traders, their branches and representative offices and changes in their articles of association, and carries out other activities provided for in legislation. The Enterprise Register also registers mass media providers, associations and foundations, commercial pledges, controlling interests, matrimonial property agreements, political parties, arbitration bodies, trade unions, religious organisations and religious institutions, and insolvency proceedings.

When was it digitalised?

As of 1 August 2021, all entries in the commercial register and all documents added to the registration file which are in the commercial register and, in accordance with the first paragraph of Article 415 of the Link opens in new windowLaw on the Enterprise Register of the Republic of Latvia, in the public part of the registration file, are published electronically free of charge on the Enterprise Register's Link opens in new windowinformation website, thus ensuring their availability to the public online from the outset. Entries are deemed to have been published on the day after they are made (i.e. after midnight), and documents are deemed to have been published on the day after they are attached to the registration file (also after midnight).

What legislation is currently applicable?

The main legislation governing the operations of the Enterprise Register of the Republic of Latvia is the Link opens in new windowLaw on the Enterprise Register of the Republic of Latvia, the Link opens in new windowStatutes of the Enterprise Register, the Link opens in new windowLaw on submissions and the Link opens in new windowLaw on administrative procedure.

The full list of applicable legislation can be found Link opens in new windowhere.

What information does the commercial register provide?

Who has the right to access the register?

Information can be obtained from the Latvian Enterprise Register free of charge on the Link opens in new windowRegister’s information website, where current data are available without the need for authentication, whereas historical records can be consulted and documents in the Link opens in new windowpublic section of the Register can be consulted/downloaded only upon authentication on the website with a Latvian national eID card, e-signature, bank identification devices or EIDAS authentication services (for EU citizens).

What information does the register provide?

What kinds of information are stored (what enterprises are registered in the national register, information on insolvency, financial reports ...)?

The Latvian Enterprise Register allows the following information on all registered legal entities to be obtained free of charge as open data:

  • registration number;
  • name or trade name of the entity;
  • historical name of the entity (if the name has been changed);
  • type of legal entity;
  • which register the entity is registered in;
  • date of registration;
  • Single Euro Payment Area beneficiary identification code (if allocated);information on whether the legal entity has been deleted from the register or reorganised;
  • date of deletion of the legal entity from the register (or the date of reorganisation if the reason for the deletion is a reorganisation);
  • registered office;
  • area of activity of associations, foundations and trade unions;
  • information on beneficial owners registered in the file of the legal entity (first name, surname, part of personal identity number, date of birth, nationality, country of residence);
  • data on members of the executive board, members with a right of representation or other senior members of staff with the right to represent the legal entity (first name, surname, part of personal identity number, post held, date of registration);
  • information on members of private limited liability companies (first name, surname, part of the personal identity number, number of shares owned by them and the nominal value of those shares);
  • basic information on insolvency proceedings (if the information is recorded in the insolvency register);
  • data from annual financial reports.

This information is provided in .csv, .txt or .xlsx data formats and can be Link opens in new windowaccessed here and Link opens in new windowhere. The user can choose the data format that best suits the intended use. Data are updated on a daily basis.

What kinds of documents are registered/stored (files, document log, statutes, minutes of general meetings, etc.)?

How can I perform a search (and what search criteria are available)?

In person

The Latvian Enterprise Register does not make provision for in-person searches.

On the Register's website

Current and historical information on each and every senior member of staff, member and beneficial owner of a legal entity recorded in a register of the Latvian Enterprise Register, that entity’s participation in other undertakings, its collateral, commercial pledges and insolvency, etc. can be found on the Enterprise Register’s website Link opens in new windowhttps://info.ur.gov.lv. In terms of natural persons, information can be obtained from the Register with regard to registered matrimonial property agreements, participation in undertakings, etc.

What are the available search criteria?

Searches can be conducted on the Latvian Enterprise Register website Link opens in new windowhttps://info.ur.gov.lv/ by name or registration number.

How can I obtain documents?

The Register of Enterprises provides information on all registered legal entities and legal facts.

Information can be obtained from the Latvian Register of Enterprises on the Link opens in new windowRegister’s information website free of charge, where current data are available without the need for authentication, whereas historical records can be consulted and documents in the Link opens in new windowpublic section of the Register can be examined/downloaded only upon authentication on the website with a Latvian national eID card, e-signature, bank identification devices or EIDAS authentication services (for EU citizens).

Where there is a need to obtain a statement from the Enterprise Register concerning a registered legal entity, legal fact (contract) or natural person, an Link opens in new windowinformation request form#_msocom_1[LO1] or application must be submitted, either by post or by sending it to the Register’s official email address Link opens in new windowpasts@ur.gov.lv as an electronic document with a secure electronic signature and digital time stamp. The information request must give details of the payment made to the Register of Enterprises (a document certifying payment, a copy of such a document, or an online banking printout). When requesting information, the means of receipt should be indicated, i.e. by post (registered mail) or electronically.

The Register issues documents from the registration file of a legal entity (private limited liability company(SIA), association, political party, etc.) or a legal fact (commercial pledge or contract) and from the case file. Link opens in new windowDocuments from the public part of the registration file (as per the first paragraph of Article 415 of the Link opens in new windowLaw on the Enterprise Register of the Republic of Latvia) may be obtained online from the Link opens in new windowEnterprise Register’s information website without a certificate of authenticity, free of charge and immediately.

How can I obtain an extract from the register, certified copy or transcript of documents?

To obtain a copy of the document with a certificate of authenticity, a completed information request form must be submitted or a free-format submission made. The issuing of copies of documents with a certificate of authenticity is a service subject to the payment of a fee. This service can be provided either by post or by email.

To obtain documents not referred to in the first paragraph of Article 415 of the Link opens in new windowLaw on the Enterprise Register of the Republic of Latvia, in addition to the above, the written request must state the reason for the request and the purpose of use of the information.

Link opens in new windowA list of fees can be found on the internet.

Registration procedure

How can I launch the registration procedure (how to submit applications to the register, certify documents, what types of documents need to be attached)?

The submission of applications is governed by the Link opens in new windowCommercial Law. The relevant provisions of the Law state that documents justifying the making of an entry in the commercial register and other documents prescribed in the Law are to be submitted to the Commercial Register Office. These documents are to be submitted on paper or electronically.

The Commercial Register Office submits the original of the relevant document or a duly certified copy thereof. If the law states that a person's signature on a document (application, document to be appended to an application or other document) needs to be notarised, the requirement is deemed to have been complied with if the signature is certified by a certified notary or, where the document has been drawn up electronically, it has been signed with a secure electronic signature. If the law states that a person’s signature on a document (application, document to be appended to an application or other document) needs to be notarised, the power of attorney authorising another person to sign the document requires certification by a notary.

In person

The Latvian Enterprise Register ceased providing in-person client services in March 2000 and thus no longer makes provision for registration to be carried out in person. Clients can nevertheless still submit documents to the Register by post.

Online

Documents can be submitted for registration in the Latvian Enterprise Register using either of two electronic submission channels: an e-service or e-mail. More detailed information on how to submit documents electronically can be found Link opens in new windowhere.

How are submitted applications reviewed?

The procedure for reviewing submitted documents is governed by the Link opens in new windowLaw on the Enterprise Register of the Republic of Latvia. The Law states that when reviewing submitted documents, a notary public at the Register verifies whether:

  1. all documents provided for by law which are being registered (added to the file) or on the basis of which an entry is being made in the commercial register have been submitted;
  2. the document which is being registered (added to the file) or on the basis of which an entry is being made in the commercial register has legal effect;
  3. the form of the document which is being registered (added to the file) or on the basis of which an entry is being made in the commercial register meets the requirements of the legislation or of the articles of association, where the legislation provides for the possibility of a particular form of document being specified in the articles of association;
  4. the amount and contents of the information and provisions in the document which is being registered (added to the file) or on the basis of which an entry is being made in the commercial register is in compliance with legislation and other documents in the registration file;
  5. no other legal impediment has been recorded in the Enterprise Register .

If, in the course of verifying the above circumstances, no impediments are found, the notary public at the Enterprise Register takes the decision to make an entry or register the documents (add them to the file).

If the above requirements are found not to have been complied with, but the deficiencies can be remedied, the notary public at the Enterprise Register takes the decision to postpone the making of an entry or the registration of the documents (adding them to the file) and sets a reasonable time limit in the decision for remedying the deficiencies.

The notary public at the Enterprise Register is entitled to take a decision to postpone the making of an entry if:

  1. the firm which is the subject of the registered trader's application corresponds to a name (firm) which has been recorded in the commercial register or other registers maintained by the Enterprise Register, or corresponds to a name (firm) which is the subject of an application for entry;
  2. the sole difference between the firm which is the subject of the registered trader’s application and the name (firm) which has been recorded in the commercial register or other registers maintained by the Enterprise Register is the use of spaces and punctuation marks between letters, numbers or upper and lower case letters used in the name (firm).

If the deficiencies identified in the documents cannot be eliminated or the information submitted is not to be registered in the commercial register, the notary public at the Enterprise Register takes the decision to refuse to register the documents (add them to the file) or to refuse to make an entry in the commercial register. In such cases, the State fee is not reimbursed.

If the Enterprise Register is provided with irrefutable evidence that a signature has been forged, the notary public at the Enterprise Register takes the decision to refuse to register the documents (add them to the file) or to refuse to make an entry in the commercial register.

Legal effect of registration

Effect of entries on third parties, pursuant to Article 17 of Directive (EU) 2017/1132

Discrepancies between a register entry and its published form

If the information to be entered in the commercial register is recorded or published incorrectly, a third party may rely on the published information in relation to the party in whose interests the information was published, but not if the third party was aware that the information published in the commercial register did not correspond to the actual legal situation. For more detailed information please see Link opens in new windowArticles 11 and 12 of the Commercial Law.

Who is responsible for the accuracy of entries?

As of 1 August 2021, all entries in the commercial register and all documents added to the registration file which are in the commercial register and, in accordance with the first paragraph of Article 415 of the Law on the Enterprise Register of the Republic of Latvia, in the public part of the registration file, are published electronically free of charge on the Link opens in new windowEnterprise Register's information website, thus ensuring their availability to the public online from the outset. All entries made in the commercial register prior to 31 July 2021 and any information concerning specific documents have been published in the Link opens in new windowofficial gazette Latvijas Vēstnesis.

Entries are deemed to have been published on (i.e. after midnight on) the day after they are made, and documents are deemed to have been published on (i.e. after midnight on) the day after they are attached to the registration file. Entries in the commercial register become binding on third parties only after their publication, unless the relevant information was known to the third party before publication. On the other hand, if a third party can show that they were not aware and could not have been aware of the published information, that information cannot be relied upon in respect of legal steps taken within 15 days of publication of the information.

Data protection procedures

Procedures related to the rights of the data subject regarding publishing and storing their personal data

The Latvian Enterprise Register processes personal data solely for the purpose of performing its functions and carrying out its tasks under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Law on the processing of personal data and other legislation, and takes into account the following good practice principles for the processing of personal data in its work:

  • personal data should be processed in a lawful, fair and transparent manner by providing information on the Register's website about the data processing processes involved and the legal justification for and purposes (objectives) of processing. Personal data are processed solely by employees whose duties include the performance of such activities;
  • personal data should be processed for clear, specific and legitimate purposes and not processed contrary to the initial purposes;
  • the data minimisation principle should be applied: data should only be processed if they are necessary to achieve the intended processing purpose ;
  • data accuracy should be ensured: inaccurate data should be corrected or updated, other than where legislation makes provision to the contrary;
  • data should be stored without exceeding the retention period necessary to achieve the processing purpose or the retention period laid down in legislation;
  • proportionate technical and organisational measures should be employed and continuously improved in order to ensure the confidentiality, integrity (immutability) and security of personal data, including the protection of those data from unauthorised or unlawful processing or the accidental loss or destruction of data.

Further information on the processing of the personal data of natural persons by the Latvian Enterprise Register can be found Link opens in new windowhere.

Contact details

Register of Enterprises of the Republic of Latvia

Pērses iela 2
Riga
Latvia
LV 1011

Telephone number for information: 67031703 (Please note that legal advice is not provided)

Email: Link opens in new windowpasts@ur.gov.lv

Visitors can meet with the head of the institution, provided they indicate the question or problem they wish to address and the time they wish to visit, and give their contact details.

Last update: 26/01/2024

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Lithuania

It is possible to search by the legal person’s code, name or part of its name.

This section provides an overview of Lithuania’s register of legal persons.

History of the national register establishment

When was it founded?

The register of legal persons, which replaced the former register of undertakings and separate registration systems for public organisations and other bodies, entered into operation on 1 January 2004.

The registration of legal persons in Lithuania started in October 1990 at municipal registry services, while public organisations were registered with separate ministries and other institutions.

When was it digitised?

Digitisation of the register of legal persons began in 1990. The register is now fully digitised.

What is the current applicable legislation?

The Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania, the Law on the register of legal persons, and laws regulating the activities of specific legal forms of legal persons, e.g. the Law on public limited companies, the regulations of the register of legal persons.

Other laws relating to the activities of legal persons, such as the Law on the insolvency of legal persons, etc., also apply.

What information does the business register offer?

Who has access to the register?

The data in the register of legal persons, the documents stored in the register and any other information submitted to the register are public. Any person who has submitted a request, indicating for what purpose and under what legal basis the data will be used, has the right to obtain data from the register of legal persons and copies of documents stored there.

What information does the register hold?

Which data types are stored? (Which entities are entered in the public register? Information on insolvency, financial reports ...)

The legal person’s code; its name; the address of the registered office; the bodies of the legal person: data on members of the legal person’s management bodies, its liquidators or insolvency administrators; data on the persons entitled to enter into transactions on behalf of the legal person; the rule allowing persons to act on behalf of the legal person; the restrictions on the activities of the legal person; the start and end dates of the financial year; the time period of the activities, if this period is limited; the legal person’s legal status (in bankruptcy, in liquidation, being restructured or reorganised); information that the legal person carries out the activity of a provider of a trust or company and administration services, a virtual currency exchange operator, or a deposit virtual currency wallet operator; when a public or private limited company has a single shareholder: data on the company’s shareholder, the date of acquisition of all the shares, the date of transfer of all or part of the company’s shares to other persons; data on members of the supervisory bodies; data on the founder of a branch or representative office of the legal person; the titles of annual financial reports or, in the cases laid down by law, the titles of annual consolidated financial reports, and the dates on which they were signed off and submitted to the register of legal persons, etc.

Which documents are being filed/stored (files, book of documents, statutes, general meetings minutes ...)?

Requests to register data; minutes and decisions of meetings of the participants; minutes and decisions of meetings of the collegiate management bodies; statutes/regulations; instruments of incorporation of branches and representative offices of foreign legal persons; sets of annual financial reports or, in the cases laid down by law, sets of annual consolidated financial reports; asset valuation reports, etc.

How can I perform a search (and what are the available search criteria)?

In person

A search may be carried out in person.

On the website of the register

A search may be carried out on the website of the register.

What are the available search criteria?

It is possible to search by the legal person’s code, name or part of its name.

How can I obtain documents?

Free of charge?

Documents cannot be obtained free of charge.

Upon a fee?

A fee in the amount set by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania is charged to obtain data, information and copies of documents from the register.

How can I obtain an extract from the register, certified copy or transcript of documents?

A certified extract from the register of legal persons may be ordered online via the self-service system, by e-mail, by post or by visiting a customer service department.

A certified copy of a document from the register of legal persons may be ordered by e-mail, by post or by visiting a customer service department. An uncertified copy of a document may be ordered and obtained online via the self-service system.

A fee set by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania is charged for issuing an extract or a copy of a document.

Registration procedure

How can I launch the registration procedure (how to submit applications to the register, certification of documents, type of documents which need to be attached)?

In person

The registration procedure may be started in person.

The following documents must be submitted to register a legal person in the register of legal persons:

  1. an application in the prescribed form to register a legal person;
  2. the instruments of incorporation of the legal person;
  3. other documents prescribed by law.

A notary or the Ministry of Justice checks the veracity of the data submitted to the register’s data processor, the compliance of the instruments of incorporation with regulatory requirements and whether it is possible to register or input the legal person, the branch or representative office, the amended data and instruments of incorporation, and branch or representative office regulations, because the obligations laid down in laws or an instrument of constitution have been fulfilled and the circumstances laid down in laws or instruments of incorporation have arisen.

Online

The most popular legal forms of legal person, such as private limited companies, small partnerships, individual enterprises, public bodies, associations, and charitable and support foundations, can be set up online. These account for around 80% of all legal persons registered in the register of legal persons.

Documents may be submitted electronically directly to the register’s data processor via the Centre of Registers’ customer self-service system, provided that the founder has a qualified electronic signature; documents are drawn up in compliance with approved templates (regulations, statutes, a deed of establishment or a memorandum of incorporation); there can be no intention to use the short-form name of the State (‘Lietuva’) in the legal person’s name; there is electronically signed proof of consent from the owners of the premises for the premises to be used to register the registered office, if the premises do not belong to the founder; the shares of a private limited company are paid by cash contribution; the objectives and areas of activity of an association, a public body or a charitable and support foundation are consistent with the classification of objectives and areas of activity of public legal persons; a charitable and support foundation does not hold endowment capital.

How are submitted applications reviewed?

When examining submitted documents, the register’s data processor determines whether:

  1. the submitted application to register a legal person (changes to the data and documents to be entered in the register, deletion of data) complies with the prescribed form, or all the documents have been submitted;
  2. the time limits referred to in Article 2.46(4) of the Civil Code have not been exceeded;
  3. the data and documents submitted to the register are mutually consistent, clear and not misleading;
  4. the form or content of the documents is not contrary to the law.

The register’s data processor may refuse to register a legal person only if one of the above circumstances is found.

If the application data and instruments of incorporation received have been certified by a notary or the Ministry of Justice, the register’s data processor does not verify the veracity of the data submitted or the compliance of the documents’ content with regulatory requirements.

Legal effects of the registration

Effect of entries on third parties according to Article 17 of Directive (EU) 2017/1132

The data and information in the register of legal persons are considered to be correct as long as they are not contested pursuant to the procedure laid down by laws of the Republic of Lithuania and legal acts of the European Union.

Discrepancies between the register entry and its publication

Publication is based on the certified entries in the register and there being no discrepancies. Notices are generated automatically in the information publication on the basis of the data entered in the register of legal persons.

Who has the responsibility for the accuracy of the records?

The management body of the legal person is responsible for the accuracy of the documents and data submitted and for their timely submission to the register’s data processor, unless otherwise prescribed by law or instruments of incorporation.

Data protection procedures

Procedures relating to the rights of the data subject regarding publishing and storing their personal data

The data, information and documents in the register are public. Any person may access the data, information and documents in the register in accordance with the procedure laid down by laws and the regulations of the register of legal persons. Recipients of the data may use the register’s data only for the purpose, to the extent and in the manner indicated when they received them. Personal data are processed in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679.

Contact information

Data processor of the register of legal persons – the State enterprise, the Centre of Registers.

Tel.Link opens in new window +370 5 268 8262

E-mail: Link opens in new windowinfo@registrucentras.lt

Useful links

Link opens in new windowhttps://www.registrucentras.lt/p/671

Link opens in new windowhttps://www.registrucentras.lt/en/

Last update: 07/04/2023

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Luxembourg

This page provides you with information regarding the options available for consulting the Luxembourg Trade and Companies Register (registre de Commerce et des Sociétés - RCS).

History of the establishment of the national register

When was it created?

The register of companies, which only covered natural persons, was created by the law of 23 December 1909 establishing a register of companies. In 1972 and under the impetus of European legislation, a business register was set up. In 1987, these two registers were merged into a single register, the Trade and Companies Register. Since 2003, this register has operated under the authority of the Minister for Justice and its management is entrusted to the economic interest grouping, LUXEMBOURG BUSINESS REGISTERS.

When was it digitised?

The digitisation of the Trade and Companies Register started in 2006 and was completed in 2007. The Trade and Companies Register is now fully searchable and only available electronically.

What legislation currently applies?

  • the amended law of 19 December 2002 on the trade and companies register and on accounting and annual accounts;
  • the amended Grand-Ducal Regulation of 23 January 2003 implementing the law of 19 December 2002 on the register of trade and companies and on accounting and annual accounts;
  • the amended ministerial regulation of 27 May 2016 laying down the criteria for the presentation and form of documents intended for publication in the Electronic Compendium of Companies and Associations (Recueil électronique des sociétés et associations).

What information does the trade register provide?

-

Who has the right to access the register?

The Trade and Companies Register is public.

What information does the trade register contain?

What kind of data is stored? (entities listed in the public register, insolvency information, financial reports, etc.)

Entities that are obliged to register in the Trade and Companies Register are:

  • traders who are natural persons;
  • commercial companies;
  • economic interest groupings and European economic interest groupings;
  • branches created in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg by companies governed by commercial and civil law, economic interest groupings and European economic interest groupings, governed by the law of another State;
  • companies governed by civil law;
  • non-profit associations and foundations;
  • pension savings associations;
  • agricultural associations;
  • public establishments of the State and the municipalities;
  • mutual insurance associations;
  • special limited partnerships;
  • mutual funds and securitisation funds;
  • mutual societies.

The information stored in the Trade and Companies Register is all set down by law and depends on the legal form of the entity concerned.

Broadly speaking, two types of information are collected:

  • legal data (name, address of the registered office, capital, identity of legal representatives, financial year, information on a court decision, etc.);
  • financial data (annual accounts).

What documents are filed/stored? (Files, collection of documents, articles of association, minutes of general meetings, etc.)

Only the documents prescribed by law are filed with the Trade and Companies Register. The list of documents to be filed depends on the legal form of the entity concerned.

All the documents filed for a registered entity are included in an electronic file specific to the entity, and kept at the Trade and Companies Register.

As such, the Trade and Companies Register keeps the following documents (non-exhaustive list):

  • the constitutive and amending deeds of the articles of association;
  • the coordinated articles of association;
  • minutes or extracts of minutes concerning changes of registered office, agents, partners, persons responsible for auditing the accounts;
  • extracts of court decisions affecting an entity registered in the Trade and Companies Register;
  • accounting documents;
  • deeds or extracts of deeds pronouncing the dissolution of the registered entity;
  • draft terms of mergers, etc.

How can I search (and what search criteria are available)?

In person

The trade and companies register can be consulted directly on the website of the Link opens in new windowTrade and Companies Register, which is entirely electronic. However, for people who do not have the necessary computer equipment, a physical office is available in Luxembourg, where you can carry out searches on a dedicated computer.

On the register’s website

Files can be searched and viewed on the website of the Link opens in new windowTrade and Companies Register (RCS) via the ‘services offered’ menu and ‘search for an RCS file’.

In order to view the filed documents, the user must log in to the website, with or without creating a personal account.

What search criteria are available?

Public searches are done by registration number or by name of the entity concerned.

How can I obtain documents?

Free of charge?

Documents filed with the Trade and Companies Register are available free of charge. When consulting a file, the filed document is accessed by simply clicking on the corresponding PDF icon.

For a fee?

Extracts, certificates or certified copies issued by the Trade and Companies Register administrator are available for a fee.

How can I obtain an extract from the register, a certified copy or a transcript of documents?

Extracts and certificates can be ordered on the website, via the Link opens in new windowservices offered menu.

A certified copy of a filed document can be ordered by consulting the electronic file of the entity concerned and ticking the ‘certified’ box, which is located next to the PDF icon for viewing the filed document.

Registration procedure

How do I start the registration procedure (how do I submit applications to the register, certification of documents, type of documents to be attached)?

In person

The Trade and Companies Register has a helpdesk open to anyone who needs something from the Register. An officer of the Trade and Companies Register administrator will then take care of the electronic procedures with the person. This service requires a prior appointment.

Online

Any steps taken at the Trade and Companies Register require login to the Trade and Companies Register website.

in order to log in for filing/registration purposes, a luxtrust or eIDAS certificate is required and a user account must be created. Once logged in, the user must choose the ‘electronic filing’ menu to start the process.

How are registration applications processed?

Once the user has finalised their filing/registration application, the Trade and Companies Register administrator will carry out a brief legal check of the application, within 3 days of receipt. This check consists of verifying the consistency of the various pieces of information submitted and checking that all the required information has been transmitted and that there is a legal basis for filing or registering the submitted information/document.

If the application is incomplete or erroneous or does not comply with the law, it is returned to the user for verification and rectification.

Legal effects of registration

Effect of registration on third parties in accordance with Article 17 of Directive (EU) 2017/1132

A deed or piece of information is published by filing it with the Trade and Companies Register, followed by its publication in the Official Journal, i.e. the Electronic Compendium of Companies and Associations (Recueil électronique des sociétés et associations - RESA). Once filed with the Trade and Companies Register, the information is accessible on the Trade and Companies Register website. Publication in RESA takes place within 15 days of filing and in practice usually on the day of filing.

Deeds or extracts of deeds can only be invoked against third parties from the day of their publication in the RESA, unless the company can prove that these third parties had prior knowledge of them. Third parties may nevertheless invoke deeds or extracts of deeds not yet published. Where a transaction takes place before the sixteenth day following the date of publication, these deeds and extracts of deeds are not enforceable vis-à-vis third parties that can demonstrate that they had no way of knowing about them.

Differences between registration and publication

In the event of a discrepancy between the text filed and the text published in the Electronic Compendium of Companies and Associations, the latter is not enforceable against third parties. However, third parties themselves may invoke it, unless the company can demonstrate that they were in fact aware of the text filed.

Following a reform in 2016 when the administrator of the Trade and Companies Register became the administrator of the Electronic Compendium of Companies and Associations, there is no longer any risk of discrepancies between the text filed and the text published.

Who is responsible for the accuracy of the registered information?

Requests for access to, or rectification or limitation of, processing operations for which the administrator of the Trade and Companies Register is a subcontractor and for which the Minister of Justice is data controller must be addressed to the Luxembourg Business Registers (at the following e-mail address Link opens in new windowhelpdesk@lbr.lu, or by post to G.I.E. LUXEMBOURG BUSINESS REGISTERS, for the attention of the Data Protection Officer, L-2961 Luxembourg), which will forward them to the Data Protection Officer of the Ministry of Justice.

The information contained in the trade and companies register is kept for 20 years from the deletion of the registered entity’s file, in accordance with the applicable legal and regulatory provisions.

The person who has made a filing is responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in the filing.

Data protection principles

Procedures relating to the data subject’s rights regarding the publication and storage of their personal data

Requests for access to, or rectification or limitation of, processing operations for which the administrator of the Trade and Companies Register is a subcontractor and for which the Minister of Justice is data controller must be addressed to the Luxembourg Business Registers (at the following e-mail address Link opens in new windowhelpdesk@lbr.lu, or by post to G.I.E. LUXEMBOURG BUSINESS REGISTERS, for the attention of the Data Protection Officer, L-2961 Luxembourg), which will forward them to the Data Protection Officer of the Ministry of Justice.

The information contained in the trade and companies register is kept for 20 years from the deletion of the registered entity’s file, in accordance with the applicable legal and regulatory provisions.

Contact information

Office address

Postal address

Opening hours

14, rue Erasme
L-1468 Luxembourg

Tel: (+352) 26 428-1
Fax: (+352) 26 42 85 55
E-mail: Link opens in new windowhelpdesk@lbr.lu

Luxembourg Business Registers
L-2961 Luxembourg

Office: Monday to Friday, 9.00 to 12.00 and 13.30 to 16.00

Telephone helpdesk: Monday to Friday from 8.00 to 17.30

Useful links

Website of Link opens in new windowLuxembourg Business Registers

Portal of the Link opens in new windowTrade and Companies Register

Last update: 14/04/2023

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Hungary

This section provides a brief overview of Hungary’s business register.

What does the Hungarian business register offer?

The business register contains data on registered companies and corporate documents, which serve as the basis for registration. The data in the business register (on the companies registered therein) is managed by the courts in their capacity as courts of registration. Company information and corporate documents are stored electronically. The data of companies registered at any Hungarian court of registration are available free of charge on the website of the Service of Company Information and Electronic Company Registration of the Ministry of Justice (Company Information Service, Link opens in new windowhttps://www.e-cegjegyzek.hu/).

You can access the following information (existing or no longer valid) that is present in the business register at the time of your request:

  • corporate registration number;
  • company name;
  • head office (székhely);
  • business facility(ies) (telephelyek);
  • branch(es) (fióktelepek);
  • activity(ies);
  • issued share capital;
  • tax number;
  • whether bankruptcy, liquidation or final settlement proceedings have been initiated;
  • whether a (former) executive officer or manager of a business association, pursuant to Section 3:22 of Act V of 2013 on the Civil Code, cannot be an executive officer or manager of another business association.

On the first day of each week, the following information is updated:

  1. All company data in the business register (stored company extract) (tárolt cégkivonat), plus data on requests for registration or changes in registration not yet incorporated in the register.
  2. Company information includes:
  • ownership status (members or shareholders) and the legal representatives of legal persons, business associations without legal personality (jogi személyiség nélküli gazdasági társaság), or other associations;
  • powers of representation and membership of the supervisory board, for natural persons.

On the first day of each week, the updated information can also be found using the search engine.

The business register stores company information also on the basis of other criteria (data that is no longer valid may also be accessed) and corporate documents may also be accessed in addition to company information. The data may be accessed at Courts of Registration and via the Company Information Service, while authentic or non-certified copies of corporate documents and company information can be obtained against payment of an administrative fee.

Is access to the Hungarian business register free of charge?

The contents of the Hungarian business register are accessible to the above mentioned extent, free of charge, at <Link opens in new windowhttps://www.e-cegjegyzek.hu/?ceginformacio>. Accessing all further content is subject to a charge.

How to search the Hungarian business register

Company information can be searched using one of the following criteria:

- company name;

- corporate registration number;

- tax number.

To which extent can the information in the register be relied upon?

The data referred to in Article 2 of Directive 2009/101/EC is accessible online free of charge, for companies registered in Hungary.

In Hungary, public company information is provided by the court of registration, the Company Information Service, or is published in the Company Gazette. The Company Gazette is the official journal of the Ministry of Justice, and can be accessed free of charge at Link opens in new windowhttp://www.e-cegkozlony.gov.hu/. When it publishes data from the business register relating to a joint-stock company or a limited liability company, the court of registration also publishes in the Company Gazette the company’s articles of association or any amendments thereto, which are uploaded daily.

The data in the business register is managed by the courts in their capacity as courts of registration. Company information and corporate documents are stored electronically. The data of companies registered at any Hungarian court of registration are available free of charge on the website of the Service of Company Information and Electronic Company Registration of the Ministry of Justice (Company Information Service, Link opens in new windowhttps://www.e-cegjegyzek.hu/).

History of the Hungarian business register

Since July 1993, when the National System of Company Information and Company Registration (Országos Céginformációs és Cégnyilvántartási Rendszer) became fully operational, data in the business register has been entered electronically by the courts.

The system response time between any two courts is only a matter of minutes.

Last update: 19/09/2016

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Malta

This section provides an overview of Malta’s business register.

History of the national register establishment

When was it founded?

The Malta Business Registry (MBR) is a government agency that was granted autonomy in 2018 by means of Link opens in new windowSubsidiary Legislation 595.27. Before its establishment, the agency was a body within the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA). The Agency was vested with all the powers and duties pertaining to the Registrar of Companies under the Companies Act (Link opens in new windowChapter 386 of the Laws of Malta) and any other applicable law.

When was it digitised?

Initially, the online system was developed in 2004, with various developments over the years aimed at better serving the needs of citizens, corporate services providers and companies themselves. The MBR online system is currently undergoing a rigorous updating process to provide a more modern digital service, through the use of more advanced technology that includes, amongst other features, a facility allowing a person to give digital signatures to and set up a company online using a more effective technological system. The system is expected to have been completely updated and digitalised in late 2021 / early 2022.

What is the current applicable legislation?

The law establishing the Agency is Subsidiary Legislation 595.27. However, the statutory legislation that further diversifies the powers and the functions of the agency and allocates the duties and obligations to legal persons and company officials is extensive. This Link opens in new windowlegislation is as follows:

Chapter 386 of the Laws of MaltaCompanies Act;

S.L. 386.01 of the Laws of MaltaCompanies Act (Forms) Regulations;

S.L. 386.02 of the Laws of MaltaCompanies Act (Investment Companies with Variable Share Capital) Regulations;

S.L. 386.03 of the Laws of MaltaCompanies Act (Fees) Regulations;

S.L. 386.04 of the Laws of MaltaCompanies Act (Investment Companies with Fixed Share Capital) Regulations;

S.L. 386.05 of the Laws of MaltaContinuation of Companies Regulations;

S.L. 386.06 of the Laws of MaltaCompanies Act (Applicability to Offshore Companies) Regulations;

S.L. 386.07 of the Laws of MaltaApplicability of the Companies Act to Offshore Companies formed and registered under the Commercial Partnerships Ordinance and the Malta Financial Services Authority Act Order;

S.L. 386.08 of the Laws of MaltaCompanies Act (European Economic Interest Grouping) Regulations;

S.L. 386.09 of the Laws of MaltaCompanies Act (Investment Companies with Variable Share Capital as Retirement Schemes or Retirement Funds) Regulations;

S.L. 386.10 of the Laws of MaltaCompanies Act (Cell Companies Carrying on Business of Insurance) Regulations;

S.L. 386.11 of the Laws of MaltaCompanies Act (The Prospectus) Regulations;

S.L. 386.12 of the Laws of MaltaCross-Border Mergers of Limited Liability Companies Regulations;

S.L. 386.13 of the Laws of Malta, Companies Act (Incorporated Cell Companies Carrying on Business of Insurance) Regulations;

S.L. 386.14 of the Laws of MaltaCompanies Act (SICAV Incorporated Cell Companies) Regulations;

S.L. 386.15 of the Laws of Malta, Companies Act (Recognised Incorporated Cell Companies) Regulations;

S.L. 386.16 of the Laws of MaltaSecuritisation Cell Companies Regulations;

S.L. 386.17 of the Laws of Malta, Transfer of Registered Office of a European Company (SE) Regulations;

S.L. 386.18 of the Laws of Malta, Companies Act (System of Interconnection of Registers) Regulations;

S.L. 386.19 of the Laws of Malta, Companies Act (Register of Beneficial Owners) Regulations;

S.L. 386.20 of the Laws of Malta, Companies Act (Audit Exemption) Regulations;

S.L. 386.21 of the Laws of Malta, Companies Act (Company Reconstructions Fund) Regulations;

S.L. 386.22 of the Laws of Malta, Companies Act (Shipping and Aviation Cell Companies) Regulations;

S.L. 459.01 of the Laws of MaltaFinancial Collateral Arrangements Regulations.

Foundations and Associations:

Chapter 16 of the Laws of Malta, Civil Code;

S.L. 16.07 of the Laws of Malta, Civil Code (Second Schedule) (Fees) Regulations;

S.L. 16.08 of the Laws of Malta, Civil Code (Second Schedule) (Notifications and Forms) Regulations;

S.L. 16.10 of the Laws of Malta, Civil Code (Second Schedule) (Existing Organisations) Regulations;

S.L. 16.17 of the Laws of Malta, Civil Code (Second Schedule) (Register of Beneficial Owners - Associations) Regulations;

S.L. 16.18 of the Laws of Malta, Civil Code (Second Schedule) (Register of Beneficial Owners - Foundations) Regulations

S.L. 492.01 of the Laws of Malta, Voluntary Organisations (Annual Returns and Annual Accounts) Regulations.

What information does the business register offer?

Who has the right to access the register?

The online system enables any natural person wishing to obtain information on companies, foundations and associations to access the Register.

The information contained in the Register includes information which is free of charge and for general use (public information). This includes, inter alia, company names and registration numbers, their registered address, date of incorporation, whether it is a company or not, share capital, and the identity of the company officials.

Access to other company documentation is provided for a minimal charge. This documentation includes, inter alia, all the notifications submitted and registered by the Registrar for every company, the status of the company, annual accounts as well as annual returns. Details of the beneficial owners are also accessible to the general public for a minimal charge.

What information does the register hold?

What types of data are stored? (which entities are entered in the public register, information regarding insolvency, financial reports...)

The following data are stored:

  • company details, including company’s registered name, date of registration and registered office;
  • the company’s status, whether it is active or has been dissolved;
  • the company’s authorised share capital;
  • the involved parties, with their identity card and residential address, including directors, shareholders, legal representatives, judicial representatives, secretaries and auditors;
  • the number of shares held by each member/shareholder;
  • if the company is the process of winding up, details of the liquidator(s) are also provided;
  • the beneficial owners.

Which documents are filed/stored? (files, book of documents, statutes, minutes of general meetings...)?

The following documents are stored:

  • annual return;
  • accounts;
  • statute (memorandum and articles of association);
  • information concerning beneficial owners;
  • resolutions;
  • minutes of the general assembly;
  • dissolution, liquidation and winding-up documents;
  • other notifications required by law.

How can I perform a search (and what are the available search criteria)?

In person

Information relating to companies is available directly from the MBR offices that are situated in Żejtun, Malta.

On the Register website

The information can be found on the Link opens in new windowMBR portal.

What are the available search criteria?

The person conducting the search should click on the abovementioned portal link and go to Company Search. Anybody can search for a company by entering their name, or part thereof, or their registration number.

How can I obtain documents?

Documents may be purchased via the online system by card payment or directly from the MBR office.

How can I obtain an extract from the register, certified copy or transcript of documents?

These can be obtained by sending a request by email to Link opens in new windoworders.mbr@mbr.mt indicating the requested documents.

Registration procedure

How can I launch the registration procedure (how to submit applications to the register, certification of documents, type of documents which need to be attached)?

In person

The registration process may be initiated directly at the MBR offices located in Żejtun, Malta. The documents that need to be annexed are the company’s memorandum and articles of association, together with the relevant documents, identification documents, and proof of bank deposits of the share capital.

Online

This process can be carried out by a person who is registered in the online system as an authorised user. The same document requirement applies, however the price for the online procedure is lower than the payment to be made in person.

A company may be registered if it has an EIDAS digital signature which is sent to MBR.

How are submitted applications reviewed?

MBR officials analyse all submitted documentation and a verification is carried out where this is required by law. Involved parties are scrutinised in respect of sanctions, negative media coverage, political exposure or disqualification. Signatures are also examined and checks are carried out to establish whether the signatory is authorised to sign that document. The information is also analysed to verify that it is legally compliant.

Legal effects of the registration

Effect of entries on third parties in accordance with Article 17 of Directive (EU) 2017/1132

This is also regulated by Article 401(2) of the Companies Act (Link opens in new windowChapter 386 of the Laws of Malta). Any document, certificate or other detail is subject to publication, as provided for in Article 401(1)(e). Publication gives such documentation effect against third parties to the relevant commercial company. Any operation completed before the sixteenth day from the publication of any document, certificate or other detail will not be enforceable against third parties who are able to prove that it was not possible for them to obtain information about it.

Discrepancies between the register entry and its publication

In accordance with the latest EU directive (Directive (EU) 2019/1151, amending Directive (EU) 2017/1132), in case of any discrepancy that may result between the content of the Register and the published content, the version in the Register prevails for purposes of correctness. However, such discrepancies should be avoided as far as possible. Nowadays, achieving this is helped by the fact that the publications and the documentation accessible to the public (both the information that is free of charge and that which is available against payment) are uploaded and published on the MBR online system. It is therefore much more difficult for the information entered in the Register not to be reflected in the publication. All publications are generated on Link opens in new windowhttps://support.mbr.mt/pages/Publications.aspx, in addition to the portal.

Who is responsible for the accuracy of the records?

The company itself is responsible for the accuracy of the records.

Data protection procedures

Procedures related to the rights of the data subject regarding the publication and retention of their personal data

The rights granted to the data subject in accordance with the EU regulation on data protection are protected at any time when the MBR receives, processes and stores such data. The MBR also has a data protection officer. Any information related to this subject is also accessible on the MBR website, which explains in greater detail, inter alia, what constitutes personal data, the applicable laws in this area, what data are collected from subject persons, how such data are collected, the use of social media, the correctness of the data, storage and retention periods, the process for a person to request data held by MBR relating to them, and the procedure for lodging a formal complaint with the Office of the Commissioner for Information and Data Protection. This information is accessible at Link opens in new windowhttps://mbr.mt/privacy-policy/.

Contact information

MBR is reachable by telephone on (+356) 22582300 or by visiting the following website: Link opens in new windowhttps://mbr.mt/

You can also visit the MBR offices at the following address: Malta Business Registry,

AM Business Centre, Labour Road, Żejtun ZTN 2401, Malta.

An email for orders of certificates and documentation may be sent to Link opens in new windoworders.mbr@mbr.mt and any assistance relating to electronic services may be requested by email to Link opens in new windowsupport.mbr@mbr.mt

Useful links

Link opens in new windowhttps://mbr.mt/contact/

Link opens in new windowhttps://mbr.mt/companies-act/

Link opens in new windowhttps://mbr.mt/foundations-and-associations/

Link opens in new windowhttps://mbr.mt/faq/

Link opens in new windowhttps://mbr.mt/resources/

Link opens in new windowhttps://mbr.mt/promo/official-registry-forms/

Link opens in new windowhttps://mbr.mt/news/

Link opens in new windowhttps://legislation.mt/

Last update: 02/05/2023

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Netherlands

This section provides you with an overview of the Dutch Business Register.

What information does the Dutch Business Register contain?

The Link opens in new windowDutch Business Register is owned and maintained by the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel), as authorised by the government through the Business Register Act.

The Register gives an overview of all relevant (legal) information on all economically relevant companies and legal persons in the Netherlands. All companies and legal persons are entered in the Register. This includes:

  • Companies (private and public limited companies: BVs and NVs)
  • Sole traders
  • Associations
  • Foundations
  • Professionals (e.g. lawyers, doctors, artists)
  • Owners’ associations
  • Churches
  • Government offices.

The amount of data registered varies according to the legal form of the organisation. The most important registered data are:

  • (Legally registered) Name
  • Other trading names
  • Legal form and registered office
  • Addresses
  • Directors
  • Persons with power of attorney
  • Persons employed
  • Establishment details
  • Contact details
  • Indication of activities (according to NACE classification).

According to Dutch law, the information in the Register is valid (and binding for third parties) unless otherwise indicated. The obligation to register (and register any changes) lies with the companies themselves. All changes must be registered within one week of their being made.

Registration in the Business Register does not form part of the process of establishing a company in the Netherlands. From a legal point of view, a company can exist in the Netherlands even without being registered. Thus, although it is illegal not to register, non-registration does not preclude a company from existing and acting as a company.

Dutch (un)limited companies also have to file their annual account with the Business Register. Most companies have only to file a balance sheet, while large companies must also file their profit and loss account.

Is access to the Dutch Business Register free of charge?

Basic information in the Dutch Business Register – such as contact details, the Chamber of Commerce number and the establishment number – is available free of charge via the Link opens in new windowChamber of Commerce website. A fee is charged for other types of information, e.g. official extracts, financial statements and other documents. You can find an Link opens in new windowoverview of the rates charged on the Chamber of Commerce website.

You can also download the Link opens in new windowChamber of Commerce Business Register app for free. This app allows you to obtain simple information from the Business Register.

To what extent can the documents in the Dutch Business Register be relied upon?

Everybody should be able to rely on the information contained in the Business Register. The Business Register contains authentic data. The quality of the data is guaranteed in such a way that the user can rely on them. The owner of a company is responsible for what is written about the company in the Business Register. Registered companies must always communicate any changes to this information. If such changes are not communicated, then the information contained in the Business register applies. This is known as third-party protection. Third parties acting in good faith should be able to rely on the registered data.

How can the Dutch Business Register be searched?

You can search the Link opens in new windowDutch Business Register by:

  • Trading name
  • Official Chamber of Commerce number
  • Address
  • Postal code area

History of the Dutch Business Register

Information dates from the start of the current Register (1920). Data are also available for older companies.

Related links

Link opens in new windowEuropean Business Register

Link opens in new windowChamber of Commerce

Link opens in new windowBusiness Register

Last update: 18/10/2021

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Austria

This section provides you with an overview of Austria’s business register.

History of the national register establishment

When was it founded?

Until 1990 the Austrian commercial register (Handelsregister) was kept in paper form. In 1991 it was replaced by the Firmenbuch, which is managed as an electronic database.

When was it digitised?

When the Handelsregister was replaced by the Firmenbuch in 1991 the data held in the principal register (Hauptbuch) was transferred to an electronic database. Since then all data, both current and historical (dating back to 1991), has been available electronically. Since 2005 the document archive (Urkundensammlung) of the commercial register has also been kept in electronic form.

What is the current applicable legislation?

The key legislation is laid down in the Commercial Register Act (Firmenbuchgesetz – FBG) and the Commercial Code (Unternehmensgesetzbuch – UGB).

What information does the business register offer?

Who has access to the register?

Anyone may access the commercial register database to obtain information on entries in the register. Both the principal register and the document archive can be accessed.

What information does the register hold?

The Link opens in new windowprincipal register of the commercial register contains information on all registered Austrian businesses. The documents on which those entries are based are stored in the document archive.

The purpose of the commercial register is to record and disclose facts that must be registered in accordance with the provisions of company law. These include a company’s commercial register number, business name, legal form, registered office and business address, as well as the persons authorised to represent it. In principle, changes to the facts entered in the commercial register must be notified to the court without delay (notification obligation).

Which data types are stored? (Which entities are entered in the public register? Information on insolvency, financial reports ...)

In accordance with Section 2 FBG, the following in particular must be entered in the principal register: all limited companies (private limited company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung – Link opens in new windowGmbH), public limited company (Aktiengesellschaft – AG), European Company – SE), registered partnerships (general partnership (offene Gesellschaft – Link opens in new windowOG) and limited partnership (Kommanditgesellschaft – Link opens in new windowKG)) and cooperatives (including European Cooperative Societies – SCEs) that have their registered office in Austria. Civil-law partnerships (Link opens in new windowGesellschaften bürgerlichen Rechts – GesbR) are not entered in the commercial register, as they do not possess legal personality. Foreign legal entities must be entered in the commercial register if they operate a branch in Austria.

In principle, Link opens in new windowsole traders may be entered in the commercial register on a voluntary basis. Entry in the commercial register is compulsory only if the sole trader generates turnover in excess of EUR 700 000 in two consecutive financial years or turnover in excess of EUR 1 000 000 in any one year.

Which documents are being filed/stored (files, book of documents, statutes, general meetings minutes …)?

In addition to the entries in the commercial register’s principal register, numerous documents are stored in the document archive. These include, in particular, the articles of association of limited companies, the financial statements of companies with an obligation to prepare accounts and sample signatures of authorised representatives.

How can I perform a search (and what are the available search criteria)?

In person / On the website of the register.

What are the available search criteria?

An extract from the commercial register can be retrieved from the database by entering the commercial register number (Firmenbuchnummer). In principle, such an extract contains the data currently entered in the register. However, deleted (historical) data can also now be issued on request.

If the commercial register number is not known, it is possible to search using the name of the legal entity (Firma) or the name of a person who holds a particular office within the legal entity concerned (e.g. managing director).

All documents that have been stored electronically relating to a legal entity can also be retrieved via the document list (Urkundenliste).

See also the information under the question ‘How can I obtain an extract from the register, certified copy or transcript of documents?’

How can I obtain documents?

Free of charge? Upon a fee?

See the information under the question ‘How can I obtain an extract from the register, certified copy or transcript of documents?’

How can I obtain an extract from the register, certified copy or transcript of documents?

From the commercial register database it is possible to retrieve both commercial register extracts (from the principal register) and documents (from the document archive). The documents that are available for a legal entity can be seen in the document list. There is a charge for requesting data from the commercial register database, with the exception of the free summary information containing the main details about a legal entity.

If the company name or commercial register number of a legal entity is known, commercial register extracts and documents can be retrieved via ‘JustizOnline’, the digital information and service platform of the Austrian judiciary. For products subject to a charge you have to register using a mobile phone signature and must be able to make an online payment. The summary information mentioned above, on the other hand, can be accessed without having to fulfil any further conditions.

Permanent online access to the Austrian commercial register with all search options can be obtained via a Verrechnungsstelle. These are firms contracted by the Ministry of Justice to handle commercial register enquiries. All notarieslawyers and auditors and tax advisers (Wirtschaftstreuhänder) also have such online access. Requests for information from the commercial register database can also be submitted to the courts.

Registration procedure

How can I launch the registration procedure (how to submit applications to the register, certification of documents, type of documents which need to be attached)?

In person / Online

In principle, applications to the commercial register must be submitted in writing and the signatures of the applicants must usually be certified by a notary or court.

The entry that is being requested must be precisely indicated in the application. In many cases corresponding documents must also be enclosed with the application, some of which are subject to specific formal requirements. The articles of association of an AG or GmbH, for example, must always take the form of a notarial deed.

Applications may be submitted to the commercial register court in paper form or electronically. Specific forms are available for certain applications. See:

Link opens in new windowhttps://justizonline.gv.at/jop/web/formulare/kategorie/2

Link opens in new windowhttps://portal.justiz.gv.at/at.gv.justiz.formulare/Justiz/Firmenbuch.aspx

On this page it is not possible to provide details of all the formal and content requirements that applications to the commercial register must satisfy, in addition to the basic information set out above. If you require advice in this area, please contact a notary or lawyer.

How are submitted applications reviewed?

Applications are subject to a formal and substantive review by the competent commercial register court. These are the courts of first instance responsible for dealing with commercial matters (regional courts (Landesgerichte)). Territorial jurisdiction is determined based on the location of the head office or registered office of the legal entity that has been or is to be entered in the commercial register.

At the commercial register courts decisions are made by judges or judicial officers. If an application cannot be approved due to shortcomings, the court may ask the applicant to correct the application.

Legal effects of the registration

Effect of entries on third parties according to Article 17 of Directive (EU) 2017/1132

The effects of entries in the commercial register vis-à-vis third parties are regulated by Link opens in new windowSection 15 of the Commercial Code, which states that a fact which should have been entered in the commercial register, but was not, cannot be invoked by the company concerned against a third party, unless the third party was already aware of the fact in question (paragraph 1). Once a fact has been entered, a third party must accept the fact as binding on it. However, this does not apply to legal acts carried out within 15 days of entry, provided that the third party proves that they were neither aware nor ought to have been aware of the fact (paragraph 2). The company must also accept incorrect entries as binding on it vis-à-vis a third party in commercial transactions if it made the incorrect entry itself or did not delete an entry which it knew or should have known to be incorrect. However, the company does not have to accept incorrect entries as binding on it if it can prove either that the third party acted without relying on the entry, or that the third party knew it was incorrect or did not know as a result of gross negligence (paragraph 3).

The binding version of the articles of association of an AG or a GmbH is always that which appears in the commercial register, as any amendment to the articles of association has no legal effect until it is entered in the commercial register (Link opens in new windowSection 148(3) of the Public Limited Companies Act (Aktiengesetz – AktG), Link opens in new windowSection  49(2) of the Private Limited Companies Act (GmbH-Gesetz – GmbHG)).

Discrepancies between the register entry and its publication

As commercial register entries from the commercial register database are forwarded directly to the additional publication media (legal notices database (Ediktsdatei) and Wiener Zeitung Official Gazette) using an IT-supported process, discrepancies between the content of the commercial register entry and the content of the additional publication can be virtually excluded. Should a discrepancy nevertheless arise, the entry in the commercial register takes precedence.

Who has responsibility for the accuracy of the records?

In principle, every entrepreneur is obliged to ensure that the facts about him or her that are entered in the commercial register are correct and up to date. If such facts change, the commercial register must be notified without delay. If a person who is obliged to notify the commercial register of a fact fails to submit an application to that effect, he or she may be compelled to do so through the imposition of fines.

Data protection procedures

Procedures relating to the rights of the data subject regarding publishing and storing their personal data

Any data protection entitlements are governed primarily by the provisions of the judicial commercial register procedure (see Section 84 of the Court Organisation Act (Gerichtsorganisationsgesetz)).

Contact information

The commercial register court with territorial jurisdiction for a particular legal entity (see the information under the question ‘How are submitted applications reviewed?’) can be determined using the court search (Gerichtssuche) function on the ‘JustizOnline’ platform. See: Link opens in new windowhttps://justizonline.gv.at/jop/web/home

Useful links

Link opens in new windowhttps://www.justiz.gv.at/home/service/firmenbuch~36f.de.html

Link opens in new windowhttps://justizonline.gv.at/jop/web/firmenbuchabfrage

Last update: 26/09/2022

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Poland

This section provides you with an overview of Poland's business register.

General information on doing business

The conditions for commencing and conducting business activity by entrepreneurs in Poland are governed by Link opens in new windowthe Business Act of 6 March 2018. The rules for commencing, conducting and terminating business activity by foreign persons are governed by separate provisions, in particular Link opens in new windowthe Act on the rules governing the participation of foreign undertakings and other foreign persons in commercial activities in Poland.

Entrepreneurs conducting business or professional activity on their own behalf operating as commercial law companies, foundations and associations and other entities are subject to entry in the business register of the National Court Register (Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy - KRS);

Entrepreneurs conducting business activity as single operators (i.e. natural persons and partners in civil-law partnerships) are subject to entry in the Central Business Register (Centralna Ewidencja Działalności Gospodarczej - CEIDG) in accordance with the rules defined in Link opens in new windowthe Central Register and Information Repository on Economic Activity and Information Point for Businesses Act of 6 March 2018.

The Polish business register

The National Court Register is a central IT database consisting of three separate registers:

  • the business register,
  • the associations register, other social and professional organisations, foundations and public healthcare institutions,
  • the register of insolvent debtors (replaced by the National Register of Debtors on 1 December 2021).

The National Court Register was established pursuant to Link opens in new windowthe National Court Register Act of 20 August 1997 and has been operational since 1 January 2001.

The National Court Register is aimed at providing universal, quick and reliable access to information on the legal status of the registered entities (Link opens in new windowCentral Information Office of the National Court Register), the key aspects of their financial situation and on the manner in which these entities are represented.

Under the Polish registration procedure, the applicants’ requests are verified by the registry court.

Under Article 23 of the National Court Register Act, the registry court carries out substantive checks on the application for entry in the Register and on the accompanying documents. The court also verifies the accuracy of the entity’s identification data (name and surname, PESEL [the civil registration number], the entity’s name or company, REGON [the national official business register number] and the KRS number); the court also verifies other data in the application if it has reasonable doubt as to their veracity.

Since 1 July 2021 the procedure for registering in the KRS business register has been carried out exclusively on-line.

The applications and documents constituting grounds for entry are submitted by entrepreneurs using the IT system of the Link opens in new windowMinistry of Justice and made available free of charge in the Repository of Registration Files after the conclusion of the procedure.

The applications (forms) and documents submitted by entrepreneurs before 1 July 2021 are available (in paper form only) at the seat of the registry court competent for the entrepreneur concerned.

Financial documents concerning entrepreneurs entered in the National Court Register are stored and made available on-line free of charge at the dedicated Repository of Financial Documents.

The National Court Register is part of the Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS), referred to in Article 22 of Directive (EU) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 relating to certain aspects of company law (OJ L 169 of 30 June 2017, p. 46-127), (‘system of interconnection of registers’). Pursuant to Article 4a of the KRS Act, the Central Information Office of the KRS uses the system of interconnection of registers to:

(1) make available free of charge up to date information on limited liability companies, joint stock companies, limited equity partnerships, European companies and branches of foreign entrepreneurs operating in Poland and information concerning the removal of these entities from the KRS and the list of documents referred to in Article 4(4a) of the KRS Act;

(2) make available copies of documents submitted in paper form and documents submitted in the electronic form referred to in Article 4(3a) of the KRS Act;

(3) transmit to the dedicated registers information on the opening of liquidation procedures, the conclusion of liquidations procedures, bankruptcy declarations, the conclusion of insolvency proceedings and on the removal of the companies referred to in point 1;

transmit to the dedicated registers information on transboundary mergers.

Is access to the Polish business register free of charge?

Yes, access to the National Court Register is free.

How to search the Polish business register

You can search the Polish business register by using the following search terms:

  • the entity’s number in the registry (KRS number);
  • tax identification number (NIP);
  • REGON identification number;
  • the name of the entity.

Useful links

Link opens in new windowAct of 20 August 1997 on the National Court Register

Link opens in new windowCourt Registers Portal

Last update: 26/01/2024

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Let op: de oorspronkelijke versie van deze pagina (Portugees) is onlangs gewijzigd. Aan de vertaling in het Nederlands wordt momenteel gewerkt.

Business registers in EU countries - Portugal

This page provides you with an overview of Portugal’s business register.

Business register

In Portugal the business register is governed by the Business Register Code, adopted by Decree-Law No 403/86 of 3 December 1986.

Registration is the responsibility of business registry offices, which are external services of the Institute of Registrars and Notaries (IRN), itself under the aegis of the Ministry of Justice. Business registry offices can be found throughout the country. There are no geographical limitations on their area of jurisdiction.

The purpose of the business register is to publicise the legal situation of:

  • sole traders;
  • commercial companies;
  • civil-law companies having a commercial form;
  • individual establishments with limited liability (EIRL);
  • cooperatives;
  • public enterprises;
  • complementary company groups (ACE) and European Economic Interest Groups;
  • individuals and associations required by law to register.

Registration confers legal personality on commercial companies and is usually compulsory. Businesses must register within two months of the date of incorporation.

Facts can be registered only where supported legally by documentary evidence, which must be archived electronically. Documents in a foreign language are accepted only where translated as required by law, unless they record facts that are subject to transcription in the register, are written in English, French or Spanish, and the relevant official is fluent in that language.

Registration can be by transcription (the information that is relevant for the legal situation of the entities required to register is extracted from the documents submitted and summarised, and must be validated by a registrar or registry official) or by deposit (only for archiving documents relating to facts requiring registration).

What commercial companies and civil law companies having a commercial form are required to register:

incorporation;

decisions taken by the general meeting, where required by law, concerning purchases of assets by the company;

reverse split, split or transfer of shares in private limited liability companies or shares held by limited partners in limited partnerships;

commitments to alienate or encumber shares in general partnerships, limited partnerships or private limited liability companies, pre-emption agreements, where it has been agreed that they will have erga omnes effects, and pre-emption obligations attributed such effects by a testator in his or her last will and testament;

transfers of shares in general partnerships or shares held by limited partners in limited partnerships, the establishment of rights in rem to use and enjoy or charges over such shares and their transfer, modification or cancellation, and the attachment of rights over profits and liquidation quota;

establishment and transfer of usufruct, security, distraint, lien, attachment or seizure in criminal proceedings on shares or rights over them and any other acts or orders that affect the free disposal of such shares;

withdrawal or expulsion of partners from general partnerships and limited partnerships, the extinguishing of shares as a result of the death of a partner, and the admission of new partners with unlimited liability;

amortisation of shares and the expulsion or withdrawal of shareholders from private limited liability companies;

decisions on amortisation, conversion or redemption;

issuing of bonds by private offering, unless they are admitted to trading on a regulated securities market within the period of application for registration;

appointment and departure, for any reason other than the passage of time, of members of the board of directors and management boards or of the company secretary;

presentation of accounts by public limited companies, private limited liability companies and partnerships limited by shares, and by general partnerships and limited partnerships where so required, and consolidated accounts of companies required to present them;

change in registered office or transfer of registered office abroad;

plans for domestic or cross-border mergers or demergers,

plans to incorporate a European public limited-liability company by merger, plans to incorporate a European public limited-liability company by transformation of a public limited-liability company formed under national law, or plans to incorporate a holding European public limited-liability company together, in the latter case, with proof that the conditions for doing so are met;

any extension, domestic or cross-border merger, demerger, conversion or dissolving of a company, and any increase, reduction or repurchase of share capital, and any other amendment to a company’s articles of association;

appointment and departure, prior to the completion of liquidation, of company liquidators, as well as any change in liquidators’ statutory or contractual powers;

the completion of liquidation or the company’s resumption of operations;

decisions on maintaining total control by one company of another, in a company group, or termination of such situation;

subordination agreements, and any amendment or expiry thereof;

issuing of stock warrants, where this is by private offering by an entity that does not have any securities listed on a national regulated market, unless they are admitted to trading on a regulated securities market within the period of application for registration.

How to request registration and what it costs

You can request the registration of documents for entry in the business register in person at a business registry office, by mail or online (Link opens in new windowhttps://eportugal.gov.pt/en/espaco-empresa/empresa-online).

Costs vary depending on which facts you wish to register, and are revised regularly. The costs of registering the various acts can be consulted at: Link opens in new windowhttps://dre.pt/web/guest/legislacao-consolidada/-/lc/122322384/201906152048/73705012/diploma/indice.

How to consult information in the business register and what it costs

Any person may request extracts from the register and the documents archived, or obtain oral or written information about their content.

Information about registrations whose publication is mandatory is available free of charge at Link opens in new windowhttp://publicacoes.mj.pt/Pesquisa.aspx.

Registration can be proven only by an extract, which is valid for six months. Extracts can be made available on an electronic medium, and are valid for all legal purposes and before any public authority or private entity on the same terms as the paper version.

Fees are charged for extracts from the register and related documents, whether in paper or electronic form.

Access to electronic extracts is available for a subscription of EUR 25 a year and subscriptions for two, three or four years can be taken out for a corresponding fee. The cost can vary depending on which type of extract is required (registration, or one of two other possible types).

Requests can be made at Link opens in new windowhttps://eportugal.gov.pt/en/espaco-empresa/empresa-online.

Where requested, the information contained in the business register can be provided by way of an electronic certificate in English, with equivalent legal effects to the information provided in Portuguese.

Legal effects of the business register

Facts that have to be registered take effect as against third parties only after the date of registration. Facts that have to be registered and published (on the internet site Link opens in new windowhttp://publicacoes.mj.pt/Pesquisa.aspx) take effect as against third parties only after the date of publication.

Final registration by transcription constitutes a presumption that the legal situation exists, on the precise terms defined. For example, records of a commercial company (legal form, name, registered office, purpose, signatories, identification of members of company bodies, etc.) enjoy a presumption that the legal situation as mentioned in the register exists.

Registration by deposit does not enjoy this presumption; it serves as a public notification, and does not enjoy a presumption as to correctness.

Last update: 28/03/2023

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Romania

This section provides an overview of the Romanian Trade Register, kept by the Ministry of Justice – National Trade Register Office.

History of the national register establishment

When was it founded?

The Trade Register was set up in 1990, pursuant to Law No 26/1990 on the Trade Register.

Under Government Emergency Order No 129 of 10 October 2002 amending Law No 26/1990 on the trade register and Government Emergency Order No 76/2001 concerning the simplification of certain administrative formalities for the registration and authorisation of operations performed by traders, the Link opens in new windowNational Trade Register Office in Romania is a public body with legal personality, under the authority of the Ministry of Justice. The Office is responsible for keeping, organising and managing the central computerised trade register.

There are a number of Trade Register offices under the authority of the National Trade Register Office, in Bucharest and in each of the 41 counties in Romania. They are responsible for keeping, organising and managing local trade registers.

When was it digitised?

A dedicated portal providing new online services to the business community and other interested persons was launched in the second half of 2011.

Objectives of the Link opens in new windowNational Trade Register Office:

  • informing the business community, public bodies, the media and other interested persons on operations in the Trade Register;
  • reducing the time needed to access information;
  • reducing congestion at the Trade Register offices;
  • reducing the time needed to submit registration documents to the Trade Register;
  • simplifying procedures for the registration of professionals, the provision of financial information, and requests for information and documents;
  • providing online applicants with real-time information on data in the Trade Register.

What is the current applicable legislation?

Link opens in new windowLaw No 265/2022 on the Trade Register and amending and supplementing other legislative acts relevant for registration in the Trade Register.

Link opens in new windowLaw No 31/1990

Link opens in new windowGovernment Emergency Order No 44/2008

Link opens in new windowLaw No 129/2019

Link opens in new windowRules of organisation and functioning of the National Trade Register Office and the Trade Register offices attached to tribunals

Link opens in new windowDecision approving the charges and fees for certain operations performed by the National Trade Register Office and the Trade Register offices attached to tribunals

What information does the business register offer?

Who has the right to access the register?

Access to the information published on the ONRC website is free of charge for any interested person and is ensured 24 hours a day. The website Link opens in new windowhttps://www.onrc.ro/index.php/ro/ provides access to information on:

  • forms and documents required to enter records in the Trade Register and in the Central Beneficial Ownership Register;
  • the forms required and the means to issue certificates, how to obtain information, copies / certified copies, duplicates;
  • general information for persons interested in carrying out certain regulated activities, as applicable (professionals, natural persons, legal persons, public bodies and authorities, etc.;
  • legislation applicable to the Trade Register/Central Beneficial Ownership Register;
  • public interest information;
  • communications/press releases, events;
  • information on the processing of personal data;
  • The ONRC/ORCT [Trade Register offices attached to tribunals] contact details (registered office address, e-mail, phone/fax number).

The Link opens in new windowTrade Register's website provides the following:

  1. documents;
  2. information and services organised into sections and services;
  3. information relating to the National Trade Register Office and the Trade Register offices attached to tribunals;
  4. various items of public information - free access;
  5. forms used by the institution;
  6. formalities for entering records in the Trade Register for each category of professional and operations;
  7. formalities for entering records in the Central Beneficial Ownership Register kept by the National Trade Register Office for legal persons who are required to apply to be listed in the Trade Register;
  8. statistical data regarding the operations recorded
    • history of the institution
    • ORC [Trade Register Office] network
    • forms (for professionals, etc.) and formalities
    • charges and fees for the ONRC [National Trade Register Office] services
    • services
    • legislation
    • statistical data
    • media

Access to the information on the Link opens in new windowe-services portal of the National Trade Register Office is free of charge, 24 hours a day, and granted after registration as a user (by creating a username and password), which is free of charge.

The information on the National Trade Register Office portal is organised by services provided free of charge or for a fee in accordance with the law in force.

The Trade Register records all documents, acts, mentions and the identity of the professionals concerned, the recording of which is required by law, and any other acts or documents expressly provided for by law.

The online services provided by the National Trade Register Office are available on its Link opens in new windowe-services portal, which was developed under the Sectoral Operational Programme ‘Increase of Economic Competitiveness’, ‘Investments for your future!’, under the project ‘Online services (e-Government) provided by the National Trade Register Office to the business community via a dedicated portal’.

The online services provided by the National Trade Register Office via the e-services portal include the following:

  • Infocert;
  • Recom online;
  • verification of availability of company name and online reservation of company name;
  • preliminary checks (availability and/or reservation of name for legal/natural persons, sole proprietorships/family businesses);
  • entering records in the Trade Register and authorising legal persons;
  • updating the contact details of the companies registered in the Trade Register;
  • obtaining up-to-date information regarding the company's past activities, statistical data;
  • issuing documents (certificates);
  • state of the case;
  • notification of applications submitted to the Trade Register;
  • orders to postpone applications submitted to the Trade Register;
  • publication of information on the various situations of legal persons in the Trade Register Electronic Bulletin [Buletinul Electronic al Registrului Comerțului - BERC];
  • statistical data (operations in the central trade register, companies with foreign capital);
  • Trade Register offline form;
  • registration of the declaration on the beneficial owner of the legal person;
  • provision of information from the Central Beneficial Ownership Register.

The ‘Recom online’ service, which is a subscription-based component, is accessible after a contract has been concluded with the beneficial owner, 24 hours a day, and provides the following information on professionals, for a fee:

  • name and form of organisation;
  • identification information (order number in Trade Register, European Unique Identifier, Unique Registration Code, registered office/business address, company contact details (telephone, fax);
  • registered office/business (registered office attestation, date from which proof of registered office is valid, date of expiry of the proof of registered office, duration of registered office);
  • subscribed and paid-in capital;
  • main activity of the professional declared/authorised;
  • secondary activities of the professional declared/authorised;
  • data regarding the identification of the associated natural and legal persons;
  • data regarding the identification of the directors;
  • data regarding the logos;
  • data regarding subsidiaries/branches/subdivisions (registered office, telephone);
  • data regarding secondary offices/work sites (registered office, telephone);
  • data regarding registered offices and/or activities authorised under Article 15 of Law No 359/2004 / Article 121 of Law No 265/2022;
  • data regarding ownership;
  • data regarding arrangements with creditors;
  • data regarding facts covered by Article 21(e) to (h) of Law No 26/1990 / Article 103 of Law No 265/2022;
  • data regarding the other mentions;
  • data regarding the balance sheet (turnover, average number of employees, gross profit), where such information has been provided by the Ministry of Finance.

The services available free of charge include:

  • Recom online - the free component of the service;
  • eForms;
  • the online application to be listed in the professionals trade register;
  • the online registration of the declaration regarding the beneficial owners of legal persons;
  • online access to information in the Central Beneficial Ownership Register (for authorities/institutions with supervisory/control powers and reporting entities when applying Know Your Customer measures);
  • verification of availability of company name and online reservation of company name;
  • information about the status of applications for registration in the Trade Register;
  • consultation of the section regarding orders to postpone the handling of applications for registration in the Trade Register;
  • access to certain public information (financial statements, voluntary dissolutions, etc.) via the Trade Register Electronic Bulletin (BERC).

The main services provided by the Trade Register Electronic Bulletin are:

  • Consultation of the professionals’ articles published
  • Consultation of bulletins where the professionals’ articles are published
  • Issuance of the document attesting to the publication of an article (proof of publication)
  • Receipt of notification on articles published
  • Provision of reports of interest

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: All sections of the Link opens in new windowwebsite and the Link opens in new windowportal can be accessed free of charge, 24 hours a day.

Access to the information recorded in the Trade Register

The information recorded in the Trade Register is provided and copies of related documents are issued in accordance with Article 11 of Law No 265/2022 on the Trade Register and amending and supplementing other legislative acts relevant for registration in the Trade Register:

  1. The Trade Register is publicly available. The Trade Register Office issues, at the request and expense of the interested party, in Romanian, in compliance with personal data protection legislation, information and certificates regarding the entries in the Trade Register as well as certificates confirming whether or not a given document or act has been recorded, copies and/or certified copies of all the documents recorded or submitted, or of any part thereof, in the form submitted in support of the applications for registration.
  2. The request for information and documents should be either submitted to the front desk, or sent by post or courier services or by electronic means, together with a copy of the identity document, except where the request is signed using the qualified electronic signature.
  3. The Trade Register Office issues the documents referred to in point 1 either by electronic means, i.e. in an electronic form, signed using the qualified electronic signature or the qualified electronic seal, where applicable, or on paper, at the ONRC registered office or the Trade Register offices, or by post or courier services.
  4. Copies are duly certified. Electronic copies are certified by adding the electronic signature. Copies not formally certified may also be issued on request.
  5. Electronic copies of the documents and information referred to in point 1 shall also be made publicly available through the trade registers interconnection system.
  6. The documents received, i.e. those sent by electronic means, shall also be handled by interconnection with the electronic Point of Single Contact (PSC), hereinafter the ‘PSC’, in accordance with Government Emergency Order No 49/2009 on the freedom of establishment of service providers and the freedom to provide services in Romania, approved as amended and supplemented by Law No 68/2010, as subsequently amended.
  7. A fee shall be charged under a rating system for the information and documents issued, as established by an order of the Minister for Justice, which may not exceed the administrative costs required to issue the information or documents concerned and which includes the costs of developing and maintaining the trade register.
  8. The information and documents referred to in point 1 shall be issued free of charge to public authorities and institutions and to diplomatic missions accredited in Romania.
  9. The information referred to in point 1 shall be issued free of charge to legal persons other than those listed in point 8 if they are expressly provided for by law.
  10. The ONRC and the trade register offices shall issue, free of charge, specific information recorded in the trade register, which can be used solely for public information purposes, to journalists and mass media representatives.

What information does the register hold?

Which data types are stored (entities entered in the public register, information on insolvency, financial reports…)?

In accordance with Law No 265/2022, the Trade Register contains information relating to registered professionals, as follows:

  • companies;
  • national companies;
  • national enterprises;
  • public corporations;
  • cooperative companies;
  • cooperative organisations;
  • economic interest groupings;
  • European economic interest groupings;
  • European companies;
  • European cooperative companies;
  • sole traders;
  • sole proprietorships;
  • family businesses, and
  • other natural or legal persons provided for by law.

In the course of their activity or at the end thereof, the professionals referred to in Article 4(1) of Law No 265/2022 shall request that mentions relating to documents and acts subject to statutory registration be entered in the register.

The documents and acts that must be recorded in the trade register are listed in Articles 88 to 100 of Law No 265/2022.

Legal persons listed in the Trade Register or, where applicable, interested persons must submit the following documents to the ORCT as entries to the Trade Register:

  1. the equity issue prospectus with a view to establishing the joint stock company through public subscription and to having its publication authorised by the registrar of companies, as well as any amendment thereto;
  2. the equity prospectus with a view to increasing the share capital of joint stock companies through public subscription and to having its publication authorised by the registrar of companies, as well as any amendment thereto;
  3. the decision of the managing body, where entry of such information in the Trade Register and publication are mandatory under the law;
  4. proof of extension of the time limit for legally holding the premises of the registered and/or secondary office;
  5. final liquidation and assets distribution statements and, where applicable, the compte rendu concerning the management work done by administrators and members of the board, if one or more of these persons is/are appointed as liquidators;
  6. the documents related to business operations;
  7. the registers and documents of the legal person deregistered, where there are no more associates/shareholders/members or where they refuse to hold them;
  8. the decision of the associates/shareholders general meeting on the company’s acquiring of assets from a founder or shareholder, where such entry is mandatory under the law on companies;
  9. the complaint filed against the registrar’s order;
  10. the opposition filed against the associates/shareholders general meeting and the opposition filed against other acts expressly provided for by law;
  11. the draft merger or division;
  12. the specimen signature, for economic interest groups, European Economic Interest Groupings and cooperative companies;
  13. the deregistration application filed by the person who considers itself harmed, by having entries added to the Trade Register;
  14. any other documents provided for by law to be mandatorily entered in the Trade Register.

The persons interested in submitting entries to the Trade Register regarding documents the publication of which is not mandatory under the law are to fill in, for these purposes, the type application, attaching thereto the documents concerned and, as appropriate, the proof of payment of the applicable fee.

The following are to be recorded in the Trade Register:

  1. the report of the insolvency administrator or, where applicable, of the liquidator, stating the causes and circumstances which led to the debtor’s insolvency;
  1. the notification of the initiation of the general/simplified insolvency procedure;
  2. the copy of the reorganisation plan proposed;
  3. the notification on the initiation of bankruptcy proceedings under the general/simplified insolvency procedure;
  4. the final court judgment holding the statutory administrator liable to pay compensation;
  5. the minutes ascertaining the restructuring agreement – under the restructuring agreement procedure;
  6. the restructuring plan – under the procedure for an arrangement with creditors;
  7. court decisions on the initiation and closure of a procedure for an arrangement with creditors pursuant to Link opens in new windowLaw No 85/2014, as amended;
  8. court judgments delivered under the insolvency procedure, which are communicated to the ORCT under the law;
  9. other documents issued by courts or by the insolvency administrator/liquidator under the law.

The following entries shall be recorded in the Trade Register, based on the abovementioned documents, with regard to the professionals recorded in the Trade Register, who are subject to an insolvency prevention or insolvency procedure:

  1. the initiation of the (general/simplified) insolvency procedure;
  2. the initiation of reorganisation under the supervision of the court following the confirmation of the reorganisation plan proposed;
  3. bankruptcy (under a simplified/general procedure);
  4. the fact that the debtor has been deprived of its right to run the business;
  5. the fact that the statutory administrator has been held liable to pay compensation;
  6. the designation of the insolvency administrator or liquidator, where applicable;
  7. the designation of the special administrator;
  8. the replacement of the insolvency administrator/liquidator, where applicable;
  9. the closure of proceedings on reorganisation under the supervision of the court;
  10. the closure of bankruptcy;
  11. the debtor’s deregistration;
  12. the amendment of the debtor’s instruments of incorporation as a legal person, at the request of the insolvency administrator, under the final court judgment ascertaining the reorganisation plan;
  13. the confirmation of the restructuring agreement under the restructuring agreement procedure;
  14. the statement of the restructuring plan under the procedure for an arrangement with creditors;
  15. the initiation and closure of a procedure for an arrangement with creditors;
  16. other mentions required by law, for debtors listed in the Trade Register, to which the insolvency procedure applies.

The Central Beneficial Ownership Register

In accordance with Law No 129/2019 on the prevention and combating of money laundering and terrorist financing, and amending and supplementing certain legislative acts, as subsequently amended and supplemented, the National Trade Register Office must keep the Central Beneficial Ownership Register, which lists the beneficial owners of legal persons who must apply to be recorded in the Trade Register.

Access to the Central Beneficial Ownership Register is granted, in accordance with the rules on protection of personal data:

  1. to authorities with supervisory and control powers, to judicial bodies, in accordance with Law No 135/2010 on the Code of Criminal Procedure, as amended and supplemented, and to the Office, in a timely manner, without any restriction and without alerting the person concerned;
  2. to reporting entities when applying Know Your Customer measures;
  3. to any natural or legal person (for a fee).

Which documents are being filed/stored (files, book of documents, statutes, general meetings minutes…) ?

The registration of legal persons, sole traders, sole proprietorships and family businesses carrying out economic activities and having the registered office/business located within the tribunal jurisdiction entails that the Trade Register keeps records of the registration documents of the persons undergoing registration and the official archive of the incorporation or related amending documents and of other documents expressly provided for by law.

The archiving of documents substantiating the entries in the Trade Register consists in keeping and preserving, on paper and/or in electronic format, all of such documents, as well as the documents attesting to the entries made by registered persons, the annual financial statements, the report and, where applicable, the consolidated report of the management board and board of directors, respectively, the auditor’s report or the financial auditor’s report, where applicable, the consolidated annual financial statements and the registers of legal persons, which are submitted to the Trade Register.

The file of every professional listed in the Trade Register includes all documents submitted in connection with the registration or with any operation which is listed in the Trade Register under the law and the documents attesting to registration. The documents listed in the Trade Register with a view to carrying out certain pre-registration procedures required by law are kept in a separate folder. After registration, they are enclosed in the relevant professional’s folder.

The documents of natural and legal persons listed in the Trade Register are archived in compliance with the provisions of National Archiving Law No 16/1996, as republished.

How can I perform a search (and what are the available search criteria)?

On the website of the register

The interested person may search information on the ONRC website by typing a keyword in the search field.

What are the available search criteria?

The information available free of charge through the service Link opens in new windowRecom online can be searched using the following criteria:

  • name of the professional;
  • Trade Register number;
  • tax reference number;
  • county where the registered office/business is located.

General information for interested persons, which is made available free-of-charge through the Recom online service, includes:

  1. company and legal form;
  2. registered office/business and, for branches, the Member State where they are registered;
  3. reference number in the trade register, EUID and tax reference number;
  4. status;
  5. website, if any;
  6. legal representatives of the legal person and if they are empowered to act together or separately, and the representative of the family business;
  7. branches opened in another Member State, including company, registration number, EUID and Member State where the branch is registered.

How can I obtain documents?

Free of charge?

Information and documents concerning professionals listed in the Trade Register shall be issued free of charge to public authorities and institutions, with the exception of those fully funded from own revenues, to courts and prosecutor’s offices attached thereto, and to accredited diplomatic missions and other legal persons under the law.

The National Trade Register Office and the Trade Register offices attached to tribunals issue specific information recorded in the Trade Register, free of charge, to journalists and mass media representatives. The information released to journalists and mass media representatives may be used only to inform public opinion.

For a fee?

The Trade Register Office shall issue, at the expense of the requester, information, certificates regarding the entries in the Trade Register and certificates confirming whether or not a given document or act has been recorded, copies and certified copies of the entries in the register and of records from the documents submitted, for a fee. The documents concerned may also be requested and issued by post.

How can I obtain information, certificates regarding the entries in the Trade Register, certificates confirming whether or not a given document or act has been recorded, and copies and/or certified copies of all the documents registered or submitted?

Means to access the information:

  • online, by accessing Link opens in new windowthe InfoCert service (an electronic signature is not required; payment is made only by card)
  • online, via the ONRC portal, Link opens in new windowhere (an electronic signature is required; payment is made by card or money order)
  • e-mail address: Link opens in new windowonrc@onrc.ro (payment by money order or at the cashier counter)
  • fax No +40 213160829 (payment by money order or at the cashier counter)
  • by post (payment by money order; the additional fee of RON 7.68 is charged)
  • at the front desk – the ONRC and the Link opens in new windowTrade Register offices attached to tribunals.

The InfoCert service enables the issue of online certificates and/or the provision of information from the Trade Register. The service may be accessed through Link opens in new windowthe ONRC portal, in the section of Information (Informații) - Certificates (Certificate constatatoare) or Trade Register Information and copies of certificates (Informații RC și copii certificate), and payment is made online by Visa or Mastercard. The InfoCert e-service automatically retrieves documents with electronic signature, without the controller’s action, 24 hours a day, all weekdays, and payment is made electronically by card, after which the requester receives an electronic invoice, not needing any electronic signature for this purpose.

Certifications and/or information from the Trade Register may be obtained online via the Recom online service, which is the subscription-based component, accessible 24 hours a day after conclusion of a contract with the beneficiary.

Means to obtain (a) certified copy(ies) of a document from the archive:

Means to obtain duplicates of certificates attesting to the submission of declarations on honour for authorisation of business

Registration procedure

How can I launch the registration procedure (how to submit applications to the register, how to certify documents, type of documents required to be attached)?

In person

The application for registration or some other type of application, where applicable, accompanied by the documents required for registration, are to be submitted to the front desk or delivered by post/courier to the trade register office with territorial jurisdiction over the registered office/place of business of the persons concerned / to any of the trade register offices by the persons listed in Articles 79 to 81 of Law No 265/2022, in person or by an agent.

The application for registering a legal person in the Trade Register is signed by the legal representative of that person or by his/her agent, under an authentic special or general proxy, or by a lawyer, under a power of attorney, or by any associate, shareholder or board member.

The application for registering the branch of a legal person, which is located in Romania or abroad, is signed by the representative of the legal person concerned, who conducts directly the business of the branch, in person or by his/her agent, under an authentic special/general proxy, or by a lawyer, under a power of attorney.

The application for registering a sole trader and a sole proprietorship is signed by the natural person who applies for registration as a sole trader and by the holder of the sole proprietorship respectively, in person or by his/her agent, under an authentic special/general proxy, or by a lawyer, under a power of attorney.

The application for registering a family business is signed by the representative designated under the document of incorporation or by his/her agent, under an authentic special/general proxy, or by the lawyer, under a power of attorney.

The documents submitted in support of the applications for registration are to be drawn up in Romanian.

The applicants or the persons listed in the Trade Register may support the applications for registration with documents drawn up in one of the official languages of the Member States of the EU or of the European Economic Area in which they are residents; these shall be accompanied by translations into Romanian done by an authorised translator.

Documents translated into one of the official languages of the Member States of the EU may be published, on request, where they were submitted in the form of an authorised translation.

The documents translated into a foreign language must feature either a two-column layout, with the Romanian text in the first column and the foreign language text in the second column, or a sequential display, i.e. the Romanian text followed by the foreign language text.

In case of inconsistency between the documents and information published in Romanian and the voluntarily published translation, the latter may not be enforced against third parties; third parties may nevertheless rely on the translation voluntarily disclosed, unless the company proves that the third parties had knowledge of the version which was the subject of the mandatory disclosure.

The documents required to substantiate the application for registration, which are classified as official acts, are to be submitted to the Trade Register office in accordance with the law.

Online

The application for registration and the documents required by law may be sent electronically, i.e. via the Link opens in new windowe-service portal or by Link opens in new windowe-mail, with a qualified electronic signature included, attached or linked.

How are submitted applications reviewed?

The application for registration in the Trade Register is settled by the registrar, based on documents, within one working day from registration of that application.

If the application for registration and the related supporting documents, or the standard form of the incorporation document, as the case may be, are incomplete or do not meet the legal requirements on the establishment, incorporation, organisation and functioning of professionals who must register or if the registrar considers that further information or documents are required to settle the application, he/she will issue an order to set a time limit for the documents to be corrected or completed of not more than 15 calendar days.

The time limit and reasons for postponement are posted in the ONRC e-service portal and may also be consulted at the workstations set up on the premises of the Trade Register offices.

The time limit for settling the application for registration and that for issuing the documents required by law are revised accordingly.

If the applicant corrects/completes the application for registration before the time limit set by the registrar has expired and requests a revision of the time limit for settlement, the application for registration is settled in the day following that of correction/completion.

If the applicant fails to meet their obligations, as set out in the order for postponement, the application for registration is rejected.

If the applicant relinquishes the resolution of the application referred to the Trade Register offices attached to tribunals and if the applications for registration are rejected, the fee for publication in the Official Gazette of Romania is to be returned if it has been paid.

At the request of the party concerned or their representative, a public hearing is organised in order to settle the application for registration.

Legal effects of the registration

Effect of entries on third parties under Article 17 of the Directive (EU) 2017/1132

The national provisions below state that third parties can rely on the information and documents in the Trade Register, in accordance with Article 17 of Directive (EU) of 2017/1132 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 relating to certain aspects of company law:

1. Pursuant to Article 4(1) of Law No 265/2022, the Trade Register is the service of general public interest for registration and disclosure of professionals who are sole traders, sole proprietorships and family businesses, and of professionals who are companies, European companies, cooperative companies, European cooperative companies, cooperative credit organisations, economic interest groupings and European economic interest groupings having the registered office in Romania, as well as for registration and disclosure of their branches and of the branches of legal persons listed above, whose registered office is located abroad.

Moreover, pursuant to Article 43(1) of Law No 265/2022, in the course of their activity or at the end thereof, the professionals referred to in Article 4(1) shall request that mentions relating to documents and acts subject to statutory registration be entered in the register.

The information recorded in the Trade Register is provided and copies of related documents are issued in accordance with Article 11 of Law No 265/2022 on the Trade Register and amending and supplementing other legislative acts relevant for registration in the Trade Register:

  1. The Trade Register is publicly available. The Trade Register Office issues, at the request and expense of the interested party, in Romanian, in compliance with personal data protection legislation, information and certificates regarding the entries in the Trade Register as well as certificates confirming whether or not a given document or act has been recorded, copies and/or certified copies of all the documents recorded or submitted, or of any part thereof, in the form submitted in support of the applications for registration.
  2. The request for information and documents should be either submitted to the front desk, or sent by post or courier services or by electronic means, together with a copy of the identity document, except where the request is signed using the qualified electronic signature.
  3. The Trade Register Office issues the documents referred to in point 1 either by electronic means, i.e. in an electronic form, signed using the qualified electronic signature or the qualified electronic seal, where applicable, or on paper, at the ONRC registered office or the Trade Register offices, or by post or courier services.
  4. Copies are duly certified. Electronic copies are certified by adding the electronic signature. Copies not formally certified may also be issued on request.
  5. Electronic copies of the documents and information referred to in point 1 shall also be made publicly available through the trade registers interconnection system.
  6. The documents received, i.e. those sent by electronic means, shall also be handled by interconnection with the electronic Point of Single Contact (PSC), hereinafter the ‘PSC’, in accordance with Government Emergency Order No 49/2009 on the freedom of establishment of service providers and the freedom to provide services in Romania, approved as amended and supplemented by Law No 68/2010, as subsequently amended.
  7. A fee shall be charged under a rating system for the information and documents issued, as established by an order of the Minister for Justice, which may not exceed the administrative costs required to issue the information or documents concerned and which includes the costs of developing and maintaining the trade register.
  8. The information and documents referred to in point 1 shall be issued free of charge to public authorities and institutions and to diplomatic missions accredited in Romania.
  9. The information referred to in point 1 shall be issued free of charge to legal persons other than those listed in point 8 if they are expressly provided for by law.
  10. The ONRC and the trade register offices shall issue, free of charge, specific information recorded in the trade register, which can be used solely for public information purposes, to journalists and mass media representatives.

The enforceability of the documents and acts of persons subject to the obligation to be entered in the Trade Register is provided for under Article 46 of Law No 265/2022 on the Trade Register and amending and supplementing other legislative acts relevant for registration in the Trade Register:

  1. Registration and mentions may be enforced against third parties as from the date they are entered in the Trade Register or published in the Official Gazette of Romania, or in the Trade Register Electronic Bulletin, as provided for by law.
  2. Persons subject to the obligation to request that a record be entered may not claim enforceability against third parties of unrecorded documents or acts, unless they can prove that the latter were aware of those documents and acts. However, third parties can always invoke documents or acts that have not been disclosed, unless the fact that they were not disclosed cancels their effect.
  3. The National Trade Register Office shall publish on its website and on the e-services portal and submit for publication on the European e-Justice Portal up-to-date information on national law as regards the publicization and enforceability against third parties of documents, acts and mentions of persons required to register in the business register.’

Moreover, companies are subject to the following special provisions in this respect, i.e. Articles 50 to 51 of Companies Law No 31/1990, republished, as subsequently amended and supplemented:

Article 50

1. Documents or acts that have not been publicised as stipulated by law cannot be enforced against third parties, unless the company can prove that the latter were aware of them.

2. The operations performed by the company before the 16th day from the date of disclosure required by law may not be enforced against third parties who prove that it was impossible for them to know of such operations.

Article 51

1. However, third parties can always invoke documents or acts that have not been disclosed, unless the fact that they were not disclosed cancels their effect.

Pursuant to Article 7(1) of Law No 265/2022, the Trade Register is designed to include the following register categories:

  1. a register for recording companies, national companies, national enterprises, public corporations, economic interest groupings, European companies, European economic interest groupings, and other legal persons expressly provided for by law, whose registered office is located in Romania, and of their branches and, where applicable, the branches of legal persons having their registered office abroad;
  2. a register for recording cooperative companies and European cooperative companies having their registered office in Romania, their branches and, where applicable, the branches of cooperative companies or European cooperative companies having their registered office abroad;
  3. a register for recording sole traders, sole proprietorships and family businesses having their registered office and, where applicable, work sites in Romania.

2. In accordance with Article 5(1) of Law No 265/2022, registration in the Trade Register is based on the registrar’s order for settling the applications for registration or, where applicable, on a final court decision or an enforceable decision, as provided for by law. Where registration is ordered by a court, this can also be done on the basis of the procedural document containing the operative part of the court decision.

3. Pursuant to Article 107(2) of Law No 265/2022, the date of recording in the Trade Register shall be the effective date of entry in the Register.

4. Pursuant to Article 107(3) of Law No 265/2022, records in the Trade Register shall be entered within 24 hours of the date of the order issued by the registrar.

5. Pursuant to Article 6(1) of Law No 265/2022, the Trade Register is kept by the ONRC in a computerised form and registration in the Trade Register and in other registers kept by the ONRC is done electronically.

Discrepancies between entries in the register and their publication

Registration and mentions may be enforced against third parties as from the date they are entered in the Trade Register or published in the Official Gazette of Romania, or in the Trade Register Electronic Bulletin, as provided for by law.

The operations performed by a natural or legal person before the 16th day from the date of their registration in the Trade Register are not enforceable against third parties who prove that it was impossible for them to know of such operations.

Persons subject to the obligation to request entry of a record may not claim enforceability against third parties of unrecorded documents or acts, unless they can prove that the latter were aware of those documents and acts. However, third parties can always invoke documents or acts that have not been disclosed, unless the fact that they were not disclosed cancels their effect.

The documents referred to in Article 16(1) of Law No 265/2022 are sent electronically by the Trade Register office to the Official Gazette of Romania for publication within not more than three working days from the date of registration in the trade register.

In the event of inconsistency between the entries in the Trade Register and those in the documents enclosed in the file of the professional listed in the Trade Register, as provided for in Article 8 of Law No 265/2022, the entries in the register prevail before third parties.

As concerns the documents and information published in the Bulletin or, where applicable, in the Official Gazette of Romania, if there is any inconsistency between them and the documents recorded in the register, the latter prevail before third parties.

If the inconsistency referred to above occurs for reasons not attributable to the professional concerned, the Trade Register office or, where applicable, the ‘Monitorul Oficial’ Public Corporation will correct the entry in the register, more specifically, it will republish the rectified text, in the form of an extract, at its own expense, at the professional’s request.

Who has the responsibility for the accuracy of the records?

Documents and acts required by law are listed in the Trade Register, where applicable, at the request of natural and/or legal persons subject to the registration obligation, of any other interested parties or on own motion.

In the course of their activity or at the end thereof, the professionals referred to in Article 4(1) of Law No 265/2022 shall request that mentions relating to documents and acts subject to statutory registration be entered in the register within not more than 15 days from the date when the documents have been drawn up or when the acts subject to the registration obligation have been performed.

Entries are made in the register also at the request of interested parties, in the cases provided for by law, within not more than 30 days from the date when they have become aware of the document or act subject to registration.

The applicants and, where applicable, their legal representatives/agents are held liable, under the law, for the legality, authenticity and accuracy of the data in the applications for registration and in the documents submitted in support thereof.

In accordance with Article 5(1) of Law No 265/2022, registration in the Trade Register is based on the registrar’s order for settling the applications for registration or, where applicable, on a final court decision or an enforceable decision, as provided for by law. Where registration is ordered by a court, this can also be done on the basis of the procedural document containing the operative part of the court decision.

Pursuant to Article 107 of Law No 265/2022, if legal requirements have been met for the establishment, incorporation, organisation and functioning of professionals who are under the obligation to register, the registrar issues an order for admitting the application for registration within one working day from the date of registration of that application with the Trade Register office or, where applicable, from the date when all formalities have been carried out and all documents and information have been received, as ordered by the registrar, for incorporation and registration.

The date of recording in the Trade Register is the effective date of entry in that register.

Records in the Trade Register shall be entered within 24 hours of the date of the order issued by the registrar.

Legal persons acquire legal personality on the date of effective entry in the Trade Register.

The registrar’s order is enforceable, unless otherwise provided for by law, and is subject only to a complaint procedure. The complaint does not suspend the enforcement. The proceedings under which a decision is made to enter records in the Trade Register are carried out by the ORCT staff.

Data protection procedures

Procedures related to the rights of the data subject regarding publishing and storing their personal data

In carrying out their duties, as provided for in the legislative acts regulating the activity of the trade register, the National Trade Register Office and the Trade Register offices attached to tribunals/territorial offices collect and process data and information, including personal data, which are covered by
the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation).

As personal data controller, the National Trade Register Office has put in place adequate technical and organisational measures with the aim of ensuring compliance with all legal provisions on personal data protection and processing.

The personal data of a natural person is collected for definite, explicit and legitimate purposes and is not processed subsequently in a way that is incompatible with these purposes (the purpose limitation principle).

Personal data provided by applicants by completing/filing applications and by submitting acts/documents in support thereof is processed with a view to carrying out the main specific obligations/duties/functions of the Trade Register.

The information recorded in the central computerised Trade Register/integrated information system is stored for an unlimited period. Applications for registration (forms) in the Trade Register, which are filed for the purpose of registering the professional, of entering records in the register on the professionals’ documents and acts, as well as the documents submitted in support thereof are archived in the professional’s file (on paper and electronically).

Publication of documents issued as a result of entering records in the trade register / prepared by the helpdesk staff complies with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation and such data are limited to the surname and forename, date and place of birth, nationality and country of residence of the persons concerned, unless the law provides otherwise.

The information regarding the personal data that can be made public, with reference to the natural persons acting in a certain capacity / holding a position with a professional entered in the Trade Register, is the following: surname and first name, date and place of birth, nationality and country of residence, except where the applicant is an entity who has access to personal data under the law.

The copies or the certified copies of the documents enclosed in the professional’s folder recorded in the Trade Register, which are issued to applicants, shall only include: surname and first name, date and place of birth, nationality and country of residence of the persons listed in those documents, except where the applicant is an entity who has access to personal data under the law.

The exchange of information with public authorities and institutions, under cooperation protocols concluded with the aim of complying with an explicit statutory obligation, must be consistent with legal rules on protection of persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.

The list of public authorities and institutions with whom the ONRC concludes cooperation protocols is posted on the ONRC website.

The information provided, the past records and the certificates issued by the ONRC and the Trade Register offices, as well as the copies or certified copies of the documents submitted in support of the applications for registration shall include all the personal data recorded in the Trade Register, where such data are transmitted at the request of the data subjects or of the competent institutions or authorities, in accordance with a statutory obligation, for the purpose of complying with a statutory obligation or in the exercise of duties, but only the following data shall be sent to other natural or legal persons, including other public institutions, in compliance with Article 11(1) of Law No 265/2022: surname and first name, date and place of birth, nationality and country of residence.

The National Trade Register Office ensures that data subjects exercise their rights under Regulation (EU) No 679/2016: right of information and access to and rectification or erasure of personal data, the right to restriction of processing, the right to data portability, the right to object, the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, the right to lodge a complaint to the National Personal Data Processing Supervisory Authority [Autoritatea Națională de Supraveghere a Prelucrării Datelor cu Caracter Personal] (B-dul G-ral Gheorghe Magheru nr. 28-30, sector 1, Bucharest).

The abovementioned rights, subject to the requirements and exceptions under Regulation (EU) No 679/2016, may be exercised by sending a written request, duly dated and signed, by mail, to the following address: Bucharest, Bd. Unirii, nr. 74, bl. J3b, tronson II+III, sector 3, post code: 030837 or by e-mail at: Link opens in new windowdatepersonale@onrc.ro.

Pursuant to Article 37 of the General Data Protection Regulation, a personal data protection officer has been appointed within the institution, whose contact details are posted on the website under Link opens in new windowPersonal data.

Contact details

Contact details are available Link opens in new windowhere.

Related links

Link opens in new windowOfficial website of Romania’s Trade Register

Link opens in new windowE-services portal of Romania's National Trade Register Office

Last update: 03/10/2023

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Let op: de oorspronkelijke versie van deze pagina (Sloveens) is onlangs gewijzigd. Aan de vertaling in het Nederlands wordt momenteel gewerkt.

Business registers in EU countries - Slovenia

This section provides you with an overview of Slovenia's business register.

What does the Slovenian Business Register (Poslovni register Slovenije) offer?

The Slovenian Business Register (PRS) is managed by the Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Public Legal Records and Related Services (Agencija Republike Slovenije za javnopravne evidence in storitve – AJPES).

The Slovenian Business Register is the central public database of information on all businesses with a registered office in Slovenia which are engaged in gainful or not-for-profit activities and information on subsidiaries and other divisions of those businesses. The register also contains information on the subsidiaries of foreign businesses performing activities in Slovenia. The register includes the following categories:

  • companies (partnerships and corporations)
  • sole traders
  • legal entities governed by public law
  • legal entities governed by private law
  • societies
  • natural persons performing registered or regulated activities
  • subsidiaries and other divisions of businesses
  • main offices of foreign businesses
  • other units.

A range of registration data is available for each entry in the Slovenian Business Register (identification number, company name, tax number, details on representatives and founders, etc.).

  • direct access to information via the ePRS application, and
  • provision of information for re-use.

What does it include?

ePRS application

The Link opens in new windowePRS application allows users to access information on individual entries in the Slovenian business register for businesses engaged in economic activities within the Republic of Slovenia.

Is access to the Slovenian business register free of charge?

Access is free of charge, but users must log in to the portal (new users must register first).

How to search the Slovenian business register

Users must log in to the portal to be able to search the register. Data can be accessed by entering the search criteria in one or more fields, or by selecting the search criteria from the drop-down menu. The search criterion may be any of the following: data item, part of a data item (word), or beginning of a word. Searches are possible by identification number, tax number, company name, street name and number, municipality, etc.

Updating

Data are updated daily.

Provision of information for re-use:

AJPES provides the following services for the Link opens in new windowre-use of information from the business register:

  • daily, weekly or monthly delivery of data on all entries in long or short format,
  • monthly delivery of data on businesses listed in the court register (Sodni register) in long or short format,
  • monthly delivery of data on sole proprietors in long or short format,
  • delivery of data via an internet service in long, short or minimum format (see),
  • delivery of data based on a specific order in long or short format,
  • processing of collected data according to criteria set by the user (numerical data).

Every three months AJPES offers a free overview of the entire Slovenian business register in XML form with a set selection of information for re-use.

Pricing

AJPES charges fees for the re-use of public information from the Slovenian business register, as laid down in the
Link opens in new windowRates of fees for re-use of public information from the Slovenian business register (Tarifa nadomestil za ponovno uporabo informacij javnega značaja Poslovnega registra Slovenije) (link to database of Slovenian legislation).

How reliable are the documents included in the register?

Third parties can cite the information and all types of document mentioned in Article 2 of Directive 2009/101/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September 2009 on coordination of safeguards which, for the protection of the interests of members and third parties, are required by Member States of companies within the meaning of the second paragraph of Article 48 of the Treaty, with a view to making such safeguards equivalent, on the basis of the following laws.

- The Link opens in new windowCompanies Act (Zakon o gospodarskih družbah) (Uradni list RS (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia (UL RS), Nos 65/09 - official consolidated version, 33/11, 91/11, 32/12, 57/12, 44/13 - Const. Court dec. and 82/13; hereinafter: ZGD-1), which is the systemic act regulating the basic rules on the legal status of corporations for the establishment and operation of companies, sole traders, related persons, economic interest groupings and subsidiaries of foreign companies, and any changes to their legal status.

-The Link opens in new windowCourt Register Act (Zakon o sodnem registru) (UL RS, Nos 54/07 - official consolidated version, 65/08, 49/09 and 82/13 - ZGD-1H, hereinafter: ZSReg), which regulates the court register, defines the information entered in the court register, the rules of procedure by which a competent court decides on entries in the court register, and the rules on how AJPES administers the court register. This law also regulates procedures that form part of the Vse na enem mestu (One-Stop Shop) system.

- The Link opens in new windowSlovenian Business Register Act (Zakon o Poslovnem registru Slovenije) (UL RS, Nos 49/06 and 33/07 - ZSReg-B, hereinafter: ZPRS-1), which regulates the keeping and maintenance of the Slovenian Business Register (PRS), defines business register entries, how they are identified and the mandatory use of that ID, the content of the business register and the acquisition of information to keep the register, and defines the procedure for making entries in the business register, the information added or defined by the register's administrator on making an entry, the use of business-register data and the storage of documentation.

Is access to the Slovenian Business Register free of charge?

Yes, access is free of charge. However, users must log in to the portal in order to access it.

Related links

Link opens in new windowposlovni register (Slovenian), Link opens in new windowbusiness register (English)

Last update: 23/03/2018

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Slovakia

This section provides an overview of the Slovak commercial register.

What information does the commercial register hold?

The Link opens in new windowObchodný register [commercial register] is a public list containing statutory data concerning entrepreneurs, companies and other legal entities, where this is required under separate legislation.

The list is administered, from a programming and technical point of view, by the Link opens in new windowMinisterstvo spravodlivosti Slovenskej republiky [Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic].

The commercial register is kept by registrové súdy [registry courts] (the district court at the seat of the regional court).

Is access to the business register free of charge?

The commercial register and document registry are available to everybody. Access to and extracts from the commercial register are subject to payment of a fee.

However, if an applicant applies for an electronic extract from the commercial register or an electronic copy of a deposited document or electronic confirmation that a particular document has not been deposited in the document registry, the registry court issues the relevant documents electronically and free of charge.

It is also possible to apply free of charge for an extract from the commercial register, a copy of a deposited document or confirmation that a particular document has not been deposited in the document registry via the interconnection system for central commercial registers, commercial registers and companies registers (the Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS)).

How to search the commercial register

The search is available in Slovak and English.

The Link opens in new windowobchodný register can be searched according to:

To what extent can the documents in the register be relied upon?

Act No 513/1991 (the Commercial Code), as amended, specifies when data entered in the commercial register – and, where appropriate, the content of documents deposited therein – may be invoked.

The data entered in the commercial register are effective vis-à-vis third parties from their date of publication. The content of documents that must by law be published is effective vis-à-vis third parties from the date of notification in the Commercial Journal that the documents have been deposited in the document registry.

From that moment onwards, third parties may invoke published data or the content of documents. However, this does not apply if a registered person can demonstrate that a third party had prior knowledge of the data or document content.

However, a registered person may not invoke published data or the content of documents vis-à-vis third parties within 15 days of their publication in cases where the third parties can demonstrate that they could not have had prior knowledge of that data or document content.

After that period, the registered data and the content of the documents deposited in the registry of documents may be relied on.

Third parties may always invoke the content of documents or data not yet entered in the commercial register or deposited in the document registry, unless that content or data take binding effect only after their entry in the commercial register.

In the event of a discrepancy between registered data and published data or between the content of documents deposited and that of documents published, a registered person (company) may rely only on the published version vis-à-vis third parties. However, if it demonstrates that a third party had knowledge of the content of the registered data or the content of the document deposited, it may rely on them.

History of the commercial register

The commercial register was established in 1992 following the adoption of Act No 513/1991 (the Commercial Code) and it replaced the previous company register.

The Commercial Code (§ 27 - 34) amended the scope of the commercial register up to 2004.

On 1 February 2004, Special Act No 530/2003 on the commercial register and amending certain other acts entered into effect and introduced new legal requirements applicable to the commercial register. Upon the introduction of the special act, responsibility for the legal aspect of the commercial register was partially removed from the Commercial Code.

At present the commercial register is kept electronically. The registry of documents is kept on paper and electronically. (Since 1 October 2020 the registry of documents has been kept electronically unless otherwise provided for in Act No 530/2003 (the Commercial Register Act)).

Related links

Link opens in new windowCommercial register

Link opens in new windowCommercial register of the Slovak Republic

Last update: 25/04/2022

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Finland

This section provides you with an overview of Finland’s trade register.

What does the Finnish trade register offer?

Link opens in new windowThe National Board of Patents and Registration (NBPR) owns and maintains the Link opens in new windowtrade register.

Finland's trade register is a public register that contains information on traders (businesses). As a rule, all businesses have to be entered in the register. Businesses also have to notify any changes to their register details. Most businesses must also submit their annual accounts to the register. Each year the following are registered:

  • About 40,000 new businesses
  • About 145,000 changes to registered company details
  • About 230,000 annual accounts.

The trade register shares a joint notification procedure and data service with the Tax Administration. The Link opens in new windowBusiness Information Service (BIS) is a free data service jointly provided by the NBPR and the Tax Administration but maintained by the NBPR. It contains contact and identification information on businesses, for example:

  • Company name of a business, and any parallel or auxiliary company names
  • Business ID, company form and domicile
  • Address and other contact information
  • Principal line of business
  • The registers of the Tax Administration and NBPR in which the business has been entered
  • Information on termination, interruption of trade, bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganisation proceedings.

The Link opens in new windowEuropean Business Register Network (EBR) is an information service for member countries of the Link opens in new windowEuropean Business Registry Association (EBRA) providing official reliable register data directly from the national trade register of each country.

The Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS) is a system interconnecting the trade registers of the EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It can be used to search for data on businesses registered in the national trade registers of those countries.

Is access to the Finnish trade register free of charge?

Basic data is available free of charge, but fees are charged for other data, such as the responsible persons at a business, the line of business entered in the trade register and information on capital.

The following is considered basic data:

  • Company name
  • Business ID No
  • Domicile
  • Company form
  • Language of the business (Finnish or Swedish)
  • Date of registration
  • Most recent date of registration
  • Status of the company
  • Does the company have any business mortgages
  • Contact details

How to search Finland's trade register

The details of traders are entered in the trade register based on notifications and communications received by the trade registration authority. The register contains information submitted both by the traders themselves and by courts of law and other authorities.

Under Section 21a§ of the Trade Register Act (129/1979), the National Board of Patents and Registration (NBPR) can update its records and, by using the Finnish Population Information System, check personal details that clients have provided in notifications and their enclosures.

Under Section 21§ of the Business Prohibition Act, the Legal Register Centre in Finland provides the trade register with details of business prohibitions in force and when they begin and end. These details are then updated in the trade register system.

The contents of the trade register are determined by Finnish law. Finnish legislation governing the trade register, company types and business activities in general define what details are entered for different company types. (see, for example the Link opens in new windowTrade Register ActLink opens in new windowLimited Liability Companies Act, and the Link opens in new windowPartnerships Act).

Normally, at least the following information is registered for each company type:

  • Company name
  • Domicile or municipality from which the company is managed
  • Line of business
  • Who represent(s) the company
  • Company address.

When an entry is made in the trade register, it is simultaneously published through the electronic information service. This is a public, free-of-charge service that contains, besides the published entries, the basic details of businesses. You can use the service to check whether a business has, for example, submitted its new board of directors for registration, or find out what new businesses have been registered in a certain period of time.

Using this service, you can search for information on any company by using its business ID. The ID can be checked in the Business Information System if necessary. A specific date or time interval can also be used as a search term. Alternatively, you can narrow down the search by type of registration, or by municipality or province. The search result contains the basic details of a company, i.e. the company name, business ID and domicile. The published registration contains, for example, the type of registration and the headings of register entries.

Other details are also entered in the register, depending on company type. The register extracts of businesses of the same type may look rather different from one another. Some limited companies, for instance, take broadly advantage of the possibilities offered by the Companies Act; they decide to issue option rights and other special rights or to merge, and then report these details for entry in the register. Other companies, on the other hand, choose to report only the minimum level of detail that must be submitted for entry in the register. The register extracts also reflect amendments to the law. Register entries of, for example, limited companies can be very different, depending on whether the detail to be registered is based on a decision made under the new Limited Liability Companies Act that entered in force on 1st September 2006, or to a decision under an earlier version of the Act.

How reliable are the documents contained in the register?

The Trade Register Act lays down provisions concerning the data to be entered in the register and its publication. The Act entitles everyone to access data, extracts and certificates from the trade register. A third party acting in good faith can rely on the reliability of information recorded in the register.

Under Section 1a§ of the Act, all data recorded in the register is public and everyone is entitled to access data, extracts and certificates entered in the trade register. Data may also be disclosed in electronic form. The only exceptions are the personal ID numbers of natural persons and the home addresses of natural persons living abroad; these are not made public Data on the identifying final numbers of the personal number and the home address of natural persons living abroad are only disclosed if disclosure meets the requirements concerning authority procedures set out in Section 16(3)§ of the Act on the Openness of Government Activities. Otherwise, the country of residence will be disclosed instead of the home address.

Section 26§ of the Trade Register Act provides that a third party acting in good faith can rely on the data entered and published in the register. Data are published electronically directly after entry in the register. Publications can be obtained free of charge from the Trade Register information service.

History of Finland’s trade register

The register includes information dating back to 1896.

Links

Link opens in new windowFinnish Patent and Registration Office

Link opens in new windowFinnish Trade Register

Link opens in new windowThe Business Information System

Link opens in new windowEuropean Business Registry Association (EBRA)

Link opens in new windowEuropean Business Register Network (EBR)

Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS)

Link opens in new windowFinnish Trade Register Act

Link opens in new windowPartnerships Act

Link opens in new windowLimited Liability Companies Act

Last update: 05/11/2020

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - Sweden

This section provides you with an overview of Sweden’s business register.

History of the national register

When was it founded?

The registration of businesses started in 1897.

The register of branches was added in 1955. (The Swedish Companies Registration Office took over the registration of branches in 1975).

The Swedish Companies Registration Office took over the registration of banks and insurance companies from the Financial Supervisory Authority in 2002.

When was it digitised?

Depending on the type of data, the information has been digitised since 1982. Since 2002 all incoming information for the register has been converted into digital format.

Applicable law

Primarily:

Link opens in new windowAktiebolagslagen (Companies Act) (2005:551)

Link opens in new windowAktiebolagsförordningen (Companies Ordinance) (2005:559)

Link opens in new windowÅrsredovisningslagen (Annual Accounts Act) (1995:1554)

Link opens in new windowFiliallagen (Branches Act) (1992:160)

Link opens in new windowFilialförordningen (Branches Ordinance) (1992:308)

Link opens in new windowLag (2004:297) om bank- och finansieringsrörelse (Act on banking and financial operations)

Link opens in new windowFörordningen (2004:329) om bank- och finansieringsrörelse (Ordinance on banking and financial operations)

Link opens in new windowLagen (1995:1559) om årsredovisning i kreditinstitut och värdepappersbolag (Act on annual accounts in credit institutions and investment firms)

Link opens in new windowFörsäkringsrörelselagen (Act on insurance business) (2010:2043)

Link opens in new windowFörsäkringsrörelseförordningen (Ordinance on insurance business) (2011:257)

Link opens in new windowLagen (1995:1560) om årsredovisning i försäkringsföretag (Act on annual accounts in insurance companies)

What information does the business register offer?

Who has the right to access the register?

Anyone can obtain information from the register by contacting the Swedish Companies Registration Office or by going to the website or the Näringslivsregistret [Company register].

What information does the register hold?

What types of data are stored? (which entities are recorded in the public register, information on insolvency, accounts, etc.)

The information held includes:

  • company name
  • address
  • registered office
  • organisation number
  • information on the directors (members of the board, authorised signatories, CEO, auditor, etc.)
  • business activity

(for more detailed information see Chapter 2, Sections 14-17 of the Companies Ordnance, Section 4 of the Branches Ordinance, and Chapter 4, Section 19 of the Ordinance (2004:329) on banking and financial operations.

Which documents are filed/stored (case files, collections of documents, articles of association, minutes of general meetings, etc.)?

All documents to be submitted for each case type in accordance with the rules in force, for example:

  • deeds of establishment
  • articles of association
  • annual accounts
  • notifications
  • minutes of general meetings
  • board minutes
  • bank statements
  • audit reports
  • any other documents required.

How can I perform a search (and what are the available search criteria)?

In person

A computer for visitors to search the register is available at reception. You can also order documents from the register from reception.

On the website of the register

From the website, you can access:

  • the register to see whether a company has submitted its annual accounts or to search for a particular case,
  • the Näringslivsregistret e-service (where certain information is free of charge. Otherwise, you need to register as a customer),
  • the Sök företagsinformation [Search for company information] e-service

What are the available search criteria?

You can search by organisation number, case number, ID number or company name.

How can I obtain documents?

Free of charge?

The Swedish Companies Registration Office charges for documents as it is a fee-funded authority.

For a fee?

By ordering from us. You can pay by invoice or by card.

How can I obtain an extract from the register, certified copy or transcript of documents?

By ordering from us, by calling us, by email or by post. You can pay by invoice or by card.

Registration procedure

How can I launch the registration procedure (how to submit applications to the register, certification of documents, type of documents which need to be attached)?

In person

You submit your application and the required documents for the type of case in paper form. You can also use the Swedish Companies Registration Office’s visitors’ computers to access verksamt.se and enter a case.

Online

You can go to Link opens in new windowverksamt.se and register a case.

How are submitted applications reviewed?

Cases submitted via e-services (verksamt.se) are subjected to various machine checks. Some of the cases can be closed automatically in e-services. Others, which cannot be checked electronically, are forwarded to a member of staff for further manual checking. A staff member also checks paper documents.

Legal effects of the registration

Effect of entries on third parties, pursuant to Article 17 of Directive (EU) 2017/1132

The records held by the Swedish Companies Registration Office are public. Recorded information is published in the national publication Link opens in new windowPost- och Inrikes Tidningar. Information recorded in the register and published in Post- och Inrikes Tidningar is considered to be public knowledge. It is therefore available to the public and searchable.

Discrepancies between the register entry and its publication

Information submitted for registration is recorded and published. If it is discovered subsequently that inaccurate information has been recorded (and published), it may be necessary to correct it.

Who has the responsibility for the accuracy of the records?

The companies are responsible for the information they submit. The Swedish Companies Registration Office records the information provided, after a legality check.

Data protection procedures

Procedures related to the rights of the data subject regarding publishing and storing their personal data

In our company registers we process the personal data of board members, among other parties. The aim of the registers is to provide information on, for example, business activities, lending, business acquisitions and divestments, and additions to or checks of customer registers. The information can be provided to individuals, companies or authorities requiring information for their activities.

Personal information may be made public and stored provided that it relates to the exercise of authority. By law, personal data are to be recorded.

The Swedish Companies Registration Office is the data controller and ensures that personal data in our registers are handled in line with the provisions on data protection and the specific rules governing the register.

The Swedish Companies Registration Office has appointed a data protection ombudsman to ensure that personal data are handled correctly and legally in operations.

Contact information

Swedish Companies Registration Office

Telephone: +46 771670670 (or +46 60184000) from 09:00 to 15:00, Monday to Friday

Email: Link opens in new windowbolagsverket@bolagsverket.se

Visiting address: Stuvarvägen 21, Sundsvall, SWEDEN

Website: Link opens in new windowhttps://bolagsverket.se/en/us/about/contact-us

Links

E-services: Link opens in new windowhttps://bolagsverket.se/en/fee

E-services: Link opens in new windowhttps://www.verksamt.se/web/international/services

Last update: 28/04/2023

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.

Business registers in EU countries - United Kingdom

This section provides you with an overview of the business register of the United Kingdom:

Who keeps the business register in the United Kingdom?

Companies House is the Link opens in new windowbusiness register for the UK including England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

What information does Companies House hold?

The register provides information filed by companies, limited liability partnerships, limited partnerships, overseas companies, EEIGs (European Economic interest groupings), cross-border mergers and SEs (Societas Europaea, European Company). You can search for more information on filing requirements at Link opens in new windowCompanies House. The register does not hold information on sole traders, general partnerships and business names.

Is access to the business register free of charge?

Yes, access to the register is free of charge, as is the retrieval of basic company information.

How to search the business register in the United Kingdom

Company information on the UK business register can be searched at Link opens in new windowCompanies House, using the ‘WebCHeck’ service.

To which extent can the documents in the register be relied upon?

The registrar of companies

This section describes the position in respect of company information because it represents the majority of the material on the register.

The main legislation governing the operation of the UK register is the Companies Act 2006. Under that Act, information is delivered, for registration, to the registrar of companies (“the Registrar”) by a company, or agents acting on its behalf. Once delivered, the form of the information is checked to ensure it is complete. The Registrar accepts this information in good faith. No validation or verification is made of the accuracy of the information. If acceptable, the information is registered so that a record is maintained and made available for public inspection. Searchers of the register may rely on it, except for a limited class of information, but only to the extent that the information delivered to the Registrar is accurate.

A limited class of information on the register has legal consequences as a result of its registration. This information can be relied upon by searchers as it appears on the register. This class includes,

  • incorporation of a company (section 16 Companies Act 2006)
  • registered office address and its change under section 87
  • company name and its changes under section 81
  • re-registration of a company to alter its status e.g. from a private company to a public company etc. (sections 96, 101,104, 107 and 111)
  • reduction of the capital of a company (sections 651 and 665)

Criminal sanctions can be enforced for serious inaccuracies in the information delivered to the Registrar. Section 1112 Companies Act 2006 makes it a criminal offence to knowingly or recklessly deliver false, misleading or deceptive information to the Registrar.

A company cannot rely against a third party on specific events having taken place unless it has been officially notified, or it can be shown that the third party knew of the event (section 1079 Companies Act 2006).

The specific events are as follows:

  • amendment to the company’s articles
  • change among the company’s directors
  • change in the company’s registered office
  • making of a winding up order in respect of the company
  • appointment of a liquidator in a voluntary winding up of the company

Related Links

Link opens in new windowCompanies House

Last update: 24/07/2017

The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.