Europe
Company registries in Europe: the official company and UBO registers of the EU, the UK, Switzerland and Norway.
| Name | Region | Free online search | Who can see beneficial owners | Data access for developers | Checked on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Europe | Partial | Legitimate interest | Free API | |
| Belgium | Europe | Yes | Legitimate interest | Bulk data only | |
| Cyprus | Europe | Yes | Obliged entities and authorities only | ||
| Czech Republic | Europe | Yes | Legitimate interest | Bulk data only | |
| Denmark | Europe | Yes | Legitimate interest | ||
| Estonia | Europe | Yes | Legitimate interest | Free API | |
| Finland | Europe | Yes | Legitimate interest | Free API | |
| France | Europe | Yes | Legitimate interest | Free API | |
| Germany | Europe | Yes | Legitimate interest | ||
| Greece | Europe | Yes | Obliged entities and authorities only | Free API | |
| Ireland | Europe | Yes | Legitimate interest | Free API | |
| Italy | Europe | Yes | Suspended | Paid API | |
| Latvia | Europe | Yes | Public | Bulk data only | |
| Lithuania | Europe | Partial | Obliged entities and authorities only | Bulk data only | |
| Luxembourg | Europe | Yes | Obliged entities and authorities only | ||
| Malta | Europe | Partial | Legitimate interest | No API | |
| Netherlands | Europe | Yes | Obliged entities and authorities only | Paid API | |
| Norway | Europe | Yes | Obliged entities and authorities only | Free API | |
| Poland | Europe | Yes | Public | Free API | |
| Portugal | Europe | Partial | Legitimate interest | ||
| Spain | Europe | Partial | Legitimate interest | ||
| Sweden | Europe | Partial | Legitimate interest | Free API | |
| Switzerland | Europe | Yes | Obliged entities and authorities only | Free API | |
| United Kingdom | Europe | Yes | Public | Free API |
Since the EU Court of Justice ruling of November 2022, most EU states limit beneficial-owner data to people with a legitimate interest; the UK register of people with significant control remains public.
Questions
Are beneficial owner registers public in the EU? Most EU states now limit access to people with a legitimate interest; Latvia and Poland still publish beneficial owners.
Is the UK PSC register public? Yes. Companies House publishes people with significant control free of charge.
Which European company registers are free to search? Most of them, including Germany’s Handelsregister, France’s RNE on DATA INPI and Estonia’s e-Business Register.
Sources: each listing is compiled from the registry’s own website, the government body that runs it, official fee schedules and legislation, and the EU e-Justice portal. Every source is linked on the listing with the date it was checked. How we compile this reference