New Zealand
In New Zealand, the company registry is the Companies Office register, free to search.
- Official company register
- New Zealand Companies Register
- Free online search
- Yes
- Company identifier
- Company number; NZBN, 13 digits (a GS1 Global Location Number).
- Who can see beneficial owners
- No central register
- Data access for developers
- Free API
- Company search
- app.companiesoffice.govt.nz
- Checked on
Search New Zealand companies for free on the Companies Office register, which shows directors with addresses, shareholders and shareholdings, and filed documents. The official fee schedule lists no search or copy fees. There is no beneficial ownership register, and the planned Companies Act reforms do not add one, but shareholder names are public. Companies are identified by a company number and a 13-digit NZBN.
- Region
- Asia-Pacific
- Run by
- New Zealand Companies Office (MBIE)
- Registry website
- companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz
- Visible for free
- Name, company number, NZBN, incorporation date, status, registered office, address for service and address for records, directors (names, addresses, appointment and cessation dates), shareholders and shareholdings, and registered documents (director consents, annual returns, constitution, insolvency documents).
- Paid documents and fees
- The official fee schedule lists only filing fees; it has no search or copy fees.
- Beneficial ownership register
- None
- Beneficial ownership access in detail
- There is no beneficial ownership register, and MBIE states the Companies Act reform package does not create one; the reforms add unique director identifiers instead.
- Beneficial ownership register website
- mbie.govt.nz
- API or data service
- https://api.business.govt.nz/api/explore-apis/by-category?tag=Companies-group (MBIE API Explorer); monthly CSV bulk data free of charge via https://www.companiesoffice.govt.nz/data-services/ways-to-get-our-data/
- Search interface languages
- English
- What an official extract contains
- No formal extract; the online company record shows company details, addresses, directors, shareholdings and registered documents.
- What to know before a KYB check
- Shareholder names and share parcels are public on the register, which partly makes up for the absence of a UBO register. Pending Companies Act reforms will let directors and shareholders replace residential addresses with service addresses.
- Sources
Page URL Companies Office home https://www.companiesoffice.govt.nz/ Companies Register – Searching the Companies Register https://companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/help-centre/getting-support-to-use-the-companies-register/searching-the-companies-register/ Companies Register – Schedule of fees https://companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/help-centre/managing-your-online-account/schedule-of-fees/ Companies Office – Ways to get our data https://www.companiesoffice.govt.nz/data-services/ways-to-get-our-data/ NZBN – About the NZBN https://www.nzbn.govt.nz/whats-an-nzbn/about/ MBIE – Companies Act reforms https://www.mbie.govt.nz/business-and-employment/business/regulating-entities/companies-act-reforms - Verification
- All fields verified
Questions
Is the New Zealand company register free?
Can I see shareholders of a New Zealand company?
Does New Zealand have a beneficial ownership register?
What is an NZBN?
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