Business Registers
Business registers are a cornerstone of legally sound customer due diligence. They provide authoritative information on the existence, legal form, registration status, and governance of companies and other legal entities. For obliged entities, auditors, and compliance functions, access to the correct register is essential for reliable identification and verification.
Overview of the Business Registers Table
The table on this page provides a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction overview of official national business registers across the European Union and selected European countries.
For each country, the table identifies:
- The competent national business register, and
- The official access point (URL) operated by the responsible authority.
The table is designed as a practical reference tool. It allows users to immediately locate the legally authoritative source for company data in each jurisdiction, without relying on commercial intermediaries or unofficial databases.
National business registers remain the primary source of record for:
- Legal existence and registration,
- Company name and registration number,
- Legal form and registered office,
- Status changes such as dissolution or insolvency.
The table does not aggregate company data itself. Instead, it establishes where verified information must be sourced from, supporting compliant KYC, CDD, audit, and verification workflows.
The Single EU-wide Company Register
With the completion of the EU Single Market, companies increasingly operate across borders. To support transparency and cross-border access, the business registers of all EU Member States have been interconnected since June 2017.
This interconnection is implemented through the Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS) and made accessible via the European e-Justice Portal, commonly referred to as the Single EU-wide company register.
The Single EU-wide company register:
- Provides a central search interface for companies registered in all EU Member States,
- Connects users directly to the relevant national business register,
- Enables efficient cross-border discovery and verification of legal entities.
Importantly, the EU-wide register does not replace national registers. It functions as a federated access layer: data remains stored, maintained, and legally defined at national level, while the EU interface improves accessibility and usability.
For AML and compliance purposes, this means:
- Initial company searches can be performed centrally at EU level,
- Legal verification and evidentiary use continue to rely on national register extracts.
Source: European e-Justice Portal