The Cyprus Companies Register: How to Search and Verify a Company in 2026
Last updated: 19 July 2026
Whether you are about to sign a contract with a Cypriot supplier, chase an unpaid invoice, buy a business or simply check that a counterparty exists, the Cyprus Companies Register is where you start. Maintained by the Department of the Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property (DRCIP), it holds the official record of every company registered in Cyprus. This guide explains how to search it, what you can see for free, what costs a fee, and how to read what you find.
Table of Contents
- What the Cyprus Companies Register Records
- How to Search the Register Online
- What Is Free and What Costs a Fee
- How to Verify a Company Before Doing Business With It
- Beneficial Ownership: Who Can See What
- Checking Whether a Company Name Is Taken
- Keeping Your Own Company's File Accurate
- Frequently Asked Questions
What the Cyprus Companies Register Records
The register is the public face of the Companies Law, Cap. 113. For every Cyprus company it records the name and registration number (the "HE" number), status (active, dissolved, or in strike-off proceedings), registered office address, directors and secretary, shareholders, share capital, registered charges over the company's assets, and the filing history — annual returns, financial statements and changes over time. Overseas companies with a Cyprus branch and partnerships under Cap. 116 appear in parallel registers kept by the same department.
How to Search the Register Online
Searching is free and takes a minute. On the Registrar of Companies portal, open the online search for organisations and enter either the company's name (or part of it) or its registration number. The search returns the matching entities with their number, exact registered name, type and status. From the result you can open the organisation's profile to see its registered office, officials and filing record.
Two practical tips. Search by number where you have it — Cypriot company names transliterate between Greek and English inconsistently, and partial-name searches can miss the entity you want. And check the status line first: an entity shown as under strike-off or dissolved is telling you most of what you need to know before you read anything else.
What Is Free and What Costs a Fee
The basic search — name, registration number, entity type, status and registered office — is free to anyone. Beyond that, the Registrar works on modest prescribed fees: inspecting a company's full electronic file costs €10, and certified copies of certificates or filed documents (certificate of incorporation, directors and secretary, shareholders, registered office) carry a small per-document charge. Certified certificates are what banks, courts and foreign authorities generally require — a screenshot of the search page is not evidence of anything.
How to Verify a Company Before Doing Business With It
A proper counterparty check reads the register with specific questions in mind. Is the company active, or in strike-off or liquidation? Are its annual returns and financial statements up to date — persistent non-filing is the single best early-warning sign of a shell or an abandoned entity? Who are the directors and shareholders, and do they match who you think you are dealing with? Are there registered charges over the company's assets in favour of banks or other creditors — critical if you are extending credit or buying assets?
For meaningful exposures, pair the register check with certified documents and, where warranted, fuller due diligence on litigation, insolvency and the people behind the company. If the relationship has already gone wrong, the same records drive enforcement strategy — see our guide to debt recovery in Cyprus.
Beneficial Ownership: Who Can See What
The register of ultimate beneficial owners is kept separately from the main companies register, and — following the Court of Justice of the EU's 2022 ruling on public access — is no longer open to the general public. Access is available to competent authorities and obliged entities conducting AML due diligence, and otherwise on a demonstrated legitimate-interest basis. For the companies themselves the obligations are strict: UBO details must be filed within 90 days of incorporation, changes within 45 days, and confirmed annually between 1 October and 31 December, with daily-accruing penalties for default — see our UBO register guide.
Checking Whether a Company Name Is Taken
The same search doubles as a first availability check when you are forming a company: if the name (or something confusingly close) already appears, the Registrar will refuse it. Formal name approval is then applied for separately — €10 standard or €30 accelerated, with an approved name reserved for six months. Restricted words such as "bank", "insurance" or "trust" need regulatory consent. The full process sits within our Cyprus company formation guide.
Keeping Your Own Company's File Accurate
Everything the register shows about your own company is your board's responsibility. The annual return (HE32) must be filed within 28 days of the AGM with financial statements attached; changes of directors, secretary, registered office or shareholders must be notified within the prescribed deadlines — and since the 2026 reform, a change of directors filed more than 12 months late is deemed effective only 12 months before filing, which can extend a departed director's liability window. Late filings accrue penalties, and a neglected file is what counterparties running the checks above will see. The obligations sit with the directors personally — see our guide to directors' duties in Cyprus.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check if a company is registered in Cyprus?
Search the Registrar of Companies' free online search by company name or HE number. The result shows the registered name, number, type, status and registered office; the company's fuller file can be inspected for a €10 fee.
Is the Cyprus companies register free to search?
Yes — the basic search is free. Prescribed fees apply only for inspecting a company's full file (€10) and for certified copies of certificates and filed documents.
Can I see who owns a Cyprus company?
Registered shareholders appear in the company's file. Ultimate beneficial owners are held in a separate UBO register that, since the CJEU's 2022 ruling, is accessible to authorities and obliged entities rather than the general public, with legitimate-interest access otherwise.
How do I know if a Cyprus company is in good standing?
Check that its status is active, its annual returns and financial statements are filed up to date, and no strike-off notice is pending. For transactions of any size, back the search with certified certificates from the Registrar.
Speak to Connor Legal
Connor Legal conducts company searches, corporate due diligence and counterparty verification in Cyprus daily — and keeps its clients' own registers and filings in good standing. If you need a company checked, or your own file brought up to date, contact the firm.
