The Irish Companies Register Office

What is the Companies Register Office?

The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is managing the activities of the Companies Register Office (CRO), which contains centralized information regarding the Irish companies and their business names. The main functions of the Companies Register Office are presented below:

• • the incorporation of companies registered in this country and the registration of the business names;
• • the receipt and recording of incorporation documents for all types of legal entities;
• • the enforcement of the companies with respect to the regulations established under the Companies Act regarding filing the annual accounts;
• • providing information regarding the companies operating in Ireland to the general public.

All the companies established in Ireland have the obligation to register with the CRO. Also, the limited partnerships and the foreign companies must be registered with the institution; their business names must also be recorded. Our team of specialists in company formation in Ireland can provide legal assistance on the registration procedure with the Irish CRO.

What type of information must be reported to the Irish CRO? 

Any change in the company’s status, memorandum of association, capital, management scheme, the modification of the company’s trading name and other matters must be reported immediately to the Companies Register Office. The availability of the name of the companies created in Ireland may be checked free of charge for on the CRO portal.

Also, the reservation of the available names can be made in 28 days after paying a fee. Our Irish company formation experts can assist with advice on the how to request a trading name for local business. All companies in Ireland will receive Registration Certificates after applying the required documents with the CRO.

A company that is registered in Ireland and which fails to submit the annual accounts can be removed from the Companies Register Office. In the situation in which a company is erased from the Register, the company's representatives will become personally liable for the business’ losses. The assets of the company will become State property.

The financial statements that have to be submitted with the CRO must contain a set of financial documents, such as the profit and loss account, the balance sheet, the director’s report and an auditor’s report. However, it is necessary to know that the filling requirements concerning this will depend upon the legal form of the company. Micro companies can benefit from an exception on the filling requirements in the situation in which the company hires less than 10 employees and if the company’s turnover is less than EUR 700,000.

The information registered in the Companies Register Office is available online for the public, but this is applicable only for certain types of data. Persons or legal entities interested in obtaining in-depth information concerning a local business will need to set up an account on the institution’s online platform. Our consultants can also advise on the registration procedures imposed by other institutions and can also provide information on the procedure for EORI registration in Ireland, necessary for those involved in import-export activities. 

How can a company be registered at the Companies Register Office in Ireland?

The company registration is made very easily by depositing the company’s memorandum of association, articles of incorporation and a standard application form. Also a fee must be paid before registration. Our team of consultants in company formation in Ireland can further advise on this matter. 

What is the procedure for registering an Irish partnership with the CRO? 

How to check information from the Companies Register Office?

The basic information included in the CRO, such as the company’s name or address can be checked online on the Companies Register Office portal, free of charge. For the other necessary information, a small fee must be paid and the requester must ask for the printout or copies of any document filed by the company. This can also be performed online.

Our Irish company formation experts can obtain these details for you. Duplicate certificates may be received in a PDF form very easily and free of charge, just by submitting an email address and the company’s name. For more information please feel free to contact our company formation specialists in Ireland.