How do I check an Irish company (CRO)?
Search the company name or number on the Companies Registration Office (CRO) online service. The company record shows its status, registered address, incorporation date, company type and filing history; filed documents such as the annual return, which lists the directors and secretary, can be viewed or purchased from the CRO. Beneficial owners are held in the separate Register of Beneficial Ownership (RBO), where public access was restricted after the November 2022 Court of Justice of the EU ruling.
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How to check it manually
- Search the CRO online service by company name or number.
- Check the status (for example normal, strike-off listed, dissolved or in liquidation), company type, incorporation date and registered address.
- Review the filing history, including the dates of the latest annual returns.
- Get the latest annual return or other documents for the directors and secretary.
- Search Iris Oifigiúil, Ireland’s official gazette, for statutory notices such as liquidations.
- For beneficial owners, ask the company, as public access to the RBO is restricted.
What it tells you
- The official registration, status and filing record.
- Directors and secretary, from the filed documents.
What it doesn’t tell you
- Beneficial owners: public access to the RBO is restricted.
- Financial health beyond what the filed documents show.
How SONAR automates it
When you screen a company registered in this country, SONAR looks it up in the Irish Companies Registration Office (CRO) and puts the company record (legal name, number, status, legal form and registered address) in the report with a link or ID for the source and the date it was retrieved. SONAR does not pull the directors from this register yet, so check them manually as described above.
The same run screens the company itself, and any people SONAR finds in its other sources, against 8 sanctions lists, the OpenSanctions PEP dataset, the ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database and adverse media, and returns PASS, REVIEW, FLAG or NOT RUN for each check. A source that could not be reached is shown as NOT RUN, never as clear.
SONAR is a due-diligence tool for checking vendors, partners, resellers and suppliers. It compiles public-record data. It is not a regulated AML / KYC provider, does not verify identity documents, and is not legal advice.
You can try it on 2 companies a month for free, no card needed; every report includes a receipt for each source it used.
Frequently asked questions
Can I search Irish companies for free?
Yes, you can search the CRO register and see a company’s basic details and filing history. Some documents and products are charged.
What does “strike-off listed” mean?
The CRO has started the process to strike the company off the register, often for failing to file annual returns. If the process completes, the company is dissolved.
Where are beneficial owners of Irish companies recorded?
In the Register of Beneficial Ownership (RBO), which is separate from the CRO. Public access was restricted after the November 2022 Court of Justice of the EU ruling.
Official sources
Run these checks on a company you’re about to sign
Registry record, owners, sanctions, PEP, ICIJ Offshore Leaks and adverse media in one report, with a receipt for every source. 2 free reports a month, no card.
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