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EU Company Registries — Complete Guide
Every EU member state maintains an official company registry — a public database of registered businesses, their legal form, registered address, directors, and financial filings. Checking a company in the official registry before entering a business relationship is essential due diligence in European B2B commerce.
Why Verify a Company Before Doing Business?
- Confirm the company is legally registered and active
- Verify the registered address and legal form
- Check authorized signatories and directors
- Review financial filings and annual accounts (where available)
- Detect potential fraud or dormant companies
- Required for AML (Anti-Money Laundering) compliance
Belgium BCE — Crossroads Bank for Enterprises
The Belgian BCE (Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises / Kruispuntbank van Ondernemingen) is the central company registry. Every Belgian company has a unique enterprise number (numéro d'entreprise / ondernemingsnummer) in the format BE XXXX.XXX.XXX. The public search at kbopub.economie.fgov.be is free and shows basic company information, VAT status, and activity codes.
Germany Handelsregister
The German commercial register (Handelsregister) is maintained by local courts (Amtsgerichte) and accessible via handelsregister.de. It contains registration details, articles of association, managing directors, and annual accounts for GmbH and AG companies. Document access costs €1.50 per document but company name/number search is free.
EU-Wide Company Search — BRIS
The Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS) connects company registries across all EU member states and allows cross-border company searches via the European e-Justice portal (e-justice.europa.eu). This is particularly useful when you need to verify companies across multiple EU countries simultaneously.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it free to check a company in EU registries?
Most EU member states provide free basic company information (name, registration number, address, legal status) in their official registries. Detailed documents (articles of association, annual accounts, director details) may require a small fee, typically €1.50–€15 per document. Belgium, Netherlands (KVK), and Poland (KRS) offer extensive free data.
How do I verify a Belgian company number?
Belgian company numbers (enterprise numbers) are in the format XXXX.XXX.XXX and can be verified for free at the BCE public search (kbopub.economie.fgov.be). The search returns the company name, legal form, VAT status, registered address, and NACE activity codes. Belgian company numbers starting with 0 or 1 are assigned to legal entities; natural persons have numbers starting with their national number.
What is a KvK number in the Netherlands?
The KvK number (Kamer van Koophandel) is the Dutch Chamber of Commerce registration number. It is an 8-digit number unique to each Dutch business entity. All Dutch businesses (including sole traders) are required to register with the KvK. The basic company profile is publicly accessible at kvk.nl for free; detailed extracts cost around €2.50.
Can I verify EU companies across multiple countries at once?
Yes. The European e-Justice portal (e-justice.europa.eu) provides access to company registries across EU member states through the BRIS (Business Registers Interconnection System). You can search by company name or registration number across connected member states. Some countries also appear in commercial data providers like Orbis (Bureau van Dijk) or Dun & Bradstreet.
