Cyprus Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Cyprus Business

TL;DR. Cyprus companies are searchable in English via the Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property (DRCOR) at efiling.drcor.mcit.gov.cy. Basic searches are free without an account; certified extracts cost EUR 5-30 (approximately USD 5.45-32.70). A UBO register exists under EU 5AMLD implementation. No API is available for programmatic access.

What is the official Cyprus business registry?

The Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property (DRCOR), operating under the Ministry of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism, is the official authority for company registration in Cyprus. The department operates the online portal at efiling.drcor.mcit.gov.cy, which serves as the primary interface for both registration submissions and public company searches.

The statutory foundation is the Companies Law, Cap. 113 (as amended), which has governed company formation in Cyprus since the colonial era. Cyprus follows a Companies Act model closely modelled on English company law, a legacy of British administration that ended in 1960. This means the entity forms and disclosure requirements will be familiar to practitioners from common-law jurisdictions. The Law was substantially amended following Cyprus’s accession to the European Union in 2004 and again after the 2013 banking crisis and IMF/ESM bailout, which triggered sweeping AML reforms including enhanced beneficial ownership disclosure obligations.

DRCOR maintains records of all registered entities in Cyprus: private limited companies (Ltd), public limited companies (Plc), partnerships, overseas companies (branches), and foundations. The register dates to the mid-20th century, though electronic records accessible online typically cover entities registered from the 1990s onward with increasing completeness for more recent filings.

Cyprus gained international attention in the context of the Pandora Papers (2021) and earlier Panama Papers (2016), both of which documented the use of Cyprus-registered structures by non-resident clients through professional intermediaries. Those exposures accelerated the government’s AML reform program and its cooperation with EU-level oversight. Compliance buyers should approach Cyprus entities with awareness of this professional-intermediary culture, which is legal but means UBO verification through the registry alone may not capture all beneficial ownership layers without additional investigation.

What can you search?

The DRCOR e-filing portal provides a public search interface accessible without registration.

Free searches (no account required):

• Company name search (full or partial text match)
• Registration number search
• Returns: company name, registration number, date of incorporation, registered office address, entity type, and current status (active, struck off, dissolved, in receivership, in voluntary winding up)

Paid searches (account required for download):

• Directors and secretary details
• Shareholders register (members)
• Registered charges and mortgages
• Annual returns and financial statements (where filed)
• Certificate of good standing
• Certified copies of memorandum and articles of association

Data freshness depends on the filing schedule. Directors and shareholder changes must be filed with DRCOR within 14 days of the change under Cap. 113 requirements, but enforcement of timely filing historically has been inconsistent. The 2019-2022 AML reform period saw increased penalties for late filing, improving real-time accuracy. For compliance-critical verification, treat the registry as current to within 30 days for actively maintained entities.

How much does it cost?

EUR/USD conversion used: 1.09 (approximate, May 2026; verify at point of purchase). Pricing is sourced from the DRCOR e-filing portal fee schedule as published at efiling.drcor.mcit.gov.cy. Payment accepts credit and debit card; no Cypriot bank account is required for foreign buyers.

Do you need a local account or ID?

Basic company name and status searches on the DRCOR portal are accessible without registration. For downloading documents or ordering certified extracts, an account is required. Foreign buyers can create an account using an email address and password without a Cypriot identity number or local bank credentials.

No local ID (such as a Cypriot personal identification number or ARC card) is required from foreign buyers. An international credit card suffices for payment.

Is the website in English?

Yes. The DRCOR e-filing portal at efiling.drcor.mcit.gov.cy is fully available in English. Cyprus’s legal system operates in both Greek and English, and company documents may be filed in either language. Many Cyprus-registered companies, particularly those serving international clients, file their memoranda and articles in English. However, some documents filed by locally oriented entities are in Greek only, and DRCOR does not provide automatic translation.

For companies that are part of international structures or registered through professional services firms, English-language documents are the norm.

What’s the turnaround time?

Basic company status information and director/shareholder data are available for instant download after payment through the e-filing portal. The system generates the report immediately on completion of the transaction.

Certified extracts and certificates of good standing ordered through the portal are available as electronic downloads, also effectively instant once payment clears. Printed and apostilled documents, if required for foreign legal proceedings, take 2-5 business days. DRCOR also has a physical walk-in counter at Nicosia headquarters, where same-day service is available during business hours for standard documents.

New registrations and amendments to existing filings are processed by DRCOR within 1-5 business days for standard filings, with complex filings (capital reductions, mergers) taking longer.

Is there an API?

No. DRCOR does not offer a public API for programmatic access to company data as of May 2026. All data retrieval requires use of the e-filing portal interface. Bulk data access is not available through official channels.

Cyprus participates in the EU Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS), which provides basic company data in a standardized format accessible through the European Business Register network. BRIS is the closest to a programmatic access path for Cyprus data from an EU-level infrastructure perspective.

For AML platform engineers or compliance teams requiring programmatic Cyprus data, commercial data providers that have licensed or aggregated DRCOR data are the current practical path. See the alternatives section below.

What you legally cannot do

Cyprus implements GDPR through the Processing of Personal Data (Protection of Individuals) Law 125(I)/2018, administered by the Office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection (dataprotection.gov.cy). Director and shareholder names in company records are personal data of natural persons; their use for purposes other than the stated compliance or legal basis requires justification under GDPR Article 6.

Systematic scraping of the DRCOR portal is not permitted under its terms of use. The portal uses session-based access controls; circumventing these is prohibited.

The Cyprus UBO register is established under the Prevention and Suppression of Money Laundering Activities Law (Law 188(I)/2007, as amended to implement EU 5AMLD). Access to UBO data is available to competent authorities and to persons who can demonstrate a legitimate interest. Following the October 2022 Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling in Joined Cases C-37/20 and C-601/20 (WM and Sovim v. Luxembourg Business Register), which found that unconditional public access to UBO registers violates core rights, Cyprus narrowed general public access to the UBO register. Compliance buyers with a documented AML/CDD purpose can still access UBO data by demonstrating legitimate interest to DRCOR.

Certified extracts from DRCOR are official documents; redistributing them without attribution to DRCOR or presenting them as self-generated would be impermissible.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• HE number is the anchor identifier. Every Cyprus private company has a registration number prefixed “HE” (Hetaireies Emphoreumatos, the Greek acronym for limited liability company), for example HE 123456. Public companies use “AE”. Overseas (branch) registrations use “OE”. Always search by the HE number to avoid name-based ambiguity; company name changes are common in corporate restructuring.
• Post-Pandora Papers context. Cyprus professional services firms (trust and company service providers, law firms) historically acted as nominee directors and shareholders for non-resident clients. This is legal and regulated, but means the DRCOR register may show a registered agent as director rather than the ultimate controller. Cross-reference with the UBO register and request a UBO declaration in counterparty due diligence.
• Entity status fields. A company showing “Active” in DRCOR is in good standing with the Registrar, but this does not confirm tax compliance or bank account operability. A struck-off company cannot enter into contracts. Companies in “voluntary winding up” are legally restricted. Check the specific status field carefully.
• AML reform context. Between 2020 and 2023, Cyprus implemented a package of AML reforms under EU pressure following the 2013 bailout aftermath and the 2019 MONEVAL/FATF mutual evaluation. These included increased annual return requirements and UBO register penalties. Entities incorporated before 2020 may have less complete UBO data than post-reform entities.
• BRIS for cross-border checks. Cyprus is connected to BRIS, providing basic company data accessible through the EU cross-border network. For an initial screening check as part of a global business due diligence workflow, BRIS provides a useful English-language starting point before committing to a full DRCOR extract.
• Financial statements are not always filed. Cyprus private companies with fewer than 25 employees and below EUR 3 million turnover qualify for exemptions from public financial statement filing. Do not assume a DRCOR company record will include accounts; for financial data, use a credit bureau.

Alternatives if you cannot access the registry directly

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates indexes Cyprus filings but lags official data. Useful for quick name-check; not for compliance-grade verification.
• BRIS portal: Basic Cyprus company data is available through the EU Business Registers Interconnection System, which provides standardized English-language information on registered companies across EU member states.
• Commercial data providers: See the local suppliers section for firms offering aggregated or enriched Cyprus company data with English-language delivery.

Local data suppliers

• CRIF (crif.com). International credit risk company with coverage of Cyprus through its European network. Provides company credit reports, risk scores, and due diligence profiles for Cyprus entities, including data enrichment beyond what DRCOR alone provides.
• Creditsafe (creditsafe.com). Offers Cyprus company reports with English-language delivery, covering DRCOR registration data enriched with financial metrics and monitoring services. Used by compliance teams integrating Cypriot entities into European due diligence workflows.

Use DRCOR for the official filing record. Use a credit bureau when you need payment behavior, financial statements, or risk scoring on top of the registry extract.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Cyprus registry directly?

Yes. The DRCOR e-filing portal at efiling.drcor.mcit.gov.cy is accessible to foreign buyers without a Cyprus presence. Basic company status searches require no account; downloading documents requires a free account registration with an email address. Payment by international credit card is accepted. There is no requirement for a Cypriot identity number or local bank account.

What is the HE number in Cyprus?

The HE number (from the Greek Hetaireies Emphoreumatos) is the unique registration number assigned to every private limited company registered in Cyprus. It follows the format “HE” followed by a six or seven-digit sequential number, for example HE 123456. Public companies use the prefix “AE”. The HE number is permanent and does not change on name change or restructuring. It is the primary identifier for all DRCOR searches and official correspondence.

What entity types are registered with DRCOR?

DRCOR registers private limited companies (Ltd / HE), public limited companies (Plc / AE), partnerships (general and limited), overseas company branches (OE), foundations, and clubs. Private limited companies are by far the most numerous, accounting for the majority of Cyprus’s registered entity base. Cyprus also has a material population of holding companies and intellectual property holding structures registered by non-resident groups.

Does Cyprus have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

Yes. Cyprus established a UBO register under the Prevention and Suppression of Money Laundering Activities Law as amended to implement EU 5AMLD (Directive 2018/843/EU). All Cyprus legal entities must register their beneficial owners with DRCOR. Following the October 2022 CJEU ruling limiting unconditional public access to UBO registers, Cyprus now requires applicants to demonstrate a legitimate interest to access UBO data. Compliance professionals with a documented AML/KYC purpose can apply for access through DRCOR.

How current is the data in the DRCOR register?

Directors and shareholder changes must be reported to DRCOR within 14 days of the change. Annual returns are due annually. In practice, enforcement of timely filing has improved since the 2019-2022 AML reform period but remains imperfect. For actively maintained entities, the register is typically current to within 30-60 days. For dormant or shell entities, data may be considerably older. A certificate of good standing, which confirms the company is current with its statutory filings, is the most reliable snapshot for compliance purposes.

Is Cyprus on the FATF grey list?

No. Cyprus is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026. Cyprus is an EU member state and implements EU AMLD requirements. Cyprus underwent a MONEYVAL (the Council of Europe’s AML/CFT evaluator for European states not in FATF) mutual evaluation in 2019, which identified a number of deficiencies. Cyprus subsequently completed a follow-up process and demonstrated progress. For current status, see fatf-gafi.org.

What is the difference between the registry and tax or financial filings?

DRCOR handles company formation, directorship, shareholding, and corporate governance filings. Tax registration and VAT registration are administered separately by the Tax Department of the Ministry of Finance (taxisnet.mof.gov.cy). Financial statements for qualifying companies are filed with DRCOR as part of the annual return process, but the tax authority holds the detailed tax assessment records. For AML due diligence, DRCOR provides the structural and ownership picture; tax compliance and financial data require either the tax authority (for authorized requestors) or a commercial credit bureau.

Last verified: May 2026. Source: Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property (efiling.drcor.mcit.gov.cy), MONEYVAL Cyprus evaluation reports (coe.int/moneyval), FATF (fatf-gafi.org), CJEU Joined Cases C-37/20 and C-601/20. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.