Free Irish business tool
Irish Company Search
Search the full Companies Registration Office register by company name or CRO number. Shows whether a company is active, in liquidation, being struck off, or dissolved - straight from the official open data.
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Some companies have enriched records drawn from CRO, Central Bank, and Peppol data. Browse companies with published data.
What is a CRO number and where to find it
A CRO number is the company number the Companies Registration Office gives each company on the Irish register. It is the "Company Number" field in the CRO's own open data. To find one, search the company name in the box above: the CRO number appears on every result, next to the registered name. If you already have the number, type the full digits for an exact match.
For the full definition of the CRO number and how it differs from a Revenue Tax Reference Number, see the Companies Registration Office glossary entry.
How to check if an Irish company is still trading
Search the company above and read its CRO status. The CRO's open data records a status and a status date for every company on the register, including companies that have been dissolved or closed. This tool shows that status word for word and groups it in plain language:
- Active: CRO status "Normal".
- In liquidation: CRO status "Liquidation".
- Being struck off: CRO status "Strike Off Listed".
- Struck off or dissolved: CRO status "Struck Off", "Dissolved" or another "Dissolved" variant.
- Other: any other CRO status, such as "Ceased", shown exactly as the CRO publishes it.
An active status means the company is on the register; it does not by itself show that the company is trading or paying its bills. A company in liquidation, being struck off, or dissolved is a reason to stop and check before you pay an invoice or sign a contract. The status here comes from the weekly snapshot shown below, so confirm anything important on core.cro.ie.
What this shows
The CRO maintains the definitive public register of all companies incorporated in Ireland. This tool searches the whole register, active companies first, giving you the legal entity name, CRO registration number, CRO status, company type and registration date as filed with the Companies Registration Office, plus the registered address for active companies.
Common uses: confirming a new supplier is a registered Irish company before paying an invoice, verifying a company's legal name for a contract, checking the CRO number for a Companies House-style credibility check, or finding a company's type when completing a tender application. You can also check VAT status with the VIES VAT Number Checker .
This is a snapshot of the open register, so it is the fast way to confirm a number and a legal name. For live filings, annual returns, or to order official documents, use the CRO's own portal at core.cro.ie, which holds the authoritative live record. When a company you look up here also supplies Irish public bodies, you will see a link through to its tenders and awards on Tenderwatch.ie.
Source and licence
Data is sourced from the CRO Open Data Portal (opendata.cro.ie / data.gov.ie), published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. This tool searches every company in the snapshot, whatever its status; companies that are no longer active show their CRO status and status date but not their address. The index is rebuilt weekly by a GitHub Actions workflow and deployed with the site.
Contains Irish Public Sector Data licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. Source: Companies Registration Office (CRO), opendata.cro.ie.
How to check an Irish company is legitimate
The registration status on a CRO record is the first thing to read (see how to check if a company is still trading, above). An active result confirms the entity is on the register under the exact legal name shown, with a registered office in Ireland.
For a fuller check before you pay an invoice or sign a contract, confirm that the legal name and registered address match what the supplier gave you, then cross-check the company's VAT registration with the VIES VAT Number Checker . A registered company with a valid VAT number and a matching legal name is a far stronger signal than an email domain alone.
Reading a CRO record
Each record shows the company type, which tells you how the business is structured. LTD is a private company limited by shares, the default for most Irish SMEs. DAC is a designated activity company, often used where a defined objects clause is needed. CLG is a company limited by guarantee, common for clubs, charities, and non-profits. ULC is an unlimited company, and PLC is a public limited company that can offer shares to the public.
The registration date is the date of incorporation, so it tells you how long the company has existed on the register. The registered address is the official address for legal correspondence and CRO filings; it is not always the same as the trading address, so a serviced-office or accountant's address is normal and not a red flag on its own.
Questions
What data does this search?
The search covers the CRO open data snapshot, which the CRO describes as a register of all companies it has recorded, both currently registered companies and dissolved or closed ones. Active (Normal status) companies are listed first. Companies in liquidation, being struck off, struck off or dissolved follow, each with its status copied verbatim from the CRO.
How current is the data?
The snapshot is updated daily by the CRO and published on data.gov.ie under a CC BY 4.0 licence. This tool reflects the snapshot committed to the site; the ingest script can be re-run to pull a fresh copy.
Can I search by CRO number?
Yes. Type the full CRO company number (e.g. 681141) for an exact match. For name searches, prefix matching starts from the first two characters.
How do I find a company registration number (CRO number)?
Search the company name in the box above and open the matching result. The CRO number is shown next to the registered name, along with the company type and incorporation date. If you already have the number, type the full digits for an exact match. The CRO number is the unique identifier the Companies Registration Office assigns to every Irish company, and it stays fixed for the life of the company.
Is this the same as the CORE / cro.ie search?
Not quite. CORE (core.cro.ie) is the CRO's official live portal, where you can order documents and see the most current filings. This tool searches a free open-data snapshot of the register, published under a CC BY 4.0 licence, so it is faster for a quick name or number lookup but reflects the last published snapshot rather than live filings. For legal or filing purposes, always confirm on core.cro.ie.
Does this include all Irish company types?
Yes - the CRO register covers all registered company types: private limited (LTD), designated activity companies (DAC), unlimited companies (ULC), companies limited by guarantee (CLG), public limited companies (PLC), and others. Sole traders and partnerships are not registered with the CRO and are not shown.
Why does my company not appear?
The search covers every status on the register, so a company that has been struck off, dissolved or placed in liquidation still appears, with its CRO status. If a company is missing, check the spelling of its registered name (trading names are not on the register) or search by CRO number. The index is rebuilt weekly from the CRO snapshot, so a company registered in the last few days may not be in it yet. Check core.cro.ie for the most current status.
Is this free and can I reuse the data?
Yes. The underlying CRO data is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence, meaning it can be freely reused with attribution. This tool is free to use with no signup required for search results.
Is there a free Irish company register search?
Yes. This tool is a free search of the CRO open data register, with no account or subscription needed. It covers every company on the register, active or not, and returns the legal name, CRO number, CRO status, company type and registration date, plus the registered address for active companies. For live filings or to order official documents you would use the CRO's own portal at core.cro.ie, but for a quick free lookup of a company name or number the open register is enough.
Results are indicative only and based on the information provided. Data may not reflect current vendor offerings and is subject to change. Always verify details directly with vendors before making purchasing decisions.