Business Registers in Cyprus: Τμήμα Εφόρου Εταιρειών (DRCIP)

Overview

Cyprus maintains a centralised company registration system operated by the Τμήμα Εφόρου Εταιρειών και Διανοητικής Ιδιοκτησίας (Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property, or DRCIP), under the Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry. The department was renamed from DRCOR to DRCIP in 2021; older filings and the e-filing URL still carry the legacy DRCOR initials. The register covers companies, partnerships, overseas companies, and business names (trade names used by sole traders).

Characteristics relevant to Know Your Business (KYB) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) purposes:

• Common-law heritage: the Companies Law, Cap. 113, draws on the UK Companies Act tradition, which shapes the types of filings and register structure.
• IFRS for all companies: Cyprus requires all companies, including small private limited companies, to prepare financial statements under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
• Restricted UBO access: following the Court of Justice of the European Union's November 2022 ruling, public access to the beneficial-ownership register was suspended; access is now limited to competent authorities and obliged entities.

The DRCIP offers an online e-filing portal for company searches and document ordering. Basic identity information (name, status, registered office, directors) is available free of charge; detailed shareholder history and full filing records require purchasing the official Study File (trade register extract).

Official Registers

Registrar of Companies (DRCIP): Μητρώο Εταιρειών

The Registrar of Companies is the national register for business entities in Cyprus. It records domestic companies (private and public), overseas companies (branches of foreign entities), partnerships (Συνεταιρισμοί), and business names (Εμπορικές Επωνυμίες).

Each entity receives a unique registration number. A free electronic search on the DRCIP portal returns the following:

• Name of the entity
• Registration date
• Type of entity (company, partnership, trade name, overseas company)
• Entity status (active, struck off, dissolved, etc.)
• Registered office address / place of work
• Names of current directors and secretary (for companies), partners (for partnerships), or trade-name owner
• Preview of pending applications

Detailed information, including full shareholder history, share capital, changes in officers, and historical filings, is available through the Study File, which must be purchased from the Registrar for a fee. The Study File records a company's history since incorporation.

Documents for which publication is mandatory are available free of charge via the online search; other documents and extracts are obtainable for a fee. The register is updated as filings are processed. As of 1 January 2026, stamp duty no longer applies to documents submitted to the Registrar.

The Cyprus company register is interconnected with the Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS) through the European e-Justice Portal, allowing cross-border access to basic company information across EU member states.

Μητρώο Πραγματικών Δικαιούχων (Register of Beneficial Owners)

The Register of Beneficial Owners is administered by DRCIP alongside the company register, established under Cyprus's AML legislation (Law 188(I)/2007 and subsequent amendments transposing EU Anti-Money Laundering Directives).

All companies and legal entities registered in Cyprus must declare their ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs). A UBO is defined as a natural person who ultimately owns or controls the entity, typically holding more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, or exercising control through other means.

Key filing obligations include:

• Initial filing: within 90 days of incorporation or registration
• Changes: within 45 days of any change in beneficial ownership
• Annual confirmation: between 1 October and 31 December each year

Non-compliance carries a penalty of €100 for the first day plus €50 for each additional day, capped at €5,000. Certain exemptions exist for listed companies and entities under insolvency practitioners.

From June 2022, both obliged entities and the general public were granted access to the register for a fee of €3.50 per company. However, following the CJEU ruling in November 2022, Cyprus suspended public access. Access is now restricted to competent authorities, law enforcement bodies, and AML-obliged entities conducting customer due diligence.

Registration and Publication Requirements

Companies (Εταιρείες)

Companies in Cyprus are divided into private companies (Εταιρεία Ιδιωτική) and public companies (Εταιρεία Δημόσια). Private companies limited by shares are the predominant form for commercial activity.

All companies must register with DRCIP and file a Memorandum and Articles of Association. Ongoing obligations include:

• Annual return (Form HE32): must be filed within 28 days of the Annual General Meeting, providing an updated snapshot of directors, shareholders, registered address, and share capital.
• Financial statements: directors are responsible for preparing annual financial statements in accordance with IFRS. These must be audited and filed with the Registrar together with the annual return, within twelve months after the financial year end. Since 2022, a small private company that for two consecutive years has net turnover not exceeding €200,000 and total gross assets not exceeding €500,000 may file a limited-assurance review (under ISRE 2400) instead of a full statutory audit.
• UBO declarations: initial filing within 90 days of incorporation, with annual confirmation and updates within 45 days of any change.
• Changes in officers: any change in directors or secretary must be notified within 14 days.
• Changes in shareholders: share transfers and changes in member details must be updated in the company's register of members and notified within 14 days.

Late filing of the annual return triggers a €20 overdue-filing fee plus a late-filing penalty of €50 on the first day and €1 for each subsequent day, capped at €150. Persistent non-compliance can lead to a company being struck off the register.

Financial statements filed with the Registrar are accessible to the public. Documents for which publication is mandatory are available free of charge online, while other documents can be obtained for a fee.

Sole traders (Εμπορική Επωνυμία)

Sole traders in Cyprus may operate under their legal name or register a trade name (Εμπορική Επωνυμία) with the Registrar. Trade names that differ from the individual's real name must be registered with DRCIP.

Sole traders register with the Cyprus Tax Department for income tax and VAT (compulsory if turnover exceeds €15,600 in the preceding 12 months). They are not required to file financial statements with the Registrar and UBO obligations do not apply, since the business is operated by a natural person.

Partnerships (Συνεταιρισμοί)

General and limited partnerships must register with DRCIP. Registration requires filing details of partners, the nature of the business, and the partnership agreement. Changes must be notified within 14 days.

Overseas companies (Αλλοδαπές Εταιρείες)

Branches of foreign companies must register with the Registrar and file annual accounts. An overseas company registration does not create a separate legal entity; it is an extension of the parent company. Representative or liaison offices, limited to non-commercial activities such as market research, have a narrow scope and cannot trade or invoice.

Summary table

With Topograph

Topograph reads company identity from the DRCIP e-filing portal and purchases the official Study File from the Registrar, returning Cypriot company identity, legal representatives, and shareholders through a single API call.

A DRCIP registration number is only unique when paired with its Greek-letter prefix, which also encodes the entity type: ΗΕ for private/public companies, ΕΕ for business names (sole traders), Σ for partnerships, and ΑΕ for overseas companies. The same digits under different prefixes (for example ΗΕ12593 and Σ12593) are different entities, so Topograph accepts and returns the full prefixed number.

Available Data

Company Profile

• Official company name (current and previous names where the company has been renamed)
• Registration number (Greek prefix + digits, e.g. ΗΕ433437)
• Legal form (in Greek and English, e.g. Εταιρεία - Ιδιωτική / Private Company)
• Registered office address
• Registration date
• Company status (active, struck off, dissolved, in liquidation, etc.)

Legal Representatives

• Full names of directors and secretaries
• Partners and owners (for partnerships and trade names)

Shareholders

• Names and identification data (read from the Study File)
• Shareholding details and history

Available Documents

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