Business Registers in Malta: Malta Business Registry (MBR)

Overview

Malta's company registration is run by the Malta Business Registry (MBR). Established under Subsidiary Legislation 497.27, the MBR registers all commercial partnerships and legal entities in Malta, issues certified documentation (including certificates of good standing), and collects fees and penalties. The registry operates through an online platform known as BAROS (Malta Business Registry Online System), which replaced the paper-based system.

Malta's beneficial ownership framework is governed by the Companies Act (Chapter 386) and the Beneficial Ownership Regulations (S.L. 386.19), which require companies to identify and disclose their ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs) to the Registrar. Access to UBO data is restricted following the 2022 CJEU ruling on public access to beneficial ownership registers.

For KYB (Know Your Business) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) due diligence, Malta provides structured company data through a single registry. Core corporate information and documents are available through BAROS, though UBO data is accessible only to obliged entities and persons demonstrating a legitimate interest.

Official Registers

Reġistru tal-Kumpaniji ta' Malta / Malta Business Registry (MBR)

The Malta Business Registry is Malta's central company register, recording all limited liability companies, partnerships, overseas companies, foundations, associations, and other legal entities. The MBR operates under the Companies Act 1995 (Cap. 386) and is the canonical source for company formation documents, corporate changes, annual returns, and financial statements.

The MBR's online system (BAROS) is used to search company information and purchase company documents. Since 1 August 2025, company searches require a free registered account; searches remain free of charge but are no longer anonymous, which matters for KYB workflows. The registry provides structured data including company name, legal form, status, registration date, registered address, share capital (authorised and issued), directors, secretaries, legal and judicial representatives, and involved parties such as auditors and subscribers. Documents are available on a fee basis, typically ranging from EUR 1 to EUR 10 per document.

The registry also handles the registration of foundations and associations under the Second Schedule of the Civil Code, processing applications through the Foundations and Associations Unit within MBR.

Malta's register is also interconnected with the European e-Justice portal through the Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS), allowing cross-border access to basic company data across EU member states.

Reġistru tas-Sidien Benefiċjarji / Register of Beneficial Owners

The Register of Beneficial Owners is maintained by the Registrar of Companies under the Companies Act and the Beneficial Ownership Regulations (S.L. 386.19). It records the natural persons who ultimately own or control more than 25% of companies incorporated in Malta.

Companies must submit a UBO notification upon registration and file an updated UBO return annually, together with the company's annual return, within 42 days of the anniversary of registration. Changes to beneficial ownership must be notified to the Registrar within 14 days.

Following the November 2022 ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union (Case C-37/20), public access to the beneficial ownership register has been restricted. Access is now limited to:

• National competent authorities
• Subject persons (obliged entities under AML regulations)
• Any natural or legal person that can demonstrate a legitimate interest directly tied to the prevention or detection of money laundering, predicate offences, or terrorist financing

The exception to UBO filing applies where all direct shareholders of a Maltese company are themselves natural persons. In such cases, the shareholder information filed with the MBR is considered sufficient.

Legal Notice 127 of 2025 (in force 10 July 2025), Malta's first-phase transposition of the EU's sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD6), formally enacted legitimate-interest access to the register, broadened coverage to additional partnerships and legal arrangements, and extended UBO obligations to private trustees, whose initial filing deadline is 11 January 2026.

Registration and Publication Requirements

Limited liability companies (Ltd. / P.L.C.)

All limited liability companies (both private and public) must register with the MBR by filing a Memorandum and Articles of Association. The Memorandum must contain the company name, registered office address, objects, share capital, and details of subscribers. Private companies (Ltd.) may have a maximum of 50 shareholders, must restrict share transfers, and may not invite the public to subscribe for shares. Public companies (P.L.C.) have no such restrictions and require a minimum authorised share capital of EUR 46,587.47, compared to EUR 1,164.69 for private companies.

All companies must file annual financial statements with the MBR. The board must approve financial statements within 10 months of the financial year-end for private companies (7 months for public companies). Financial statements, together with the directors' and auditors' reports, must be sent to shareholders at least 14 days before the general meeting. Small companies meeting prescribed thresholds may qualify for audit exemption under S.L. 386.20, but financial statements must still be prepared and submitted. Financial statements filed with the MBR are publicly accessible.

Companies must also file an annual return and a UBO return with the Registrar on each anniversary of registration. Since 1 September 2025, a range of statutory filings must be submitted through BAROS; paper and email submissions are no longer accepted for those forms.

Act XVIII of 2025 abolished the separate "exempt company" designation. Companies that previously qualified as private exempt companies are now simply private companies under Article 211 and retain the associated compliance reliefs, but the "exempt" label no longer appears.

Partnerships

Malta recognises two types of commercial partnerships under the Companies Act:

• Partnership en nom collectif (general partnership): all partners are jointly and severally liable for the partnership's obligations
• Partnership en commandite (limited partnership): at least one general partner bears unlimited liability, while limited partners' liability is restricted to their contribution

Both forms must register with the MBR and file relevant documentation. Partnership data is available through BAROS in the same structured format as company data.

Foundations and associations

Foundations and associations are registered under the Second Schedule of the Civil Code, through the MBR's Foundations and Associations Unit. Associations require a minimum of three persons and must appoint a legal representative ordinarily resident in Malta. All such organisations must declare to the Register regardless of their registration status.

Separate beneficial ownership registers exist for foundations (S.L. 16.18) and associations (S.L. 16.17).

Sole traders

Sole traders (self-employed persons) are not registered through the MBR company register in the same way as companies or partnerships. Maltese sole traders register for self-employment through BusinessFirst, and their tax registration number corresponds to their ID card number. While BAROS does carry a "Sole Trader" entity type, the registration pathway and obligations differ from those of commercial companies.

Overseas companies

Foreign companies establishing a place of business in Malta must register with the MBR as overseas companies, filing the required documentation on their parent entity and local representatives.

Summary table

*Exception applies where all direct shareholders are natural persons.

**Governed by separate regulations (S.L. 16.17 / S.L. 16.18).

With Topograph

Topograph reads structured company data from the BAROS system of the Malta Business Registry and retrieves fee-based documents through a single integration. Maltese companies are identified by an MBR registration number in the form `C` followed by a space and digits (for example `C 2833`); Topograph accepts this number for exact lookups and returns it on every entity.

Available Data

Company Profile

• Company name
• Registration number (e.g. C 2833)
• Legal form (type and subtype, e.g. Limited Liability Company, private)
• Registration status and date
• Registered address
• Authorised and issued share capital

Directors and Legal Representatives

• Names of directors
• Legal and judicial representatives
• Appointment details

Other Key Persons

• Company secretaries
• Auditors and subscribers (from involved parties data)

Available Documents

Note: UBO data is not available through the BAROS API. Beneficial ownership information is accessible only to competent authorities, obliged entities, and persons demonstrating a legitimate interest, through separate channels.

---