How to Look Up a Company in European Business Registers

The quickest way to look up a company in another European country is the "Find a company" service on the European e-Justice Portal, which searches the national business registers of all EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway in one place. It shows basic company information free of charge and points you to the national business register for documents that cost money. For suppliers outside that area, such as in the UK or Switzerland, go straight to the national register.

What is BRIS and how does it connect business registers?

BRIS, the Business Registers Interconnection System, links the national business register of each EU country. According to the European Commission, BRIS has been operational since 8 June 2017 and gives EU-wide electronic access to company information through the e-Justice Portal. It also lets registers exchange information on cross-border operations and branches.

The e-Justice Portal explains that the service covers public and private limited liability companies and their branches, as well as European Companies (SE), with information gathered in real time from the national registers.

Which companies will you not find?

Because the service focuses on limited liability companies, sole traders and many partnerships may not appear. In that case, search the national business register directly. Countries outside the EU and EEA are not connected either.

How to search a European business register step by step

1. Collect what you have. The legal name, registration number and country from the supplier's invoice, quote or website footer. A registration number gives the most precise result.
2. Open "Find a company" on the e-Justice Portal. Choose the country or search across several, and enter the name or number.
3. Review the basic information. Compare the legal name, legal form, registered office and status with what the supplier told you.
4. Request more details if needed. The portal lists further filings such as articles of association, annual accounts, subscribed capital and legal representatives, depending on the country.
5. Go to the national business register for paid documents. The portal notes that documents requiring payment are not available through it; prices shown are indicative, and the final price is stated on the national register's website.

What should you check in the result?

• Exact legal name and whether it matches the invoice and the bank account holder.
• Status: active, or in liquidation, bankruptcy or being struck off.
• Registered office: plausible for a company that claims production in that country.
• Date of registration: does it fit the experience the supplier claims?
• Legal representatives: is the person signing your contract authorised to represent the company?

What is the EUID in a business register?

Each company in a connected register also has a European Unique Identifier (EUID), used when registers exchange data. An example from Estonia shows the structure: country code, register code and the company's registry number, for example EE for Estonia, ARIREG for the Estonian register and then the company's own code. The EUID does not replace the national registration number; it is simply a way to identify the same company across borders.

Business register number, VAT number and other identifiers

A company's register number proves that it exists as a legal entity. A VAT number proves VAT registration, which you can check in VIES; see our guide on how to check an EU VAT number. Commercial identifiers such as the D-U-N-S Number come from private databases; our post DUNS number explained covers the difference.

What is changing in EU business registers?

Directive (EU) 2025/25 on digital tools in company law entered into force on 30 January 2025, and member states must transpose it by 31 July 2027. According to the European Parliament's summary, it introduces an EU Company Certificate that all member states must accept as proof of a company's incorporation and register information. Certain companies can obtain it electronically free of charge. The directive also creates a multilingual EU Digital Power of Attorney and connects BRIS with the interconnection systems for beneficial ownership and insolvency registers.

For buyers this should make cross-border checks easier over the next few years: one standard certificate instead of different national extracts and translations. Law firm Eubelius notes that the certificate must be recognised across all member states, including information on who may represent the company. Until national rules are in place, keep using register extracts as today.

Example: checking a new packaging supplier abroad

Say a buyer in Sweden receives a good quote for printed corrugated boxes from a company in Poland that she has not worked with before. A sensible routine for checking the company takes about fifteen minutes.

1. She takes the registration number from the quote and searches it in "Find a company", selecting Poland.
2. She compares the legal name and registered office with the quote and with the supplier's website, and notes that the company is active.
3. She checks the VAT number in VIES and confirms that the name matches.
4. Because the order is large, she orders the latest annual accounts from the national register and checks who may represent the company.
5. She saves the results with the date in the supplier record and confirms the bank details by phone before the first payment.

None of these steps requires a paid database. The point is to compare the same details across independent sources and to keep evidence of what you checked.

Tips for searching a foreign business register

• Search by number, not only name. Names are often translated, abbreviated or have similar spellings, while numbers are unique.
• Know the legal forms. GmbH, SARL, Sp. z o.o., AB and BV are all limited companies; the suffix tells you which register to search.
• Use the official spelling. If a search returns nothing, try the name in the national language, including special characters.
• Save evidence. Download or screenshot the result with the date, and keep it with the supplier record.
• Repeat when something changes. A new address, new representatives or new bank details are reasons to look again.

Register checks and Flobid's Verified badge

On Flobid, the "Verified" badge means a supplier has passed the VAT check and has also been checked in its national company register, with documents reviewed by Flobid. It is a useful first filter, and you can still run your own checks before a large order. See how it works on our verification page and use our supplier verification checklist for the full process.

Sources

1. General information on find a company, European e-Justice Portal
2. Company law and corporate governance, European Commission
3. Company law: further expanding and upgrading the use of digital tools and processes, European Parliament Legislative Observatory (2025)
4. EUID: The European Unique Identifier for Estonian Companies, Eesti Firma
5. New European Corporate Directive 2025/25: more than just digitalisation, Eubelius (2025)