Cyprus company search: DRCOR (efiling.drcor.mcit.gov.cy)

TL;DR. Cyprus companies are searchable via the Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property (DRCOR) at https://efiling.drcor.mcit.gov.cy, which forwards to /DrcorPublic/. The public search is https://efiling.drcor.mcit.gov.cy/DrcorPublic/SearchForm.aspx?sc=0, titled Search Form, taking a name or a registration number (Ονομα / Αριθμος Εγγραφης). An English toggle is on the page, though the page itself is served in Greek. File research at eforms.eservices.cyprus.gov.cy/MCIT/RCOR/OrganisationFileSearch is behind a CY Login. No fees, payment methods or turnaround appear on the search page, so the fees in this guide read unknown rather than free; confirm at source. The page footer names Υπουργειο Εμποριου, Βιομηχανιας και Τουρισμου and Τμημα Εφορου Εταιρειων και Διανοητικης Ιδιοκτησιας.

What is the official Cyprus business registry?

The Department of Registrar of Companies and Intellectual Property (DRCOR) is the official authority for company registration in Cyprus. The portal is https://efiling.drcor.mcit.gov.cy, which forwards to /DrcorPublic/. Its footer names Υπουργείο Εμπορίου, Βιομηχανίας και Τουρισμού and Τμήμα Εφόρου Εταιρειών και Διανοητικής Ιδιοκτησίας, with a copyright line reading 2005-2015. This guide uses the ministry name as the site gives it.

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 public search is https://efiling.drcor.mcit.gov.cy/DrcorPublic/SearchForm.aspx?sc=0, titled Search Form. It searches the catalogue of registered organisations by name (or words from the name) or organisation number, with all-words, some-words and phonetic matching, through the fields Ονομα and Αριθμος Εγγραφης.

Cost: the Search Form does not state that searching is free, and gives no price.

File search: https://eforms.eservices.cyprus.gov.cy/MCIT/RCOR/OrganisationFileSearch sends you to CY Login, so file research is behind a sign-in.

Paid document lists (directors, shareholders, charges, annual returns, good standing, memorandum) are not offered or priced on the Search Form; confirm at source.

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?

Figures of EUR 5, 20 and 30 have been reported, but none appear on the Search Form, so the table above reads unknown rather than free; confirm at source. No payment methods and no immediate download are offered there.

Do you need a local account or ID?

The Search Form at SearchForm.aspx?sc=0 has no login wall. File research is behind CY Login, so an account is shown as optional rather than required. There is no Cypriot ID field on the Search Form, and no payment method is stated.

Is the website in English?

Partial. An English toggle is on the page, but SearchForm.aspx?sc=0 is served with Greek body text, so a fully English interface is not confirmed here.

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?

Unknown. No turnaround or immediate download is stated on the Search Form; confirm at source.

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 public API is offered on the Search Form. Cyprus participates in EU BRIS, which is a cross-border network rather than a DRCOR developer portal.

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?

The Search Form is reachable without a Cyprus presence. File research is behind CY Login. No payment method, price or immediate download is stated on the Search Form; confirm at source.

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?

Not stated on the Search Form. EU 5AMLD beneficial ownership rules and the 2022 CJEU ruling are the legal background, but no DRCOR beneficial ownership search page could be found; confirm at source.

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?

Confirm at fatf-gafi.org. The registry says nothing about it.

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: 2026-09-04. Sources: efiling.drcor.mcit.gov.cy/DrcorPublic/ and its SearchForm.aspx?sc=0 page, titled Search Form; OrganisationFileSearch, which is behind CY Login; 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.