Search New Zealand Companies Register

TL;DR. New Zealand’s official company registry is the Companies Register, operated by the Companies Office under MBIE. https://www.companiesoffice.govt.nz is online. The search form is at https://companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/search/, titled Search | Companies Register, with a keyword box (placeholder “Enter a company name, number, or NZBN”) and filters including Registered, Removed, directors and shareholders. A RealMe Login sits in the header, but the search form itself is on the public page. No search price is published on it, so fees here read unknown rather than free; confirm at source. The data-services page is online and lists APIs among the ways to get data.

What is the official New Zealand business registry?

The Companies Office, a business unit of New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), administers the Companies Register under the Companies Act 1993. The hub is https://www.companiesoffice.govt.nz. The search form is at https://companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/search/. MBIE is the statutory authority for company incorporation, filing obligations, and registry data publication across more than 25 registers.

All New Zealand-incorporated companies receive a company number at registration. From 2012, New Zealand also introduced the New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) as a cross-government identifier. Most government and commercial systems now use the NZBN, though the internal Companies Register number remains the primary registry key.

The register has been reported to hold records for approximately 750,000 companies as of March 2026; confirm at source.

What can you search?

The search form at https://companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/search/, titled Search | Companies Register, includes:

• Keyword search (name="keyword", placeholder “Enter a company name, number, or NZBN”)
• Filters on the form: Registered, Removed, external administration, shareholders, directors, plus help, news and notices checkboxes

What a completed search returns (NZBN, share structure, filing history PDFs) is not described here; confirm at source. Document-download prices are not published on the search page.

How much does it cost?

The search page publishes no price, so the table below reads unknown rather than free; confirm at source.

A 2025 MBIE fee review has been reported but is not confirmed as a current tariff here; confirm at source.

Do you need a local account or ID?

The search form is on the public page. A RealMe Login sits in the header (/pages/logon/) for filing, not as a gate in front of the keyword field, and no New Zealand ID is needed to load the search form. Whether a captcha applies is not stated; confirm at source.

Is the website in English?

Yes. The search page is in English, titled Search | Companies Register.

What’s the turnaround time?

Unknown. The search form is on the public page, but no turnaround is published; confirm at source.

Is there an API?

Yes. https://www.companiesoffice.govt.nz/data-services/, Business Registries data services, lists APIs among the ways to get data. Pricing for those APIs is not published there; confirm at source.

What you legally cannot do

The Companies Office Terms of Use and the Companies Act 1993 set limits on how registry data may be used:

• Bulk commercial redistribution of registry data without MBIE’s written permission is not permitted
• Automated scraping of the public search portal is outside permitted use
• Using director or shareholder personal data for unsolicited marketing is prohibited under New Zealand’s Privacy Act 2020
• Representing registry data as independently verified when it is simply republished is misleading under the Fair Trading Act 1986

Compliance buyers using data for customer due diligence (CDD), UBO verification, or AML monitoring are within permitted use. Compliance buyers should document the stated purpose of each fetch as part of their internal audit trail, consistent with the registry’s permitted-use framework and New Zealand’s Privacy Act 2020 obligations.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• NZBN is the cross-system anchor. The NZBN (New Zealand Business Number) is a 13-digit identifier used across government and commercial systems from 2012. If you have an NZBN from another New Zealand government source, use it to search the register directly. Company names can change; the NZBN and company number do not.
• Director and shareholder filters are on the form. The search page includes directors and shareholders checkboxes. What the results then show is not described here.
• Removed companies remain searchable. An entity with status “Removed” has been deregistered but its record remains visible. A removed company cannot enter contracts, but its historical filings are accessible.
• Overseas companies show limited data. Companies incorporated offshore but registered to operate in New Zealand appear on the register under their overseas registration details. Their home-country filing obligations are not captured here.
• Constitution. Many New Zealand companies file a constitution with the register under the Companies Act 1993. Whether a constitution download appears on a company profile is not confirmed here; confirm at source.
• FATF compliance context. New Zealand is a FATF (Financial Action Task Force) member and has implemented AML/CFT obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009. Reporting entities in New Zealand (banks, law firms, accountants) are required to conduct CDD at onboarding. A registry extract from the Companies Register is the standard starting point for that process.

Alternatives if you cannot access the registry directly

• OpenCorporates (opencorporates.com): indexes New Zealand company filings across 140+ jurisdictions. Useful for a quick name check or cross-border connected-party screen. Data lags the official register. Not suitable for compliance-grade primary-source verification.
• API access for platform-level bulk integration (see above).

Local data suppliers

If you need a packaged report rather than a raw Companies Register extract, New Zealand has a small set of established providers:

• Centrix (centrix.co.nz). New Zealand-owned and operated credit bureau with consumer credit data on approximately 95% of New Zealand consumers and most credit-active businesses. Offers business credit reports, beneficial ownership checks, director/shareholder information, PPSR searches, and portfolio monitoring. Uses a pay-per-use model with no joining fee, making it accessible to foreign buyers.
• Equifax New Zealand (equifax.co.nz). Operated by Equifax Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Equifax Inc (US). Holds data on approximately 600,000 companies operating in New Zealand. Provides business credit risk scoring, asset verification (property and motor vehicle ownership), fraud and identity solutions, and credit risk decisioning tools. Use Equifax NZ when you need a credit risk overlay on top of the registry filing.
• Experian New Zealand Operations Limited (experian.co.nz). Part of the global Experian group. Provides commercial credit information for entities across Australia and New Zealand, including trade line data, credit risk assessments, and account management solutions. Formerly accessible via illion.co.nz, which now redirects to experian.co.nz following a rebrand and acquisition.

Use the Companies Register for authoritative incorporation and ownership data. Use a credit bureau when you need payment history, credit scoring, or trade reference data layered on top of the filing record.

FAQ

Can a foreign company search the New Zealand Companies Register?

Yes. The live search form is on a public URL with no New Zealand account gate in front of the keyword field.

Are search fees published on the live form?

The search page publishes no price, so search and document prices read unknown rather than free. A 2025 MBIE fee review has been reported but is not confirmed as a current tariff here; confirm at source.

What identifier do New Zealand companies use?

New Zealand companies have two identifiers: an internal company number assigned at incorporation, and a New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) introduced from 2012. The NZBN is the preferred cross-government identifier. Whether both identifiers show on a Companies Register profile is not confirmed here; confirm at source.

What information is available on directors and shareholders?

Director and shareholder filters are on the search page. What the result fields show (names, appointment dates, addresses, share counts) is not confirmed here; confirm at source.

How current is the data?

Data reflects filings to date. Director changes, address updates, and share structure changes typically appear within one to two business days of the Companies Office processing the lodgment. Annual returns reflect the filing date shown on the document.

Does New Zealand have beneficial ownership disclosure requirements?

There is no public beneficial ownership search on the search page. Beneficial ownership obligations have been reported under the Companies (Directors and Shareholders) Amendment Act and AML/CFT legislation; confirm at source.

Is the New Zealand Companies Register reliable for AML compliance purposes?

The register is the primary source document for legal entity verification in New Zealand. It is the standard starting point for CDD under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009. For full AML compliance, supplement the registry extract with a credit bureau report and any available UBO disclosure, particularly where nominee shareholders are present.

Last verified: 2026-09-04. Sources: companiesoffice.govt.nz; the keyword search form at companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/search; the data-services page, which lists APIs; and fatf-gafi.org.