Company register
A company register is a register of organizations in the jurisdiction they operate under.[1]
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A statistical business register has a different purpose than a company register. While a commercial/trade register serves a purpose of protection, accountability and control, a statistical register plays a central part in a system of official economic statistics at a national statistics office.[2]
Company registers by country
Each country's company register has different registrar types, contents, purpose, and public availability.
Botswana
Companies and Intellectual Property Authority is responsible for registering companies in Botswana.
Canada
The Director General of Corporations Canada is responsible for federally-incorporated corporations.[3]
Each province has a registrar who is responsible for provincially-incorporated corporations.
Czech Republic
You can apply for the company's entry into the Commercial Register kept by an applicable court. Business companies that have their registered office in Prague and the Central Bohemian Region are registered in the commercial register maintained by the Municipal Court in Prague. If you want to start doing business in the Czech Republic, under the Czech Trade Licensing Act you must submit a trade registration which will issue an extract from the Trade Licensing Register (výpis z živnostenského rejstříku).[4]
United Kingdom
The Registrar of Joint Stock Companies was established under the Joint Stock Companies Act 1844.
Registrars of Companies
The Registrar of Companies for England, Wales & Scotland is the official responsible for Companies House, which deals with all filings relating to the Companies Act 1985 to 2006. Companies House ensures that the document filings are kept up to date and deals with any breaches of the Companies Act.
The Registrar of Companies for England & Wales is Louise Smyth, who is based at Companies House, Cardiff.[5]
The Registrar of Companies for Scotland is Lisa Davis, who is based at Companies House, Edinburgh.[5]
The Registrar of Companies for Northern Ireland is Helen Shilliday, whose office is based in Belfast.[5]
Registrar of Mutuals
The Financial Conduct Authority is responsible for the maintenance of the Mutuals Public Register of co-operative societies, building societies, friendly societies, credit unions and other registered mutuals, and deals with all the filings related to the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 and other relevant legislation.[6]
The registration of registered societies and credit unions in Northern Ireland was transferred to the Financial Conduct Authority in 2018.[7]
Jersey
The Registrar of Companies for Jersey is the Jersey Financial Services Commission.
India
India has one registrar of companies for each of the below regions. Each state typically has one registrar office or shares an office with neighbouring states and/or union territories. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are the only states to have two offices and two registrar of companies. Puducherry is the only union territory to have its own office.
Ireland
Registrar of Companies
The Registrar of Companies is the official responsible for the Companies Registration Office (Ireland), which deals with all filings relating to the Companies Act 2014, as amended, in addition to the registration of business names and limited partnerships, [8] in Ireland.
The Companies Registration Office ensures that the document filings are kept up to date and deals with most administrative breaches of the Companies Act.
More serious breaches of the Companies Act are investigated and enforced by the Corporate Enforcement Authority.
Registrar of Societies
The Registrar of Friendly Societies is the official responsible for the registration of industrial and provident societies (the vast majority of which are co-operatives and friendly societies in Ireland.[9]
The Registrar deals with all filings related to the industrial and provident society, and friendly society legislation, and deals with most administrative breaches of the Acts.
Registrar of Credit Unions and Building Societies
The Central Bank of Ireland is the official responsible for the registration of credit unions (Registrar of Credit Unions)[10] and building societies in Ireland.[11]
Openness
According to ratings published by the website OpenCorporates, Denmark and United Kingdom are the leaders with regard to openness of information available in a company's register.[12] Registries/registrars in these countries are named, correspondingly, Central Business Register and Companies House.
References
- World Bank (24 October 2014). Doing Business 2015: Going Beyond Efficiency. World Bank Publications. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-4648-0352-9.
- Ritzen, Jean. "Statistical Business Register: Content, place and role in Economic Statistics" (PDF). Statistics Netherlands.
- "Ray Edwards, Director General, Corporations Canada" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-10-23.
- "Company Registration Steps in the Czech Republic | Euromos Global". 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- "About Us - Main Functions and History". Companieshouse.gov.uk. 2013-02-14. Retrieved 2014-04-18.
- "Mutuals Public Register". Financial Conduct Authority. Financial Conduct Authority. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- "Transfer of Registry to the FCA". Department of the Economy. Department of the Economy NI. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- "Part 15, Companies Act 2014". Irish Statute Book. Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- "Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1893". Irish Statute Book. Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- "Credit Unions". www.centralbank.ie. Central Bank of Ireland. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
- "Part 4, Building Societies Act 1989". Irish Statute Book. Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- "Open Company Data Index". registries.opencorporates.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.