Awesome Business Registries
A curated list of official government business registry APIs from around the world — endpoints, auth methods, data formats, rate limits, and bulk data sources.
If you've ever needed to look up a company programmatically — verify a VAT number, check if a business is active, or pull corporate filings — you know that every country does it differently. This list aims to be the definitive developer reference for official, primary-source company data APIs.
Why this list? Commercial aggregators like OpenCorporates, Global Database, and Veridion provide convenient unified APIs — but they sit on top of the same government sources listed here. If you want to go direct to the source (free, authoritative, no vendor lock-in), this is your starting point.
Maintained by B2Trust — a multi-country business registry search engine.
Symbol
Meaning
🟢
Free, no auth required
🔑
Free, API key required
🔐
Free, requires national eID or special access
💰
Paid or restricted access
📦
Bulk data download available
Service
Type
Auth
Format
Notes
VIES VAT Validation REST
🟢
JSON/XML
Validates EU VAT numbers. Most countries return full company name + address. DE and ES return valid/invalid only.
BRIS Web portal
🟢
HTML
Business Registers Interconnection System. Searches across all 27 EU member states. No public API — web portal only.
Open BRIS REST
🔑
JSON
Community-built API layer on top of BRIS data.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom — Companies House 🇫🇷 France — SIRENE (INSEE)
API https://api.insee.fr/entreprises/sirene/V3.11
Auth 🟢 Public endpoint (was 🔑 Bearer token until 2024)
Format REST/JSON
Rate limit 30 req/min (unauthenticated), higher with token
Endpoints Company search by name, SIREN, SIRET. Full establishment data.
Bulk data 📦 data.gouv.fr SIRENE (~25M establishments, CSV, updated monthly)
Docs api.insee.fr/catalogue
Notes per_page parameter max is 25 — must paginate for larger result sets. Lucene query syntax supported for advanced search.
🇩🇪 Germany — Handelsregister
Portal https://www.handelsregister.de
Auth 🟢 No auth (web form POST)
Format HTML (no official REST API)
Rate limit ~60 requests/hour (unofficial, enforced by Nutzungsordnung)
Endpoints Extended search via POST to /rp_web/erweitertesuche.xhtml. Returns HTML tables.
Bulk data 📦 OffeneRegister.de — community-maintained dump from Handelsregister (~5.3M companies, JSONL). Not official but sourced from official registers.
Notes No official API. Integration requires HTML scraping. Very low rate limit makes bulk use impractical — use OffeneRegister dump instead. Common identifiers: HRB/HRA numbers per local court (Amtsgericht).
🇳🇱 Netherlands — KVK (Kamer van Koophandel)
API https://api.kvk.nl
Auth 🔑 API key (free registration)
Format REST/JSON
Endpoints Search by name, KVK number, RSIN. Company profiles, branch offices.
Docs developers.kvk.nl
Notes Free tier with reasonable limits. Financial filings available separately via Kamer van Koophandel website.
🇧🇪 Belgium — CBE/KBO (Crossroads Bank for Enterprises)
Portal https://kbopub.economie.fgov.be
Auth 🟢
Format REST/JSON
Bulk data 📦 Open Data — full database download, CSV, updated monthly
Notes Enterprise number format: 0xxx.xxx.xxx (10 digits with leading zero).
🇮🇪 Ireland — CRO (Companies Registration Office)
Portal https://core.cro.ie
Auth 🟢 Free search
Format HTML (web search)
Bulk data 📦 Annual returns data available via data.gov.ie
Notes No public REST API. Web scraping required for programmatic access.
🇳🇴 Norway — Brønnøysundregistrene
API https://data.brreg.no/enhetsregisteret/api
Auth 🟢 Fully open, no auth
Format REST/JSON (HAL+JSON)
Rate limit Generous (no published limit)
Endpoints Search by name or org number. Full company data including business codes (NACE), address, registration dates.
Bulk data 📦 data.brreg.no — full dataset download (~1M entities)
Docs data.brreg.no/enhetsregisteret/api/docs
Notes One of the most open registries in Europe. HAL format uses _embedded and _links structure. Norwegian language field names.
Portal https://www.bolagsverket.se
Auth 💰 Paid API access
Format REST/JSON
Notes Basic search free via web. API access requires agreement with Bolagsverket. Org number format: XXXXXX-XXXX.
🇩🇰 Denmark — CVR (Det Centrale Virksomhedsregister)
API https://datacvr.virk.dk/data/
Auth 🔐 Requires Danish NemID/MitID for API access
Format REST/JSON (Elasticsearch)
Bulk data 📦 CVR Open Data — full company dataset (~800K companies)
Notes The API requires Danish digital identity. Bulk data downloads are accessible without NemID. CVR number format: 8 digits.
🇫🇮 Finland — PRH (Patent and Registration Office)
API https://avoindata.prh.fi/bis/v1
Auth 🟢 Open access
Format REST/JSON
Bulk data 📦 Available via avoindata.prh.fi (~600K companies)
Docs avoindata.prh.fi/index.html
Notes Business ID format: XXXXXXX-X (7 digits + check digit). Open and well-documented.
🇪🇪 Estonia — e-Business Register
Portal https://ariregister.rik.ee
Auth 🟢 Free web search / 🔑 API available
Format REST/JSON, XML
Bulk data 📦 Open data available (~353K companies)
Notes Estonia's digital-first approach means excellent data quality. Registry code format: 8 digits.
Multiple registries, each serving different entity types:
Registry
API
Auth
Format
Scope
KRS REST
🟢
JSON
Court-registered companies (sp. z o.o., S.A., etc.)
CEIDG REST
🔑 Bearer (JWT)
JSON
Sole proprietors (~2.5M entities)
GUS/REGON SOAP
🔑 API key (free, email request)
XML/SOAP
All entities — NIP↔REGON↔KRS mapping, PKD codes, employee ranges
Biała Lista REST
🟢
JSON
VAT taxpayer whitelist — status, bank accounts
CRBR REST
🟢
JSON
Central Register of Beneficial Owners
📦 Bulk data: KRS full dumps (~632K companies), CEIDG full dumps (~2.5M sole proprietors), REGON/GUS full dumps. All free, CSV/XML/JSON, nightly updates.
🇸🇰 Slovakia — ORSR (Obchodný register)
Portal https://www.orsr.sk
Auth 🟢 Free web search
Format HTML
Bulk data 📦 Available via open data portal (~500K entities)
Notes IČO format: 8 digits (same as CZ). No public REST API — web scraping for programmatic access.
🇭🇺 Hungary — Céginformációs Szolgálat
Portal https://www.e-cegjegyzek.hu
Auth 🟢 Free basic search
Format HTML
Notes Basic company data free. Detailed extracts (cégkivonat) are paid. Company number format: XX-XX-XXXXXX. BRIS accessible.
Portal https://firmenbuch.at
Auth 💰 Paid (via Justiz.gv.at)
Notes Austrian company register requires payment for detailed information. Basic search possible through BRIS. FN (Firmenbuchnummer) format varies.
🇮🇹 Italy — Registro delle Imprese
Portal https://www.registroimprese.it
Auth 💰 Paid for most data (via InfoCamere)
Format HTML / 💰 API via InfoCamere
Notes Basic search free. Official extracts (visura camerale) are paid. Codice Fiscale and Partita IVA formats. Run by the network of Chambers of Commerce (InfoCamere).
🇪🇸 Spain — Registro Mercantil
Portal https://www.rmc.es
Auth 💰 Paid for extracts
Notes Decentralized — each province has its own Registro Mercantil. Basic info through BRIS. CIF/NIF format for identification.
🇬🇷 Greece — GEMI (General Electronic Commercial Registry)
Portal https://www.businessregistry.gr
Auth 🟢 Free basic search
Format HTML
Notes GEMI number is the primary identifier. Tax ID (AFM) also used. Greek language interface.
🇭🇷 Croatia — Sudski registar
Portal https://sudreg.pravosudje.hr
Auth 🟢 Free search
Format HTML
Notes OIB (Personal Identification Number) format: 11 digits. Court registry with free public access.
🇷🇴 Romania — ONRC (Oficiul Național al Registrului Comerțului)
Portal https://www.onrc.ro
Auth 🟢 Free basic search / 💰 Paid for detailed info
Notes CUI (Cod Unic de Identificare) format. Free name search, paid extracts.
🇧🇬 Bulgaria — Commercial Register 🇺🇸 United States — SEC EDGAR
API https://efts.sec.gov/LATEST/search-index?q={query}
Auth 🟢 No auth (User-Agent header required)
Format REST/JSON
Rate limit 10 requests/second (hard limit)
Endpoints Full-text search, company filings, XBRL financial data
Bulk data 📦 EDGAR full-text search , bulk downloads
Docs sec.gov/edgar/sec-api-documentation
Notes Public companies only. US company registration is state-level — there is no federal business registry. Each state (Delaware, California, etc.) has its own Secretary of State registry with different APIs and access methods. SEC covers publicly traded companies. CIK number is the primary identifier.
🇧🇷 Brazil — CNPJ (Receita Federal)
API Various community APIs (e.g., BrasilAPI )
Auth 🟢 (community) / 💰 (official)
Format REST/JSON
Bulk data 📦 Receita Federal open data — full CNPJ database, CSV
Notes CNPJ format: XX.XXX.XXX/XXXX-XX (14 digits). Official API is restricted. Community APIs like BrasilAPI and ReceitaWS provide free lookup. ID search only — most APIs don't support name search.
🇨🇦 Canada — Corporations Canada 🇦🇺 Australia — ABN Lookup 🇮🇳 India — MCA (Ministry of Corporate Affairs)
Portal https://www.mca.gov.in
Auth 🟢 Free basic search
Format HTML
Notes CIN (Corporate Identification Number) format: 21 characters. No public API. V3 portal launched 2023.
🇸🇬 Singapore — ACRA (BizFile+)
Portal https://www.bizfile.gov.sg
Auth 💰 Paid for detailed profiles
Notes UEN (Unique Entity Number) format varies. Free search, paid BizFile+ extracts.
🇭🇰 Hong Kong — Companies Registry
Portal https://www.icris.cr.gov.hk
Auth 💰 Paid for company searches
Notes CR number format: 7 digits. ICRIS portal. Most searches require payment.
Portal https://eservices.cipc.co.za
Auth 🔑 Free registration required
Format HTML
Notes Registration number format: YYYY/NNNNNN/NN. Free basic search after registration.
🇰🇪 Kenya — eCitizen Business Registration
Portal https://www.ecitizen.go.ke
Auth 🟢 Free basic search
Notes Business search available through eCitizen portal. KRA PIN used for tax identification.
These open datasets provide complete or near-complete company databases for bulk import and offline analysis.
Country
Source
Records
Format
Update Frequency
🇬🇧 UK
Companies House bulk data
~5.4M
CSV
Monthly
🇫🇷 France
SIRENE (data.gouv.fr)
~25M
CSV
Monthly
🇩🇪 Germany
OffeneRegister.de
~5.3M
JSONL
Periodic
🇵🇱 Poland
KRS + CEIDG + GUS dumps
~3.1M
CSV/XML/JSON
Nightly
🇳🇴 Norway
data.brreg.no
~1M
JSON
Daily
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
data.gov.cz
~2.7M
XML/CSV
Regular
🇪🇪 Estonia
avaandmed.rik.ee ~353K
CSV/JSON
Regular
🇩🇰 Denmark
CVR Open Data
~800K
JSON
Regular
🇫🇮 Finland
avoindata.prh.fi
~600K
JSON
Regular
🇸🇰 Slovakia
data.gov.sk ~500K
CSV
Regular
🇧🇷 Brazil
CNPJ Open Data
~50M
CSV
Monthly
Total : ~95M+ company records freely available from official government sources.
Tool
Type
Description
VIES
API
EU VAT number validation with company data. See EU-Wide above for the endpoint.
BRIS
Portal
Search business registers across all 27 EU member states. See EU-Wide above for the endpoint.
LEI Search (GLEIF) API
Global Legal Entity Identifier lookup. API docs . 🟢 Free.
OpenCorporates API
235M+ companies across 145 jurisdictions. Free for public benefit, 💰 paid commercial.
B2Trust
Web
Free multi-country registry search. Queries government APIs in real-time. Maintainer of this list.
Registry API Examples Code
Minimal TypeScript snippets for querying 8 free, no-auth government registry APIs directly.
Contributions are welcome! Please read the contribution guidelines before submitting a pull request, and follow our code of conduct .
