How to check if an Irish company is dissolved
Find the exact company, then read its status. This guide explains every status you are likely to see, how a company ends up struck off, and what dissolution means for anyone dealing with it.
How to check
- Search by company name or CRO number. If you only have a name, compare the registered address as well, because similar names often belong to different companies.
- Open the company profile and read the status badge next to the name. The “How to read this record” panel shows the CRO’s original wording.
- Check the dates. The profile shows the date of the last annual return; a long gap is a warning sign even for an active company.
- If a decision depends on the company’s position today, such as a payment or a court filing, confirm the live record on the CRO’s CORE search. CompanyCheck updates from CRO open data daily, but CORE is the official register.
What each status means
These are the statuses that appear in the CRO data, with the number of companies holding each (CRO open data, September 2026).
| Status | Companies | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Normal (shown as Active) | 326,000 | On the register and not in any closure process. It does not tell you whether the company is trading, profitable or up to date with its filings. |
| Strike Off Listed | 9,000 | The CRO has started to strike the company off, usually for unfiled annual returns. It can still stop the process by filing what is outstanding. |
| Struck Off | 370 | Struck off the register. Usually a short-lived status that becomes Dissolved once the dissolution notice is published. |
| Liquidation | 9,100 | Being wound up by a liquidator. Its assets are gathered and paid out to creditors and, if anything is left, to members. |
| Dissolved | 456,000 | No longer exists as a legal entity, whether after strike-off, liquidation or a voluntary strike-off. |
| Dissolved-20 years | 17,700 | A long-dissolved company. Many of these records have no dissolution date in the data. |
| Dissolved PostMerger | 2,100 | Dissolved because it merged into another company. |
| Ceased / Ceased IRL | 3,900 | Used for external companies (Irish branches of foreign companies) whose Irish branch has closed. |
| Examinership | very few | Under court protection while an examiner works on a rescue plan. |
To see who has just changed status, browse the latest dissolved companies, the companies listed for strike-off and the companies in liquidation or examinership, updated daily. You can also filter by status using the advanced search.
How a company gets struck off
The CRO strikes off more than 11,000 companies a year on average. The most common reason is failing to file an annual return, and a company can be struck off for missing just one year. Other grounds include a Revenue notice for an unfiled tax statement, having no director resident in the EEA (and no bond in place), and having no directors recorded at all.
- The CRO sends a strike-off notice to the registered office, and to each director at their home address.
- After 28 days, a notice of intended strike-off is published in the CRO Gazette.
- After a further 28 days, the company is struck off unless the outstanding returns have been filed.
- A notice of dissolution is published in the CRO Gazette. The company is dissolved from that publication date.
The strike-off list shows the companies currently in this process, newest first.
The notices go to the registered office on record. A company that moved without telling the CRO can be struck off without ever seeing them; see registered office addresses.
Other ways a company ends
- Voluntary strike-off. A company that has stopped trading can ask to be struck off using Form H15 (€15 on CORE), if its assets and its liabilities are each no more than €150, it is not in litigation, all annual returns are filed, Revenue does not object, and it has advertised its intention in a national daily newspaper.
- Members’ voluntary liquidation. A solvent winding-up, started by the members after the directors make a declaration of solvency.
- Creditors’ voluntary liquidation or court liquidation, used for insolvent companies.
After a liquidation, the company is normally dissolved three months after the liquidator’s final documents are registered.
What dissolution means in practice
- The company ceases to exist as a legal entity from the date its dissolution is published in the CRO Gazette.
- Any assets it still owned pass to the State.
- If the business keeps trading, the people running it do so personally, without limited liability.
- Directors’ and members’ existing liabilities continue and can still be enforced.
- Directors of a company struck off for not filing returns can be disqualified by the High Court.
Can a dissolved company come back?
Often, yes. Within 12 months of dissolution, the company can apply to the CRO for administrative restoration using Form H1 on CORE, filing all outstanding annual returns. The other conditions must be met within 15 months of dissolution.
After 12 months, restoration needs a court order. The court can restore a company within 20 years of dissolution, on the application of the company, or a member, officer or creditor. A restored company keeps its original CRO number.
Common questions
Does “Active” mean the company is trading?
No. Active is how CompanyCheck shows the CRO status “Normal”. It means the company is on the register and not being wound up or struck off. It does not show whether it is trading, solvent or up to date with filings.
What does “Strike Off Listed” mean?
The CRO has started the process of striking the company off the register, usually because annual returns are overdue. Unless the company files what is outstanding, it will be struck off and then dissolved.
Can I still take a dissolved company to court?
A dissolved company cannot be sued in its own name, but a creditor can apply to court to have it restored to the register. The court can do this within 20 years of dissolution. Get legal advice on your specific case.
How quickly does CompanyCheck show a dissolution?
CompanyCheck refreshes from the CRO’s open data daily. For a time-critical check, confirm the live record on CORE.
Official sources
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. CompanyCheck is independent and not connected with the CRO. Fees and deadlines can change; check the official source before acting.