Company guide

How to find an Irish company's CRO number

Every Irish company has a unique registration number issued by the Companies Registration Office. Here is where to find it, and how to be sure it belongs to the business you are dealing with.

Last reviewed 4 min read Checked against official CRO guidance

What a CRO number is

The CRO number (also called the company number or company registration number) is the identifier the Companies Registration Office gives a company when it is incorporated. It stays with that company for life: it does not change when the company changes its name, moves its registered office or converts to a different company type, and it remains on the record after the company is dissolved.

Because names can change and similar names are common, the number is the most reliable way to refer to one specific company. Banks, solicitors, public bodies and suppliers ask for it for that reason.

Four places to find it

  1. Search the register. Type the company name into the company search. Each result links to a profile that shows the CRO number, with a button to copy it. The CRO’s own CORE search is also free.
  2. Check the company’s website. Every limited company with a website must show its name, legal form, place of registration, registered number and registered office on its homepage or on a page linked from it. Look in the footer, or on the contact, terms or legal notice page.
  3. Check its business letters and order forms. The same particulars must appear on business letters and order forms, including ones sent by email.
  4. Ask the company, or look at its certificate of incorporation, which shows the number the CRO issued.

The disclosure rules cover business letters, order forms and websites. The CRO notes they do not have to appear on delivery notes or invoices, so an invoice without a number is not by itself a warning sign.

Getting a match when the name search struggles

  • Leave out “Limited”, “Ltd”, “DAC”, “CLG” or “Teoranta” and search the most distinctive word in the name.
  • Try alternative spellings, “and” versus “&”, and names with or without spaces (for example “Mac Donagh” and “MacDonagh”).
  • If you know the town, open the county pages and look through companies registered there.
  • Remember that the company may have changed its name. The number stays the same, so an old invoice or letter with a number on it will still find the company today.

When the business is not a company

Many businesses trade under a name that is not a company name. The CRO’s own example: “Murphy Construction Limited” trading as “Murphy Builders”. Only the company, Murphy Construction Limited, has a CRO company number.

Sole traders and partnerships are not companies at all. If they trade under a name other than their own, they register a business name with the CRO. A business name registration makes public who is behind the name, but it does not create a separate legal entity and it is not a company number. Business names are searchable on CORE; CompanyCheck covers companies only.

Make sure it is the right company

Finding a number is the easy part. Before you sign a contract, pay an invoice or fill in a form, check that the record matches the business in front of you:

  • The legal name matches exactly, not just approximately.
  • The registered office is plausible. It may be an accountant’s address rather than the trading premises; see registered office addresses.
  • The status is Active (Normal on the CRO register). If it shows Dissolved, Liquidation or Strike Off Listed, read what each status means.
  • The company type fits what you were told. A “PLC” that is registered as an LTD, for example, is worth a question; see company types.

Common questions

Is a CRO number the same as a company registration number?

Yes. “CRO number”, “company number”, “company registration number” and “registered number” all refer to the same identifier issued by the Companies Registration Office.

Is a CRO number the same as a VAT number?

No. VAT and tax registration numbers are issued by Revenue and usually start with IE followed by digits and one or two letters. A CRO number is digits only and comes from the Companies Registration Office. A company has both, and they are unrelated.

Does it cost anything to look up a CRO number?

No. Searching CompanyCheck is free, and the CRO says its CORE register search is free of charge. The CRO charges for copies of filed documents, not for the search itself.

Can a sole trader have a CRO number?

Not a company number. A sole trader who trades under a name other than their own surname must register that business name with the CRO, but a business name registration is a different register and does not create a company.

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.