Malta Business Registry (2025 Update)

Malta was labelled "Europe's pirate base" in 2017, but the country pushed for reform. 

Established the Malta Business Registry. Introduced beneficial ownership requirements. Still, FATF grey-listed them in 2021. They worked through it. Removal came in 2022.

Reforms continued. Digital filing, inter-government data-sharing, and three new APIs were launched this year. 

But challenges remain. Accessing Maltese company registry data requires account setup, 2FA authentication, and ID verification. Kyckr eliminates these barriers with live access to Malta's company registry data, plus 299+ registries worldwide.

What Is the Malta Business Registry?

The Malta Business Registry (MBR) registers and dissolves Maltese companies, receives company filings, and maintains a central business register.

It was established in 2018 from the Malta Financial Services Authority’s Registry of Companies, a response to mounting pressure over Malta’s alleged tax haven status.

What Information is Available?

The MBR’s online portal and APIs provide the following information:

• Basic: Name, registration date, company number.

• Shareholder: Names, share type and degree of control.

• Officers: Directors and secretaries.

• Financial: Annual accounts, annual return.

• Status: Active, struck off, liquidated.

Extra: The Office of the National Receiver maintains an Insolvency Register, which provides free public data on insolvent companies in Malta.

How to Access Information

1. Register an account.

Start by registering an account. You can do so via 4 ways:

• Malta Government CORP Account.

• Malta e-ID.

• eIDAS.

• Non-EU Login.

Remember: The secure online system requires you to set up 2FA and verify your identity with a passport. It also requires facial recognition tech.

2. Go to the portal.

Go to the website. Click ‘Online System’ under ‘Registry of Companies’. 

3. Search. 

Hover over ‘Search’ in the left-hand bar. Then ‘Company Search’.

4. See basic information.

You will see basic information such as name, number and registration date.

5. Download documents.

For more detailed, auditable information, you will need to download official documents filed with the registry.

Click ‘Publications’, a transparent list of all filings sent to the registry. You must filter by company name or number and select the date.

Available Documents

• Annual Accounts.

• Annual Return.

• Articles of Association.

APIs and Open Data

The MBR released three APIs in 2025:

• Company Search API: For basic search by company name or registration number, returning these two identifiers.   

• Basic Company Details API: Name, Registration Number, Registration Date, Registered Address, and company status.

• Full Company Details API: Involvement data, share capital data, and an exhaustive list of document filings (including title, document type, and submission date).

Alternative: Try the Kyckr API for full integration with the Malta Business Register.

Malta’s Register of Beneficial Owners

For overseas obliged entities, Malta’s Registry of Beneficial Owners operates a case-by-case legitimate interest access (LIA) model.

Requests must be emailed with an explanation of the AML reason, and approvals are one-off. Even successful applicants receive only a scanned extract, not database access. Each request costs €5. 

July 2025 Reforms

Since July 2025, people and organisations who can demonstrate a legitimate interest may access BO information without alerting the company. 

KYB implication: You (or your organisation) may now gain direct access to Maltese BO data. You also need to update procedures to capture multiple nationalities and rely on updated forms

Reforms (2025)

Digitisation

According to the 2024 MBR report, 2024 marked major progress towards MBR’s goal of becoming fully paperless, with over 200,000 documents registered digitally.

• The Business Automation Registry Online System (BAROS): Recently launched, enabling online company filings and mandatory digital submission of annual accounts.

• AI and Data Sharing: A tender was issued for the Central Data Repository (CDR), which will use artificial intelligence to share documentation between government departments.

• APIs: Introduced for Subject Persons to integrate registry data into their own systems.

Companies (Amendment) Act 2025

• Removal of ‘Exempt’ Company Status: The term ‘exempt company’ has been removed, but the benefits remain. These are usually applied to holding companies that are exempt from certain audit and filing requirements.

• Simplification of Non-Cash Shares Consideration: Where a company issues shares for non-cash consideration (i.e., in-kind contribution) of €50,000 or less, an expert’s valuation report is no longer required; a director’s declaration suffices.

• Usufructuary Rights of Shares Clarified: The person using the shares (the usufructuary) can go to meetings and receive dividends, but they can’t vote unless the official document or the company’s rules specifically state they can.

Access Maltese Company Registry Data

Despite impressive reforms, the MBR remains difficult to access. And, like all company registries, it doesn’t provide cross-border verification capabilities.

Kyckr solves this problem. It provides instant access to the Malta Business Registry and 299 other official company registers worldwide, enabling best-in-class document retrieval and (sometimes) instant cross-border UBO verification.

Book a demo to find out more.