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Malta company search 2026

Malta company search: free with a login, shareholders for EUR 2

Updated 13 November 2026Fees from the Companies Act fee regulationsAbout 7 minutes to read
The short answer

Search free on the Malta Business Registry's online system, but log in first: since 1 August 2025 the registry requires an account, free, with a Non-EU Login for everyone else.

Then pay per document. EUR 2 buys the latest annual return, which lists every shareholder, director and secretary. Certificates are EUR 10 to EUR 20.

How to log in to the registry Price your documents
Best value EUR 2 buys a Malta company's annual return, with every shareholder named Searching is free once you log in. Owners behind a shareholder company are not public.

Malta changed the rules in 2025: the search stayed free, but it stopped being anonymous. Older guides, and one old registry notice, still say you can look without an account. Here is how it works now, and what a few euros will tell you.

Key takeaways

  • Searching needs a free login: a Maltese account, Malta e-ID, an EU eID or the Non-EU Login.
  • The EUR 2 annual return names every shareholder, director and secretary.
  • Memorandum and articles or accounts are EUR 5; any other filed document EUR 1.
  • Good standing is EUR 20 a page; a directors certificate EUR 10.
  • The beneficial owner register is closed to the public; since July 2026 you need a legitimate interest.
Chapter 1

The free login you need before a Malta company search

The registry offers four ways in, all free to register. Which one fits depends on where you are. You're searching from your country.

  • Maltese residents and businesses use the Government CORP account or Malta e-ID.
  • People with an eID from another EU country log in through eIDAS, the EU's cross-border sign-in.
  • Everyone else uses the Non-EU Login. Data vendors report it asks for two-factor sign-in and a passport check, so allow time the first day.
1
Key takeaway

Set up the login once; every search after that is free.

Chapter 3

What Malta company documents cost

EUR 1 to 20

Prices are set in the Companies Act fee regulations, and they are low. Tick what you need.

Your total at the registryEUR 2

Any other filed document is EUR 1, a paper file inspection EUR 20, and a name reservation EUR 10. Certificates are prepared so they can be apostilled; only the list of directors marked "local use" is not. Data resellers sell the same facts as reports for many times these amounts.

3
Key takeaway

For EUR 12 you can read who owns, runs and funds a Malta company.

Chapter 4

Struck off, dissolved, defunct: Malta status words

A company that stops filing doesn't vanish overnight. The Registrar follows a set path under article 325 of the Act, and every step shows on the record.

  1. Letter from the RegistrarAsking whether the company is still carrying on business.
    Day 0
  2. No answerA second step follows if nothing comes back.
    1 month
  3. Notice of strike offThe company will be struck off unless cause is shown.
    3 months
  4. Struck off and dissolvedWhat the company owned passes to the Government.
    After notice
Safe to deal with
  • Status shows the company as live
  • The last annual return is within the year
Ask questions first
  • "In dissolution" or under winding up
  • A strike-off notice, or returns years behind

Any interested person can ask the court to restore a struck-off company, so "struck off" is not always the end of the story.

4
Key takeaway

Missing annual returns are the early warning; a strike-off notice is the late one.

Chapter 5

Who can see the beneficial owners of a Malta company?

After the EU court ruling of November 2022, Malta closed the owner register to the public. A legal notice in force since 10 July 2026 set three levels of access, explained in the registry's informative note.

AuthoritiesFull access, free.
Banks and other regulated firmsAccess for their own anti-money laundering checks, for a fee.
Anyone with a legitimate interestWritten request with certified ID and the reason. Sees name, month and year of birth, nationality, residence country and the stake.

Answers come within 12 working days, and an access certificate lasts three years. The official fee for a legitimate interest request isn't published in the notice; ask when you apply. Shareholders themselves stay on the open file, so start with the EUR 2 annual return.

5
Key takeaway

Shareholders are public; the people behind a shareholder company need a legitimate interest.

Chapter 6

What a Malta company search shows about you, as a founder

Malta is an open register, and that is part of why EU banks accept Maltese companies. If you form one, anyone with a free login can read your name on its filings.

On the public fileYour name as shareholder, director or secretary, your shares, and your nationality as an officer.
Addresses and ID numbersThe Act asks for residence and ID number in the memorandum and annual returns. A 2021 change allows a service address in filings; we tell you which applies when you form.
Not publicThe beneficial owner entry, and anything you file with the tax office.

If keeping your name off any public file is the point, Malta is the wrong place and we'll say so. Malta suits founders who want an EU company that a bank or customer can check in minutes.

6
Key takeaway

Your name will be on the Maltese record; your beneficial owner entry won't be public.

Chapter 7

Malta company search questions, answered

?EUR
Is the Malta company search free?
Yes, but since 1 August 2025 you must log in first. The account is free, including the Non-EU Login for people outside the EU. Documents cost EUR 1 to EUR 5 each.
How do I find the shareholders of a Malta company?
Download its latest annual return for EUR 2. It lists every member and the shares they hold, plus the directors and secretary.
How much is a Malta certificate of good standing?
EUR 20 per page from the Malta Business Registry. A directors certificate is EUR 10.
Is the Malta beneficial owner register public?
No. Since July 2026 it is open to authorities, banks and other regulated firms, and to people who prove a legitimate interest by written request.
What does a Malta company number look like?
The letter C followed by digits, such as C 12345. Searching by number avoids mixing up similar names.
Do you form Malta companies?
Yes: EUR 3,640 to start and EUR 2,020 a year, with accounts, tax return and the refund claim inside.

Changelog

  • 13 November 2026: first published.
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