The CRBR was established to increase transparency in economic transactions and to effectively combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
The following types of companies are registered: general partnerships, limited partnerships, limited partnerships with a share capital, limited liability companies, joint-stock companies (except for public ones), and simple joint-stock companies.
The beneficial owner is typically a natural person who holds more than 25% of the company’s shares, has voting rights, or effectively influences the decisions made by the company.
Access to the information stored in the CRBR allows anyone—businesses, financial institutions, or government agencies—to verify who is actually behind a given company.
The registry increases market transparency, reduces the risk of working with dishonest entities, and helps assess business risk.
Central Register of Beneficial Owners – API from MGBI – Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check the beneficial owner registry?
Data from the Central Register of Beneficial Owners can be viewed manually via the Ministry of Finance’s portal—simply enter the name or tax identification number (NIP) of the entity in question. The register is publicly accessible and does not require a login. For one-time queries, this is a sufficient solution. However, if you need to verify a larger number of entities or regularly monitor changes in the ownership structure of your business partners, accessing the data via API will be more efficient—the data is retrieved automatically and sent directly to your systems.
Is the CRBR public?
Yes – the Central Register of Beneficial Owners is a public registry. Information about beneficial owners, including their personal data (first name, last name, citizenship, country of residence, PESEL number, or date of birth) and the extent of their control, is available to anyone without the need to create an account or submit a request. The transparency of the registry stems directly from the Act on Counteracting Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing and is intended to increase the transparency of the ownership structures of business entities.
How can I bypass the limits in CRBR?
Public access to the CRBR is subject to limits on the number of queries, which can be a significant obstacle when verifying a large number of business partners. The solution is to use the CRBR API from MGBI—we maintain our own, daily-updated copy of the registry, which allows for data retrieval without query limits and without the risk of interruptions resulting from technical work on the source registry’s side. Access can also be combined with other public registries—such as the National Court Register (KRS), the Register of Entrepreneurs (MSiG), or the VAT taxpayer list—through a single provider.
