Guide
Beneficial owner registration: deadline, filing and annual check
We determine who your company's beneficial owner is and register them in the Central Register at APR within the legal deadline, with the required supporting documents, and we handle the mandatory annual verification of the data.
The beneficial owner entry is filed by the company's representative, electronically through the APR portal, within 30 days. The obligation applies to every company and most other registered entities: the individual who ultimately owns or controls the business has to be identified and entered in the Central Register at the Business Registers Agency (APR). The aim is for the state and banks always to know who stands behind a company, as part of anti-money-laundering efforts. Under the new Law on the Central Register of Beneficial Owners, which entered into force in March 2025 and is in full application since 1 October 2025, registration is done electronically and within short deadlines, with mandatory uploading of documents and an annual verification of the data. The first entry follows straight after company formation, and every later change in the ownership or management structure starts a new deadline. Missing it is not a minor administrative slip, because it carries heavy fines and criminal liability.
What you should know
- The beneficial owner is always an individual who ultimately owns or controls the company, never another company; where the owner is a chain of connected entities, you trace up to the person at the top of the ownership chain.
- The main criterion is holding more than 25 percent of the stake, shares or voting rights, but a person who otherwise has a dominant influence over running the business and making decisions is also treated as a beneficial owner.
- Registration is done exclusively electronically through the APR portal, and the application is signed by the company's representative with a qualified electronic certificate (electronic signature); there is no paper filing, and supporting documents are uploaded with the application.
- Under the new law the deadline to register the beneficial owner of a newly formed entity and to record any change is 30 days from the date the basis arises, that is from the change in the ownership or management structure.
- The new law also introduces an obligation for the company to verify and confirm the accuracy of the registered beneficial owner data once a year, and to keep the documentation on which the owner was determined.
- The consequences of failure are serious: the company faces a fine for the misdemeanor and the responsible person a separate fine, while concealing the beneficial owner, failing to register, or entering false data also carries a prison sentence of up to five years.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who is the beneficial owner | Individual who ultimately owns or controls the company |
| Main criterion | More than 25 percent of stake, shares or voting rights, or dominant influence |
| Who files and signs | The company's representative, electronically through the APR portal, with a qualified electronic certificate |
| Deadline to register and for changes | 30 days from the basis arising or change in structure |
| Annual verification of the data | Mandatory once a year, with the documentation on the determination kept |
| Full application of the new law | Since 1 October 2025 |
| Penalty for concealment or false data | Fine and prison sentence of up to five years |
How we handle it
- 01 Ownership structure analysis We review your ownership and management structure and determine who qualifies as the beneficial owner by law, even when ownership runs through several connected companies.
- 02 Gathering documentation We prepare and collect the evidence on which the beneficial owner was determined, which the company must keep and upload with the application to prove the accuracy of the data.
- 03 Registration with APR We file the electronic application with the Central Register of Beneficial Owners through the APR portal and sign it with a qualified electronic certificate within the legal 30-day deadline.
- 04 Check and confirmation We verify that the registered data is accurate and consistent with the APR register and provide you with confirmation that the registration was completed.
- 05 Monitoring changes and annual verification We track changes in ownership, governing bodies and management, update the register in good time and carry out the mandatory annual verification of the data, so you never miss the deadline or expose yourself to a penalty.
Frequently asked questions
Who is considered the beneficial owner of a company?
The beneficial owner is always an individual who ultimately owns or controls the company, never another company. The main criterion is holding more than 25 percent of the stake, shares or voting rights, but a person who otherwise has a dominant influence over running the business and making decisions also counts.
Who files the beneficial owner application?
The application is filed by the company's representative, electronically through the APR portal, and signed with a qualified electronic certificate. There is no paper filing, and the documents on which the beneficial owner was determined are uploaded with it. If you do not have an electronic certificate, or would rather someone else ran the procedure, we can take the registration over and you can see the terms in our price list.
What is the deadline to register a beneficial owner?
Under the new law the deadline to register the beneficial owner of a newly formed entity and to record any change is 30 days from the date the basis arises, that is from the change in the ownership or management structure.
Does a change of owner or director start a new deadline?
Yes. Every change in the ownership or management structure starts a new 30-day deadline for the entry in the Central Register of Beneficial Owners. So with every change of company data at APR you should check whether the beneficial owner changes as well.
What is the annual verification of beneficial owner data?
The new law requires the company to check and confirm once a year that the registered beneficial owner data is still accurate, and to keep the documentation the determination was based on. The check is not only for cases where something changed: the data is confirmed even when the structure stayed the same.
What happens if I do not register the beneficial owner?
The consequences are serious: the company faces a fine and the responsible person a separate fine. Concealing the beneficial owner, failing to register, or entering false data also carries a prison sentence of up to five years.
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