Definition
The Register of Beneficial Ownership (RBO) is Ireland’s central register of the beneficial owners of companies and industrial and provident societies, at rbo.gov.ie. Since April 2021, designated persons must obtain an RBO extract before entering a new business relationship with a corporate client and must report discrepancies they find under Regulation 20(3)(b) of SI 110/2019.
What it is
The Register of Beneficial Ownership (RBO) is Ireland's central register recording the beneficial owners of companies and industrial and provident societies. Companies file their beneficial ownership information with the Registrar; designated persons and competent authorities consult it as an independent check on what clients tell them. It is one of three Irish beneficial ownership registers — trusts go to CRBOT (run by Revenue), and ICAVs, unit trusts and credit unions to the Central Bank of Ireland register.
Why it matters for Irish firms
The RBO imposes two concrete duties on designated persons, in force since April 2021. First, a firm must obtain an RBO extract before entering a new business relationship with a corporate client. Second, it must report discrepancies between what the register says and what its own customer due diligence finds, under Regulation 20(3)(b) of SI 110/2019. Access is tiered following the Court of Justice of the EU's ruling on public access: competent authorities have full Tier 1 access, while designated persons get restricted Tier 2 access — a firm registers using the BEN3A1 form and pays a flat fee of 2.50 euro per extract. There is no public API, so this is an evidence-driven manual workflow: pull the extract, store it, compare it against the client's information, and record the conclusion — including a notification to the Registrar where the register is wrong.
What changes under the AMLR and AMLD6
The register duties do not disappear on 10 July 2027 — they are the foundation the new framework builds on. Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 (AMLR) harmonises the underlying beneficial ownership test at 25% or more, direct or indirect, while Directive (EU) 2024/1640 (AMLD6) strengthens the registers themselves: new verification powers for registrars and EU-wide interconnection of national registers through BORIS, with the register provisions phased in from 2025 and 2026.
Where CompliDesk fits
CompliDesk Ireland turns the RBO obligation into a guided onboarding step — extract prompt, evidence storage and a logged discrepancy decision on every corporate client — see pricing for what is included.
Related terms
General information, not legal advice. This definition provides general information about EU and Irish anti-money-laundering requirements. Regulatory detail is still evolving through 2026–27 — verify against primary sources (EUR-Lex, AMLA, and your sector’s Irish supervisor) and seek qualified advice before acting.