🇮🇪How to verify a supplier in Ireland
To verify a supplier in Ireland, look the company up for free in the official CRO, Companies Registration Office and confirm it is registered and currently active. The registry returns company name, CRO number, company type, registered address, and status; free company search, paid documents.
The official registry
- Registry
- CRO, Companies Registration Office
- Company ID
- CRO number
- Cost
- Free basic lookup
- Active status
- Status reads Normal or Dissolved/Strike Off; a live supplier is Normal and up to date on annual returns.
Verify it in four steps
1. Open the CRO, Companies Registration Office
CRO, Companies Registration Office is the official government record of companies in Ireland. Basic name or number search is free.
2. Search the exact legal name or ID
Search the supplier's registered name or its CRO number. If the name does not match cleanly, treat it as a red flag, it may be a trade name, a different entity, or wrong.
3. Confirm it is active, not struck off
Status reads Normal or Dissolved/Strike Off; a live supplier is Normal and up to date on annual returns.
4. Check it makes what it sells
A real factory carries a manufacturing activity code and a consistent trade history; a middleman reselling everything is the most common mismatch. For an EU company, also validate the VAT number in the free EU VIES system.
This is a factual pointer to public records, not legal advice. For the full method, see the 7 checks that separate a real supplier from a scam.
We do this check for you
On every Ireland company we list, we show what the open record says, each linked to its free public source so you can re-check it yourself, no paid badge. And we go past the big directories to the local and craft makers who are too small for them but real, then verify and sort them, so you find genuine Ireland suppliers, not just the loudest.
Questions
Is checking a Ireland supplier free?
Yes. A basic name or number lookup in the CRO, Companies Registration Office is free. Some full official extracts are paid, but confirming a company exists and is active costs nothing.
What ID does a Ireland company have?
Its CRO number. Ask the supplier for it, then confirm it in the CRO, Companies Registration Office and check the registered name matches.
How do I know a Ireland supplier is a real manufacturer, not a reseller?
The registry's activity code is the tell: a manufacturing code means a real maker, a wholesale or retail code means a trader.