Engaging with the Companies Registration Office

The Companies Registration Office (CRO) will recommence accepting posted submissions in both their Dublin and Carlow Offices from today, Monday 6th April.

Practicalities of filing submissions with the CRO are summarised briefly as follows:

• Post will be date stamped on receipt and stored for processing when they re-open, which will impact on processing times and access to information filed from 12.03.2020 until they re-open.
• Documents delivered by hand or courier will not be accepted.
• CRO offices in Dublin and Carolow remain closed to the public.
• Limited services are available for Company Incorporations and Charges.
• Filings can still be made online.
• ROS signatures (if you have one) can be used instead of a signature page.
• Company searches can still be made online but, may not refledt call submissions filed to date.

It is worth highlighting that one can no longer rely on standard searches. In the past, searches were esssential for checking status of a company (e.g. normal, strike-off, examinership etc.). The two main reasons for searching were (a) as a means of reviewing a potential new client, and (b) to support information provided to banks when opening accounts or taking out loans.

The CRO public office has been closed since 12.03.2020 which means submissions filed from 12.03.2020 until the CRO reopens will not be reflected when searching a company. Even when the CRO reopens there will be a backlog of submissions to get through. 

Remember though as with everything in our lives at the moment things change, so please check with us before filing or if you have any queries on the above. 

Keep safe and well.

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

CRO extends Deadline for Annual Returns to 31.10.2020

Annual Returns filed between 18^th March 2020 and 31^st October are deemed to have been filed on time if if all elements of the Annual Return (original signed signature page and Financial Statements) have been filed by 31^st October 2020.

The original extension (announced in March) was until 30^th June 2020.

They are however encouraging companies who can to file as normal during this period.

If you have any queries please get in touch with us.

Keep safe.

CRO CHRISTMAS DEADLINES

December is often a frantic month as everyone juggles Christmas presents and clearing their office desks.

KomSec cannot help with the Christmas presents but, we can help you clear any outstanding filing requirements you may have before Christmas.  Just remember, the CRO will not guarantee processing any submissions received after the following dates.

–  Company Incorporations                        11^th December         

–  Change of Name                                       11^th December

–  Reservation of Company Name             19^th December

Climate change can now been seen in the Companies Registration Office (CRO) as, following a drought in prosecutions for a number of years, it has re-started prosecuting companies for late filing of Annual Returns.

The CRO suspended prosecutions following the introduction of the Companies Act.  Now that companies and practitioners have had an opportunity to become familiar with the Act the CRO have now re-started a prosecutorial regime.

Currently, there are over 214,000 companies on the Register.  Compliance with Annual Return filing deadlines for the past number of years has consistently hit over 80% per year leaving a potential pool of 42,800 companies that might fall into the category of late filing. 

Obviously, a number of variables apply but, that said, just over 20 companies have been prosecuted by the CRO.  These companies will have to appear before the Courts in November, and without over relying on weather related puns it is fair to describe this level of prosecution as a trickle.

Upon conviction the Courts can apply a Class A Fine (€5,000) per offence.  It will be interesting to see how the Courts deal with the prosecutions in November as historically outcomes could best be described as patchy.  Will the trickle become a flood?  Only time will tell but, I would not be putting out the sandbags just yet!

The Companies Registration Office has moved!

The CRO Public Office and the Registry of Friendly Societies has moved from Parnell Square and is now located at Bloom House, Gloucester Place Lower, Dublin 1. Telephone numbers, email addresses and opening hours have all remained the same.

Maureen O’Sullivan has now been appointed Registrar of the Companies Registration Office (CRO).  Familiar territory in one sense as she previously worked in the CRO but, unfamiliar in another as she comes to terms (like all practioners and companies in the South of Ireland are doing) with the Companies Act enacted in December 2014.  The practical application of the Companies Act, although challenging for everyone, must surely be one of the biggest challenges ever faced by the CRO.  The CRO must be ready to “go live” from the date of commencement (currently expected 01.06.2015) whilst the rest of us will probably be able to take a more staggered approach.  Given the amount of work the CRO have already done behind the scenes they should be well prepared for commencement and the likely deluge of queries from companies getting to grip with the consolidation of Acts from 1963 to date.  Good luck to the new Registrar and her staff it is going to be an interesting year for sure!