How to Check a Danish Company in the CVR Register
Denmark's CVR register is free and one of the best tools for assessing a customer before you give credit. Here is what you can see, and which warning signs to watch for.
What is the CVR register?
The CVR register (Det Centrale Virksomhedsregister) is Denmark's public register of businesses. Every Danish business has an 8-digit CVR number. The register is run by the Danish Business Authority (Erhvervsstyrelsen), and you can search it free of charge on virk.dk. A quick lookup can tell you a lot about a new customer before you deliver on credit, whether you are a Danish business or a foreign supplier with Danish customers.
What can you see?
- Company details: name, address, CVR number, start date and industry
- Legal form: for example sole proprietorship, general partnership (I/S), private limited company (ApS) or public limited company (A/S)
- Status: whether the company is active, in bankruptcy, in compulsory dissolution or has ceased
- Management: executive board and board of directors
- Owners: information about ownership, such as major owners of companies
- Production units (P numbers): the addresses the business operates from
- History: previous names, addresses and changes in management
Annual reports
Companies must publish their annual report, and it can be downloaded free from the CVR register. Here you can see, among other things, the profit, equity and balance sheet. Look especially at:
- Equity: if it is negative, the company has more liabilities than assets.
- The trend: is the result falling over several years?
- The auditor's comments: qualifications or emphasis of matter, for example about uncertainty over the company's ability to continue as a going concern, are an important warning sign.
- Timeliness: was the annual report filed on time?
Expert tip: Read the auditor's report
The auditor's report is typically at the front of the annual report and takes a minute to read. If it mentions uncertainty about the company's ability to continue as a going concern, consider prepayment or security before giving credit.
The legal form tells you who is liable
- Sole proprietorship: the owner is personally liable for the debts.
- I/S: the partners are as a rule personally and jointly liable.
- ApS and A/S: only the company is liable. If it goes bankrupt, the owners are as a rule not responsible for the debts.
Read more about the differences in debt collection from individuals vs. businesses.
Warning signs
- Status as in bankruptcy, restructuring or compulsory dissolution
- Negative equity or repeated losses
- Missing or late annual reports
- Frequent changes of management, name or address
- A very new company asking for large credit
- Discrepancies between what the customer tells you and the CVR register
Expert tip: Save your lookup
Take a screenshot or save a printout of the CVR lookup with the order. You can then document later that you were dealing with the right company and assessed it before giving credit.
Supplement with other sources
The CVR register does not show whether the company pays its bills on time. For that you can use commercial credit reference agencies that collect payment remarks and risk scores. Bankruptcies and restructurings are also published in Statstidende, the Danish official gazette. Read our guide to credit checks on new customers.
Use the CVR number on the invoice
Record the customer's CVR number in your customer details and on the order. This makes it easier to find the right company if you later need to send a debt collection notice or file a payment order. If you are a foreign supplier, see also our guide on how to collect a debt from a Danish company.
Getting started
Make a CVR lookup a fixed part of your procedure for new business customers. If a customer still does not pay, you can use InkassoHurtig to get no-obligation quotes from police-authorised debt collection agencies and lawyers. This content is general information and not legal advice.