Proposed reforms to enhance privacy and security of directors in Ireland

A proposed update to Irish corporate law aims to reshape how personal details of company directors are handled in public filings.

In brief

• The planned reforms aim to give company directors greater control over what personal details appear on public corporate filings.
• Proposed reforms directly address the growing concerns around privacy and security of directors, while still satisfying regulatory and compliance requirements.
• The initiative is expected to strengthen safeguards for future filings, though it will not alter existing published information.

Proposed reforms to company law in Ireland are currently under consideration by the Department of Enterprise, Trade, Tourism and Employment (the Department). If implemented, these reforms will enhance the security and privacy for directors and secretaries of Irish companies by replacing the public disclosure of their usual residential address with the provision of a designated contact address. This reform directly addresses the growing concerns around privacy and security concerns of directors arising from the publication of their residential addresses and is particularly welcome for directors of multinational groups who frequently serve on multiple boards.

Background

Under the Companies Act 2014, directors are required to provide their usual residential address to the Companies Registration Office (CRO) upon their appointment as a director of a company and to confirm this information on an annual basis. The CRO makes this information publicly available on the Register of Companies. An exemption is available to directors, allowing a director to withhold their usual residential address from publication by applying to the CRO. This application must be supported by a statement from an Garda Síochána (the Irish police) confirming that disclosure of the residential address would pose a risk to the director’s personal safety or security. This exemption is narrow in scope as it does not remove directors’ information already published, and it will cease to apply if the director’s residential address is subsequently disclosed in a later filing to the CRO.

Proposed Change

Under the proposed amendments to the Companies Act 2014, the default position of directors and secretaries having to disclose their residential address will be revised.

• Directors and secretaries would be able to provide a contact address – rather than their residential address - for publication on the CRO register. This could be their residential address or another address, in Ireland (for example the company’s registered office).
• A corresponding change would apply to Branches established in Ireland, permitting directors of external companies to provide a contract address in place of their residential address.
• The contact address provided would be the only address made publicly available by the CRO.
• Directors would still be required to provide the CRO with their usual residential address, but this information would be withheld from public access. Only specified authorities would be permitted to request and obtain such information for law enforcement, regulatory compliance or judicial proceedings.
• Where a director has previously obtained an exemption preventing publication of their residential address, they would still need to provide their residential address to the CRO under the new regime, but this would remain unpublished and accessible only to authorized bodies.

The proposed reforms are a welcome development in Irish company law and, if adopted, would significantly enhance the security and privacy of directors. However, the changes will not have retrospective effect, meaning any information already made public will not be removed or redacted. As a result, while these proposals offer important protection for future filings, they do not resolve the position of current directors whose personal information will remain publicly available. The reforms have been recommended by the Company Law Review Group, and it is hoped that they will be adopted by the Department in 2026.

Contact information

For additional information concerning this Alert, please contact:
Gavin Clare, Head of Entity Governance and Compliance, EY Law Ireland - gavin.clare@ie.ey.com
Gina Aherne, Director – Corporate M&A and Structuring, EY Law Ireland - gina.aherne@ie.ey.com