Register of shareholders (ejerbog)
The ejerbog is the register of all shareholders that every Danish private and public limited company must keep under the Companies Act. It is not public; the public counterpart is the registration of legal and beneficial owners in CVR.
The register must contain the name and address of each shareholder, the size of their holding, the acquisition date and any pledges. The company must update it whenever changes occur, and management is responsible for its accuracy.
Shareholder register and public ownership register
The ejerbog is the company's internal document and can only be inspected by owners, authorities and others with a legal claim to access. Owners holding 5 % or more must additionally be registered as legal owners in the Public Register of Shareholders, and the persons who ultimately control the company as beneficial owners. These two registrations are public and can be looked up on companydata.dk.
Frequently asked questions
Is the shareholder register public?
No. The ejerbog is the company's internal register. The public can instead see legal owners holding 5 % or more and beneficial owners in CVR.
Who must keep a shareholder register?
All limited companies, i.e. private limited companies, public limited companies and limited partnership companies. Sole proprietorships and general partnerships have none.
What happens if the register is not kept up to date?
Management can be fined, and owners may struggle to document their rights, for example at a sale, a dividend payment or a general meeting.
Related terms
Legal owners (legale ejere)
Legal owners (legale ejere) are the direct owners of a company holding at least 5% of the share capital or voting rights. Legal owners can be both natural persons and other companies, and stakes are registered in intervals (5-10%, 10-15%, etc.).
Beneficial owners (reelle ejere)
Beneficial owners (reelle ejere) are the natural persons who ultimately own or control a company, as a starting point, persons with more than 25% of the shares or voting rights, directly or indirectly through other companies.
Share capital (selskabskapital)
Share capital (selskabskapital) is the capital the owners have subscribed and contributed to a limited company. The minimum is DKK 20,000 for an ApS and DKK 400,000 for an A/S. The capital is public in CVR and can later be increased or reduced.
Private limited company (ApS)
An anpartsselskab (ApS) is a Danish private limited company where the owners are liable only for their contribution. It is Denmark's most common company type and requires share capital of at least DKK 20,000.