As far as I delved into that issue, you also cannot register a PLB in Germany, but since you need one when going to Austria with a glider, there is no way around. Apparently most people register their PLB in the UK, no questions asked.
I guess some acountability of the civil service should be enforced by pitchfork.
Every PLB out there in Europe is likely to be registered in UK for historical reasons (plus it costs nothing rather than 100€/year)
You can also get a US coded PLB and register it in the US – 5 min online and they even send you a letter with the registration sticker for the device for free to a European mail address…
The Swedish authorities say that all PLBs have to be registered by the owner directly with COSPAS/SARSAT! So is this done differently in other countries?
In UK you register with one single maritime agency ‘Distress and Security Beacon Registry’ (they handle aviation for free)
Registering is free and takes around 15 minutes