How we compile company registry information for KYB checks.
The company registry reference answers the questions that come up at the start of a KYB check: where is the official register, what does it show without paying, what does an extract cost, how is the company identified, and can we see who owns it?
Sources
Every page is built from the registry’s own website, the government body that runs it, published fee schedules and the laws or regulations the registry cites. For EU states we also use the European e-Justice portal. Commercial data providers, formation agents and law-firm summaries are not used as sources of facts. Each page lists the pages it relies on.
What the fields mean
| Field | Values | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Free online search | Yes, Partial, No | Whether basic company data can be looked up online without paying |
| Paid documents and fees | As published | What extracts and certificates cost, in the registry’s currency |
| Who can see beneficial owners | Public, Legitimate interest, Obliged entities and authorities only, Suspended, No central register | Who the registry says may access owner data |
| Data access for developers | Free API, Paid API, Bulk data only, No API | Whether the registry offers an API or bulk downloads |
| Verification | All fields verified, Some fields unverified | Whether every field was confirmed on an official page |
- Free online search is “Yes” when anyone can look up basic company data online without paying, “Partial” when some data is free but most needs a paid document or an account, and “No” when every search is paid or needs registration.
- Paid documents and fees are quoted as the registry publishes them, in its currency, usually including local taxes where the registry says so. When the registry does not publish a fee online, the page says so.
- Who can see beneficial owners follows the registry’s own statement: public, legitimate interest (you apply and show why you need the data), obliged entities and authorities only (banks, lawyers, accountants and other regulated firms), suspended, or no central register.
- Data access for developers notes whether the registry offers a free or paid API or bulk downloads.
- Verification says whether every field on the page was confirmed on an official page. “Some fields unverified” means at least one field rests on an official source we could not fully confirm, such as a fee table that did not load or two official pages that disagree.
Why beneficial ownership keeps changing
On 22 November 2022 the EU Court of Justice ruled that unrestricted public access to beneficial ownership registers breached the rights to privacy and data protection. Most EU states closed or restricted public access within weeks, and the 2024 anti-money-laundering package set a legitimate-interest model that states are now putting in place. UK overseas territories and crown dependencies have made their own changes since. Each page records the date of the latest change we found.
How often we check
Pages show the date they were last checked. We recheck every register at least once a quarter, and sooner when a law or fee schedule changes.