By International Credit Reports
A number is useful only when you know what it identifies
A supplier may send a registration number, tax identifier, license reference, or Legal Entity Identifier. Keep the number’s label and issuing authority with it. An unlabeled string can be copied correctly yet searched in the wrong system, producing a misleading ‘not found’ result.
Start an identity pack with the legal name, jurisdiction, registered address, and each available identifier exactly as supplied. Retain leading zeroes and original formatting. If a system requires a normalized entry, save the original alongside the version used for that search.
Separate the purpose of each identifier
The following comparison is a research aid. Local systems may connect identifiers, but do not assume a tax number always doubles as a company registration number. Nor should a successful search be treated as a financial assessment.
| Identifier | Useful question | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| Company registration number | Which record belongs to this company in the stated register? | The same number works in every jurisdiction |
| Tax identifier | Which taxpayer or tax record does the supplied number concern? | Registration establishes payment capacity |
| Business license reference | Which authority issued this business license? | A license supplies a complete corporate ownership history |
| LEI | Which legal entity is identified in LEI reference data? | Every business has an LEI or the record is a credit score |
Use an LEI as an additional identity reference
When a company provides an LEI, compare the associated legal name and reference data with the other documents in your file. Resolve differences instead of copying a search result into the order without checking. The absence of a supplied LEI should prompt a request for other identifiers, rather than an automatic rejection of a business.
GLEIF describes the LEI as a 20-character alphanumeric identifier linked to reference information about legal entities. It provides an identity reference, rather than a credit assessment. GLEIF: the Legal Entity Identifier.
Example: an unsuccessful search in the wrong register
Suppose a buyer searches a commercial register using the supplier’s tax number and gets no result. The useful next step is to establish the identifier type and ask for the commercial registration details. It is too early to conclude that the supplier is unregistered. Record the system searched and the exact query so another reviewer does not repeat the same mistake.
- Ask: ‘What is this number called on the original document?’
- Request the issuing authority and company name linked to it.
- Retain the document date and distinguish a historical identifier from a current one.
- Include all known identifiers in the report brief, clearly labeled, along with any failed search and why it may have been inconclusive.
Find the local identity requirements
Country guidance explains which names and registration details are useful for preparing a company report request.