Define the company-information part of your review
Due diligence can involve questions about a company, a market, a transaction, and operational requirements. Start by defining the legal entity and the business-information questions your team needs answered. A company credit report may cover registration, ownership, financial information, payment experience, public records, and a credit assessment, depending on available sources.
For example, a distributor considering an overseas partner might need to establish its registered identity, understand the available financial history, and clarify a relationship to its parent. Write those questions down before ordering so the investigation and your subsequent review have a clear subject.
Read the evidence and the gaps together
A recently prepared report can contain financial statements for an earlier accounting period. Some jurisdictions make detailed filings accessible; others provide less information for private companies. Read the financial period, source dates, and qualifications alongside any assessment, and identify which questions remain unanswered.
Ask about the availability of a required document or ownership detail before purchasing. If several legal entities matter to the transaction, define each one. Information about a group parent is useful context but does not automatically describe every subsidiary or the company responsible for your invoice.
Fit the report into your approval process
Choose the available report type and delivery estimate for the subject company’s country. Same Day reports use existing sources where that option is offered. Freshly Investigated reports involve gathering information when ordered; this does not mean every document is newly issued or obtainable.
Your organization decides which additional reviews the transaction requires. Company credit reporting does not itself provide legal advice, a factory audit, sanctions clearance, or export credit insurance. If a bank, insurer, or other reviewer requires a document, confirm its requirements and ask about the report’s scope before buying.
Choose the available report type
Same Day reports use existing sources for faster delivery where offered. Freshly Investigated reports involve gathering information when you order. Compare the report types, then check the current price and estimated delivery for the subject country.
Is a business credit report a complete international due-diligence investigation?
It supplies available company information for one part of your review. The wider scope depends on your transaction and approval process. Confirm any particular documents or additional checks you require before ordering.
Further reading for international businesses
The International Trade Administration presents company research alongside market information and other resources for reviewing international business relationships. International Trade Administration: performing due diligence (opens in a new tab).
Prepared by International Credit Reports.