Taiwan’s public registration data names officers without listing every shareholder.
Match the unified business number and read registration dates. Taiwan’s public officer holdings leave ownership questions that a company registration page cannot settle.
By Matthew Lee
Taiwan’s eight-digit unified business number connects company registration data with its invoice identity.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs publishes registration particulars through the Commercial and Industrial Registration Public Information Search Service, commonly accessed through GCIS. A public result can show basic data, directors, supervisors and registered managers. It is a practical starting point for an entity match.
The next document depends on the question. Registration data, a registration form, articles and a company-held shareholder register have different contents and access rules. Choose them deliberately rather than treating the public page as a complete due-diligence report.
Start with the unified business number
Request the exact Traditional Chinese name and unified business number (統一編號). Search the full eight digits, including any leading zeroes. Compare the result’s name, registration status, address and representative with the contract and uniform invoice.
An English name can be an export or import registration name rather than the name shown on the company register. Use it to help locate a candidate, then establish the Chinese legal name and number. Do not resolve similar Chinese names by guessing from a brand or website.
The search service also accepts other inputs, including address and names of officers. These are discovery tools. Once you find a candidate, record the company’s own unified number and confirm that it is the entity that owes the contractual obligations.
Read the three public sections
The Administration of Commerce describes the public service as covering company basic data, directors and supervisors, and managers. Review each applicable section rather than reading only the first line of the result.
| Section | Useful fields | What remains to check |
|---|---|---|
| Basic registration data | Status, capital, representative, address and approval dates | Operating location and relevant licences |
| Directors and supervisors | Title, name, represented legal person and shares held | Complete shareholder ownership and current authority |
| Registered managers | Names and appointment dates | Delegated powers for the particular transaction |
| Historical data | Previous names, officers, capital and addresses | Whether the period answers your review question |
Business scope codes record activities declared for registration. They do not prove that a regulated service is licensed or that the company is currently trading. Check the relevant regulator where the proposed relationship depends on authorisation.
The registered address can differ from a factory, sales office or fulfilment site. Use available branch and factory links where relevant, then ask the counterparty to identify which location performs the service. Keep the explanation and supporting evidence with the entity match.
Registration status and tax status differ
The company-registration result reports the registration position. The Ministry of Finance’s business tax registration information answers a separate tax-status question. A company can appear in the registration service without that result proving ongoing operations.
Match the unified number across the registration output and any tax-status evidence. If the results appear inconsistent, record their dates and ask for supporting documents. Do not treat an unfamiliar status label as equivalent to dissolution without establishing its meaning in the issuing system.
For a procurement review, you may also need evidence of actual operations, financial capacity and fulfilment. Those questions require separate records and enquiries. The registry match remains the anchor that ties them to the correct legal entity.
Request file documents with their access rules
A company registration form (公司登記表) or change registration form can supply more detail than a public search page. The articles describe capital and governance. Specify the latest filed document or a particular historical change when requesting copies.
Article 393 of the Company Act distinguishes public registration items from access to other file documents. A responsible person or interested party may need to state reasons for inspection or copying, and the authority can limit or refuse a request. Do not assume that every document in the registration file is available to any requester.
Public items listed by the Act, including the articles, have a different access route from other file documents. Confirm the item, applicant eligibility and accepted format before ordering. A plain data extract, an authority-issued copy and a certificate serve different evidential purposes. If an overseas recipient needs an English certificate or formal translation, confirm its requirement with the receiving institution.
Ownership depends on the company form
For a limited company (有限公司), the registration form can identify members and their contributions. For a company limited by shares (股份有限公司), the public director and supervisor holdings are not a complete shareholder list. Identify the legal form before deciding what the evidence establishes.
A director can represent a corporate shareholder. Read the represented legal person field and distinguish the individual office-holder from the entity holding the interest. Trace the corporate entity by its own registration number instead of attributing its entire holding personally to the director.
The full shareholder register of a share company remains with the company or its share registrar. Listed-company disclosures may supply additional major-shareholder evidence. A public officer table alone cannot establish all direct owners or ultimate beneficial owners.
Ask for a dated ownership chart and shareholder evidence where the public chain stops. Aggregate holdings across relevant paths and review voting or other control rights separately. Record how any declaration reconciles with the officer and capital information you obtained.
Compare effective dates and retrieval dates
The public result includes approval and last-change dates. Capture those alongside the retrieval date, and identify the particular event behind a change where it matters. A result downloaded today can still reflect information lodged earlier.
Officer terms shown by the service are company-reported information and can lag a later election. For authority-sensitive transactions, obtain the relevant appointment documents or company confirmation rather than relying solely on a term displayed on the search page.
Retain Traditional Chinese originals with translations or English summaries. Keep names and identifiers in their original script so another reviewer can repeat the match. Record any discrepancy instead of silently normalising it away.
Place a defined order
Send the Chinese legal name, unified business number and Taiwan as the jurisdiction to agent@fill-easy.com. Specify public registration data, the registration form, articles, history period and any certification or translation requirement. Explain your relationship to the company if access to a file document depends on it.
We return available CorpVerify records by email or API with source, retrieval time and request ID. Price and expected turnaround are confirmed when the order is accepted. Restricted file access and company-held ownership records may require further cooperation.
Which Taiwan record would resolve the ownership or authority gap left by your current public search?