What is a company register and what can you check?

A company register records legal entities under an issuing authority. It may be called a companies registry, commercial register, corporate register or business register. The authority and record type matter more than the label: a public search result, filed annual return and certified extract can answer different questions.

How do you find the right company?

Start with the country or state where the counterparty was incorporated. Search the official register using its exact legal name or the identifier issued by that register. Compare the result's name, number, legal form, jurisdiction, address and status with the contract. A trading name, head office or tax number can refer to a different record; the company-number guide explains the distinctions.

The UK Companies House service (opens in a new tab) is one example of a public company-information search. US company records are held by state and territorial authorities; the US guide explains why one state's result cannot substitute for another's. For Denmark, the CVR guide distinguishes a company number from a production-unit number.

What does the register show?

The available fields depend on the jurisdiction, entity type, document and date. A result may show a name, number, status and registered address; a filed record may additionally name officers, share capital or a particular event. Check the source and actual document, not a universal field list. An incorporation record establishes formation at its date, while a later extract or filing may describe more recent registered particulars.

For example, a supplier may give an incorporation certificate dated three years ago and claim a new director signed today's contract. Match the company number to the official register, obtain the current record or relevant change filing, and ask for a mandate if the register does not establish the signer's powers. Keep the retrieval date and the date of every source document.

What is outside the public record?

A company-register result does not automatically disclose every present shareholder, ultimate beneficial owner or signing arrangement. Some jurisdictions limit public access to ownership information; others show only a snapshot or range. Request current company-held registers, transfer evidence and authority documents where needed. The overseas-company verification guide connects those records across countries.

Fill Easy's country document catalogue lists supported records and the fields documented for each. CorpVerify can source supported company documents by email or API; confirm the specific jurisdiction, record, price and turnaround before ordering.