LEI vs company registration number is a question of what each identifier is issued by and what it can prove. A company registration number comes from a business register and identifies the company there. A Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a separate code, and its record may reference the register and the company's number in it. Use the register number to find the official record, and use the LEI to connect that entity to systems that key on LEIs.
This guide is for people matching suppliers and counterparties across systems. It explains what each identifier establishes, how an LEI record points to a register and what to store when the two disagree.
Two identifiers. Two issuers.
GLEIF describes the LEI as a unique 20-character alphanumeric code based on ISO 17442. Each LEI represents one entity. An entity obtains one through an LEI issuer of its choice: GLEIF's page on registration authorities explains that the registering entity must supply accurate reference data, and that issuers provide registration and renewal.
A company registration number works differently. A business register assigns it when the company is registered, and it identifies the company in that register. It carries no meaning outside its jurisdiction and register. The same digits can exist in another country as a different company.
The practical consequence is that these identifiers answer different questions. The registration number answers which company the register holds. The LEI answers which entity record a participant in the LEI system published, and what that record says about its name, address and registration status. See our guide to supplier identity verification before onboarding for the wider workflow.
Matching fails at the seams
Teams usually meet an LEI in a treasury, trade or reporting system, and a registration number in procurement or accounting. The two systems rarely share a field for the other identifier. Someone then matches records by name, which breaks on abbreviations, legal-form suffixes and transliteration.
Other problems are less visible:
- An identifier typed into a generic company-number column loses its type.
- A registration number is stored without its jurisdiction or register.
- An LEI is treated as proof that the company is currently active.
- A missing LEI is read as a negative finding.
- A group company's LEI is attached to the supplier because the names look similar.
Each shortcut replaces an evidence question with a guess. The remedy is to store identifiers with their type and source, then match them through fields that both sides publish.
Collect the identifiers you have
The mandatory inputs are the counterparty's legal name and the jurisdiction in which it is registered. Without the jurisdiction, a registration number cannot be tied to a register.
Useful optional inputs include:
- The company registration number exactly as supplied, stored as text.
- The register or authority, where the counterparty states it.
- The LEI, if the counterparty or your own system provides one.
- The registered address and legal form from the contract or invoice.
Ask for the number printed on company documents rather than reconstructing it from a search result. For the difference between a register number and a tax number, see company registration number vs VAT number.
Let the LEI record point to the register
The LEI record is useful because it can say where the company is registered. GLEIF publishes a Registration Authorities List that assigns a code to each business register or other registration authority it includes. GLEIF's page describes almost 1,200 sources across more than 230 jurisdictions.
In the LEI-CDF format, the registration authority element holds the authority's reference code and the entity's identifier at that authority. GLEIF also notes that the register may be reported without the entity identifier if the number is not available.
When we queried the public GLEIF API on 11 November 2026, those fields appeared in the JSON response as entity.registeredAt for the authority code and entity.registeredAs for the number there. Field names can change, so check the current API documentation before building on them.
Separate the layers when you read the record:
- Retrieved fact: the LEI record states a registration authority code and a number.
- Algorithmic match: your system finds that this number equals the one in your supplier file.
- Interpretation: the company at the register is the intended counterparty.
- Decision: a reviewer accepts the match for onboarding.
An LEI record also carries a corroboration level. GLEIF's format distinguishes entity-supplied data from partially or fully corroborated data, so an LEI record that rests only on what the entity supplied deserves less reliance than one corroborated against a register.
Read status fields without over-reading
Entity status and registration status are different fields. GLEIF defines an active entity as one that, at the last report or update, reported that it was legally registered and operating. The registration status covers the LEI itself, for example issued or lapsed.
A lapsed LEI means the registration was not renewed by its renewal date and is not known by public sources to have ceased operation. It reports on LEI maintenance. It is not a verdict on the company. Confirm status in the register named in the record.
Likewise, GLEIF's Level 2 data records direct and ultimate accounting consolidating parents. GLEIF describes this as a "who owns whom" dataset. Accounting consolidation is a different question from beneficial ownership, so do not substitute one for the other.
Add LEI matching in stages
Start with one rule: an identifier match needs both a type and a source. Then phase the workflow in.
- Store each identifier in its own typed field, with its source and retrieval date.
- Match on registration authority code plus number before matching on names.
- Compare legal name, jurisdiction and address after the identifier match.
- Route a missing LEI, a missing number or a conflicting authority to review rather than rejecting the record.
- Re-check LEIs on a schedule you set, because status and renewal dates change.
Test the matching on a sample where you already know the answer, including companies without an LEI and a pair of related group entities. State the trade-off in your procedure: stricter matching sends more cases to review, and looser matching hides more mismatches.
A fictional example shows the pattern. A supplier file lists Harbour Mill Components B.V. with a registration number and no LEI. A treasury system holds a fictional LEI for an entity with a similar name. The registration authority code and number in the LEI record equal those in the supplier file, and the legal names agree after you compare them with the register. That supports linking the two records. Had the numbers differed, you would keep both records separate and ask the counterparty which entity contracts with you.
For how up-to-date any of this data is, see company registry data freshness.
How we approach it
Apiosk company verification is described on the public site as a lookup from a company name or registration number and a country, returning record details such as legal name, status and registered address. Its identifier validation page covers VAT numbers, IBANs and company numbers. For LEI-specific work, check the source coverage, where GLEIF is among the featured sources, and confirm what a particular check returns before relying on it.
An agent or analyst can use these tools to assemble evidence, but the match decision stays with a reviewer. Keep the register record, the LEI record and your comparison together.
As of 11 November 2026, the public website marks app access as “Soon available.” Do not assume a feature is open to you until the Apiosk team confirms it.
Still matching entities by name? Anchor them.
If supplier and treasury records do not line up, contact the Apiosk team to discuss which identifier and source your check needs.
This article was prepared with AI assistance using the linked GLEIF documentation and a public GLEIF API query. It is not legal advice, and the Harbour Mill example is fictional.
Frequently asked questions
Can an LEI replace a company registration number?
No. A registration number identifies a company in a business register, and the register is the primary record of its existence and status. An LEI is a separate identifier whose record may point to that register and repeat the registration number. Keep both identifiers and the source of each.
Is a company without an LEI suspicious?
Not by itself. An entity obtains an LEI by registering through an LEI issuer, so a missing LEI mostly shows that no one has registered one. Treat absence as missing information about that identifier and continue with the company register and the checks your process requires.
What does a lapsed LEI tell me?
GLEIF defines the lapsed registration status as an LEI that has not been renewed by its next renewal date and is not known by public sources to have ceased operation. It says the record has not been kept current. It does not establish whether the company still trades, so confirm that in the register.
How do I match an LEI record to a register entry?
Compare the registration authority code and the entity's number in the LEI record with the register you consulted, then compare the legal name and jurisdiction. If the LEI record lacks the number or points to a different authority, leave the match unresolved and ask the counterparty for the underlying registration details.