LEI Lookup: How to Check a Record and Its Status

An LEI lookup starts with the entity’s 20-character code or company name in GLEIF LEI Search. To check LEI details, read the registration status, next renewal date and validation fields, then compare the entity’s registration number with its official business register. The public record is the reference to check, rather than a provider’s PDF.

Key points for an LEI lookup

• Search by code or company name, then confirm that the legal name and registered address identify the intended entity.
• Read registration status separately from entity status. LAPSED does not mean that the LEI has been deleted or is invalid.
• Check the next renewal date, validation information and registration authority details.
• Use the local registration number to cross-check the entity with the relevant business register.

These checks answer different questions. A name match helps identify a candidate record; status and dates show what the LEI record currently reports; the registration authority details provide a route back to the entity’s local register.

Where to look up an LEI

GLEIF – How to use LEI Search explains that the public search covers the whole LEI data pool and needs no registration. Quick Search searches LEIs and reference data fields, so you can find an LEI by company name when you do not know its code. Search Suggest displays up to 8 suggestions, while “Did you mean …?” can help with small typing errors.

If several entities have similar names, narrow the results by country, general category or registration status. Expert mode combines filters. Empty fields are hidden by default, so inspect the record carefully rather than assuming that every field will appear in the initial view. You can begin with LEIFast’s LEI search page and use the GLEIF record to check the reported details.

For a process that needs repeated searches, GLEIF – Access the API describes a look-up API based on the GLEIF Golden Copy. It supports full-text, filtered and single-field searches, including searches by entity name, BIC and parent-child relationships, and works without an API key.

What to check in an LEI record

GLEIF calls identifying information “Level 1” data: the official legal name, registered address, country of formation and record dates. Its “Level 2” data concerns direct and ultimate accounting consolidating parents. The table below brings together fields to inspect when you verify an LEI number. See GLEIF – Level 1 data: who is who and GLEIF – Level 2 data: who owns whom for the underlying descriptions.

Field	What it tells you
Legal name and registered address	The entity identified by the record. Compare both with the company you intend to check.
Registration status	The state of the LEI registration, such as ISSUED or LAPSED. This is not the entity’s operating status.
Entity status	ACTIVE or INACTIVE describes the entity, not its LEI registration.
InitialRegistrationDate and LastUpdateDate	When the LEI was first registered and when the record was last updated.
NextRenewalDate	The date by which the LEI must be renewed and re-certified.
ValidationSources and ValidationAuthority	The reported basis of validation, plus a registration authority code and the entity’s ID at that register.
ManagingLOU	The organisation managing the LEI registration.
Parent relationships	Direct and ultimate accounting consolidating parent information, or a reporting exception where applicable.

GLEIF – LEI-CDF 3.1 format defines the registration fields and validation-source values: PENDING, ENTITY_SUPPLIED_ONLY, PARTIALLY_CORROBORATED and FULLY_CORROBORATED. Read the reported value rather than treating the presence of a record as proof that every field has the same validation basis.

Where a parent has an LEI, the relationship can be shown on the child and parent records. If not, a reporting exception explains why. GLEIF LEI Search also offers “Who owns…?” and “Who is owned by…?” searches. A record can show a mapped BIC where applicable, and GLEIF – About LEI Search describes a field-change timeline covering changes since 9 February 2018.

LEI registration status meanings

Registration status and entity status answer separate questions. The following distinctions come from GLEIF’s LEI-CDF 3.1 format; check the individual record before drawing a conclusion about a particular entity.

• PENDING_VALIDATION: The registration is awaiting validation.
• ISSUED: The LEI has been validated and issued; the entity was operating as of the last update.
• LAPSED: The LEI was not renewed by its NextRenewalDate, and public sources do not indicate that the entity ceased operating. GLEIF blog – The Importance of Timely Renewal of LEIs (2015) explains that a lapsed LEI remains valid and that its status signals renewal is behind schedule.
• RETIRED: The entity ceased operating without merging.
• DUPLICATE: A non-surviving registration that should no longer be used.
• ANNULLED: A registration found to be erroneous or invalid after issuance.
• MERGED, CANCELLED, TRANSFERRED, PENDING_TRANSFER and PENDING_ARCHIVAL: These are also registration status values; inspect the record rather than interpreting them as entity status.

If the record shows LAPSED, check its NextRenewalDate and the need to renew an LEI. For a closer look at the distinction, read our guide to lapsed LEI status and renewal.

Cross-check the official business register

The LEI record’s registration authority code and local entity number give you a way to check the identity against the source register. GLEIF – Registration Authorities List identifies the authority associated with the code. Compare the register’s identifying details with the LEI record; do not rely on a similar company name alone.

Under GLEIF – Linking identifiers to business registers, records for entities registered with participating registers can link directly to official registration data. Those links cover the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Estonia and New Zealand. For other countries, use the authority code and local number to search the appropriate register yourself. The register can hold information beyond the LEI record, such as officers or accounts.

Public record or “LEI certificate”?

For an LEI lookup, check the live public record rather than treating a provider’s PDF or “certificate” as the authoritative source. This differs from an LEI embedded in a digital certificate: GLEIF – The LEI in digital certificates explains that ISO 17442-2 allows an LEI in a digital certificate so that it can be checked automatically against LEI reference data.

Step-by-step LEI check

1. Search the 20-character code, or use the legal name and narrow the results if necessary.
2. Match the official name, registered address and country of formation to the entity you intend to check.
3. Read registration status, entity status, LastUpdateDate and NextRenewalDate as separate fields.
4. Inspect ValidationSources, the registration authority code and the local entity number.
5. Follow an available official-register link, or search the register using the authority details and compare the identifying information.
6. Where ownership matters to your check, inspect the reported parent relationships or reporting exception.

Keep the public record and the relevant register entry together for your review. If your decision depends on a particular regulatory requirement or an unusual record status, check the applicable requirement with your regulator or adviser. For related explanations, browse the LEIFast LEI articles.