LEI Lookup UK: Check Status and Companies House

For an LEI lookup, UK companies can be found by their 20-character code or legal name in GLEIF LEI Search. Check the record’s registration status, next renewal date and identifying details, then compare its company number with Companies House where applicable. The public LEI record, not a provider’s PDF, is the reference to inspect.

What this means in the United Kingdom

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – UK MiFIR Legal Entity Identifiers explains that a client which is a legal entity or structure, including a company, charity or trust, needs to arrange an LEI if it wants a firm to act on its instructions or decide to trade on its behalf. The FCA also says that issuing LEIs is not an activity it regulates. A UK limited company asked by its stockbroker for an LEI before a trade can use the public record to check which entity the code identifies.

For a company registered with Companies House, the LEI record carries a registration authority code and company number. The GLEIF – Registration Authorities List identifies the Companies House codes as RA000585 for England and Wales, RA000586 for Northern Ireland and RA000587 for Scotland. Match the number as well as the name: a procurement team checking a new supplier, for example, can use its company number to distinguish the intended record.

Under GLEIF – Linking identifiers to business registers, LEI records for companies registered with Companies House carry a direct link to the company’s register entry. That entry can show officers, people with significant control, accounts, filings and charges. You can also use Companies House – Find and update company information to search by company name, company number or officer. Companies House states that it does not check the accuracy of information filed, so compare the identifying details rather than treating the register entry as verification of every filing.

Key points when you check an LEI number

• Search by code or legal name, then confirm the registered name and address.
• Read registration status separately from entity status: LAPSED does not mean the LEI is invalid.
• Check NextRenewalDate and the record’s validation information.
• For a Companies House company, compare the company number in the LEI record with the register entry.

Each check answers a different question. Matching a name identifies a possible record; the dates and statuses describe what that record reports; the company number helps connect it to a register entry.

Find the right record in GLEIF LEI Search

GLEIF – How to use LEI Search describes a search covering the whole LEI data pool without requiring registration. Quick Search searches LEIs and all reference data fields, so a company name can be enough to start. Search Suggest shows up to 8 suggestions, and “Did you mean …?” can catch small typing errors.

If names are similar, filter by country, general category or registration status. Expert mode lets you combine filters; empty fields are hidden by default. You can start at the LEIFast LEI search page, then inspect the matching GLEIF record rather than relying on the search result’s name alone.

For repeated look-ups, GLEIF – Access the API describes an 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, without an API key.

Read the fields before drawing a conclusion

GLEIF – Level 1 data: who is who describes identifying details including the official legal name, registered address, country of formation and record dates. GLEIF – Level 2 data: who owns whom concerns direct and ultimate accounting consolidating parents. Use the fields together when deciding whether a result matches the entity you intend to check.

Record field	What to check
Legal name and registered address	Compare both with the intended entity, not just a similar name.
Registration status	Read the status of the LEI registration, such as ISSUED or LAPSED.
EntityStatus	ACTIVE or INACTIVE describes the entity, not the LEI registration.
InitialRegistrationDate and LastUpdateDate	Check when registration began and when the record was last updated.
NextRenewalDate	Check when the LEI must be renewed and re-certified.
ValidationSources and ValidationAuthority	Read the validation basis, registration authority code and entity ID at that register.
ManagingLOU	Identify the organisation managing the registration.
Parent information	Inspect reported parent relationships or a reporting exception, where applicable.

GLEIF – LEI-CDF 3.1 format specifies validation-source values including PENDING, ENTITY_SUPPLIED_ONLY, PARTIALLY_CORROBORATED and FULLY_CORROBORATED. Do not assume that every record has the same validation basis. Where a parent has an LEI, the relationship can appear on both records; otherwise, a reporting exception explains why it does not.

GLEIF LEI Search also supports “Who owns…?” and “Who is owned by…?” searches. A mapped BIC appears where applicable. GLEIF – About LEI Search describes a timeline of field changes since 9 February 2018, showing the date and old and new field values.

What LEI registration statuses mean

Registration status is not the same field as EntityStatus. GLEIF’s LEI-CDF 3.1 format includes the following distinctions:

• PENDING_VALIDATION: Registration is awaiting validation.
• ISSUED: The LEI was validated and issued; the entity was operating as of the last update.
• LAPSED: The LEI was not renewed by 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 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 erroneous or invalid after issuance.
• MERGED, CANCELLED, TRANSFERRED, PENDING_TRANSFER and PENDING_ARCHIVAL: Other registration status values; inspect the individual record before interpreting them.

If you find LAPSED, check NextRenewalDate and whether you need to renew the LEI. Our UK guide to lapsed LEIs and renewal explains that status in more detail.

Public LEI record or certificate?

GLEIF does not describe a separate paper “LEI certificate”. For an LEI lookup, inspect the public record rather than treating a provider’s PDF as an authoritative source. A digital certificate is different: GLEIF – The LEI in digital certificates explains that ISO 17442-2 allows an LEI to be embedded in a digital certificate and checked automatically against LEI reference data.

Checklist: verify a UK LEI record

1. Search the 20-character code or legal name; narrow similar results with filters.
2. Compare the legal name, registered address and country of formation.
3. Read registration status, EntityStatus, LastUpdateDate and NextRenewalDate separately.
4. Inspect ValidationSources, the registration authority code and the local registration number.
5. For a Companies House company, follow the register link where present or search by company number; compare the identifying details.
6. If ownership is relevant, inspect the reported parent relationships or reporting exception.

If a decision depends on a particular regulatory requirement or an unusual status, check the applicable requirement with your regulator or adviser. For other LEI explanations, see the LEIFast UK blog; for this check, finish by comparing the public LEI record with the relevant register entry.