How to check a company before you sign

Short answer. Check the official register first, confirm that the name, number and address match what you were given, then screen sanctions and news. Registers record what companies file; they do not prove a company is reliable.

Checklist.

1. Get the legal name, registration number and country from the other party.
2. Find the official register for that country (guides below) and confirm the entity exists and is active.
3. Match name, number and registered address.
4. Read officers and filings where the register shows them.
5. Check sanctions lists (OFAC SDN, UK Sanctions List) and recent public news.
6. Write down what you could not check, and decide whether that matters for the deal.

Country guides

• United Kingdom
• France
• Norway
• Finland
• Czechia
• Estonia
• Slovakia
• Latvia
• Israel
• Canada (federal corporations)
• Cyprus
• United States (SEC reporting companies)

Each links to the official register. Full coverage list: /sources.

Articles

• What a Dutiful company report looks like: J Sainsbury plc, line by line
• How an agent checks a counterparty against the OFAC SDN list before paying

Want it done for you? A Dutiful report assembles the register facts with sources, adds the sanctions screen and a news scan, and lists what it could not find. Free coverage check first: /?ref=guides. Sample: /sample.

Disclaimer. This guide describes publicly available registry information and is general information, not legal, financial or compliance advice. Registers change; check the official source before relying on it. A Dutiful report is best-effort research from public sources and is not a compliance certificate. Checked 19 Oct 2026.

Run the free coverage check