Before you pay a new supplier, check three things in the official register: that the company exists, that it is still active, and that the VAT number on the invoice is valid and belongs to that company. Then check it against sanctions lists. You can do all four in one search: search the company free on CheckBiz, and if you want it all on one page, the full report costs €1.99 with no account and no subscription.
This guide explains what to check, where each European register keeps the answer, and the traps that make a company look fine when it isn’t. Each step links to a detailed guide.
In this guide:
- The four checks, in order
- Step 1: Find the company in its own national register
- Step 2: Read the status, not just the name
- Step 3: Check the VAT number, and whose name comes back
- Step 4: Screen the company against sanctions lists
- What a register check does not prove
- Do all four checks in one search
- FAQ
The four checks, in order
| Check | What you are looking for | Where the answer lives |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The company exists | The exact legal name and registration number on your invoice or contract match one entry | The national company register |
| 2. It is still active | Status “active” — not dissolved, struck off, in liquidation or bankrupt | The same register |
| 3. The VAT number is real | The number is valid today, and the name behind it is the company you are paying | EU VIES (or HMRC for the UK, the national register for Norway) |
| 4. No sanctions hit | The company is not on the EU, UN or US (OFAC) sanctions lists | Public sanctions lists |
If any of the four fails, stop and ask the supplier before you pay. A real company can explain a mismatch in a sentence. A fake one usually can’t.
Step 1: Find the company in its own national register
Every EU country, plus the UK and Norway, keeps a public company register. Search by the registration number on the invoice, not by the name: names are easy to copy, numbers are unique.
| Country | Register | Registration number |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark | CVR (Danish Business Authority) | CVR number, 8 digits |
| Sweden | Bolagsverket | Organisation number, 10 digits |
| Norway | Brønnøysund Register Centre | Organisation number, 9 digits |
| United Kingdom | Companies House | Company number, 8 characters |
| France | INSEE Sirene | SIREN, 9 digits |
| Germany | Handelsregister | HRB/HRA number plus the court that keeps it |
Check that the legal form fits what you were told. In the French register, for example, TotalEnergies appears with the legal form label “Société européenne”, not as a French SA. In Denmark the form comes as a code: 60 is an A/S (public limited company) and 80 is an ApS (private limited company). A supplier who says “we are a large A/S” and shows up as code 80 isn’t necessarily lying, but it is worth a question.
Detailed guides: How to check a Danish company in the CVR register · How to check a UK company on Companies House
Step 2: Read the status, not just the name
A company can be in the register and still be unable to do business with you. Look for the status field and read it literally.
- Active is what you want.
- Dissolved, struck off, ceased (in Danish: “Ophørt”) means the company no longer exists as a trading entity, even though its page is still there.
- In liquidation or bankruptcy means someone else controls the money. In Denmark a bankruptcy estate (konkursbo) can itself show as “Aktiv” in CVR, because the estate is a live legal entity. A name ending in “konkursbo” is a stop sign, whatever the status says.
Also look at the registration date. A company founded last month is not a problem on its own, but a new company asking for a large prepayment is one of the classic scam patterns. More on that in Supplier scam red flags you can check in the company register.
Step 3: Check the VAT number, and whose name comes back
For EU companies, the European Commission’s VIES service tells you whether a VAT number is valid today. What it does not always tell you is who the number belongs to.
- Denmark and Sweden return the registered name and address. A Swedish VAT number is SE, then the 10-digit organisation number, then 01 — so you can check that it matches the register entry from step 1.
- Germany confirms that the number is valid but returns no name and no address. A valid German VAT number on its own does not prove it belongs to the company on your invoice.
- France builds the VAT number from the SIREN: FR, a two-character key, then the 9-digit SIREN. If the last 9 digits don’t match the SIREN in the register, ask why.
- The United Kingdom left VIES on 1 January 2021. UK VAT numbers are checked with HMRC instead.
- Norway is not in the EU and not in VIES. Whether a Norwegian company is VAT-registered is shown in the Brønnøysund register itself.
One practical trap: VIES is sometimes unavailable for a country for a while. “Service unavailable” is not the same as “invalid”. Try again later rather than drawing a conclusion either way.
Detailed guide: What an EU VAT number check proves, and what it doesn’t
Step 4: Screen the company against sanctions lists
Making money available to a company on the EU sanctions list is prohibited. The EU, the UN and the US Treasury (OFAC) each publish their lists, and you can search them without an account. The hard part is names: a close spelling is not a match, and an exact name can belong to a different company in another country. Compare registration number and country, not just the name.
Detailed guide: Can you check a European company against sanctions lists without an account?
What a register check does not prove
A clean register entry proves the company exists, is active and is who it says it is. It does not prove:
- that the person emailing you works there — check that the email domain and bank details match what the company publishes itself, and call a number you found independently;
- that the company can deliver — look at filed accounts where the register publishes them;
- that the bank account on the invoice belongs to the company — a “new bank details” email is a classic form of invoice fraud.
The register check is the first step, not the only one. But it is the step that catches fake and dissolved companies in minutes, before any money moves.
Do all four checks in one search
Doing this by hand means a different register, language and number format for every country. CheckBiz searches the official registers in 14 European countries by company name, shows a free public profile, and puts identity, active status, VAT registration and sanctions screening on one page in the full report for €1.99. Where the national register publishes them, the report also includes filings, LEI and ownership. The decision is always yours; the report tells you what the registers say. See which signals each country provides and how the report works.
Check a company before you pay — free search
FAQ
How do I verify that a European company is real?
Find it in its national company register by the registration number on the invoice, confirm the status is active, check the VAT number in VIES (or HMRC for the UK), and screen it against sanctions lists. If all four match, the company exists and is who it says it is.
Is a valid VAT number enough to trust a supplier?
No. A valid VAT number proves the number is registered today. For some countries, such as Germany, VIES returns no name, so the number could belong to a different company. Always match the VAT number to the company register entry.
Can I check a UK company’s VAT number in VIES?
No. The UK left VIES on 1 January 2021. UK VAT numbers are checked with HMRC, and the company itself is found on Companies House.
What does “Ophørt” mean in the Danish CVR register?
It means the company has ceased. It still has a page in CVR, but it no longer trades. Don’t pay an invoice from a company with that status.
Do I need an account to check a company on CheckBiz?
No. The search and the public profile are free and need no account. The full report costs €1.99, paid as a guest, and the report link stays active for 30 days.
Which countries can I check?
CheckBiz covers 14 European countries: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Austria and Poland. The coverage page shows exactly which signals each register provides.
Ready to check a supplier? Search the company free on CheckBiz — the full report is €1.99, no account needed.
This content was generated with artificial intelligence.