The company number format
A company number has 8 characters. For a company registered in England and Wales these are 8 digits, with leading zeros for the oldest numbers. Other entity types carry a two-letter prefix: SC, NI, OC and others, depending on the jurisdiction or form.
GET /v2/companies/GB-00445790 returns the record with its status. The Discovery plan (free) includes this route, 100 requests per minute. See Pricing.Leading zeros
Spreadsheets drop the leading zeros of a number (00000006 becomes 6). The API restores missing zeros: GB-6 becomes GB-00000006. In your own files, save the column as text.
How to check it
The company number has no check digit that would catch a typing mistake. A well-formed number may therefore match no company. To check, look the company up: the name, the status (active or not) and the dates should match what you expect. In the United Kingdom the record also flags insolvency proceedings, overdue accounts and dormant companies; see How to tell if a French company is in judicial liquidation for the principle.
With Jsonpage
The global identifier of a British company is GB- followed by the company number, for example GB-00445790. The record has the same format as for the other countries:
curl "https://api.jsonpage.com/v2/companies/GB-00445790?include=address,signals" \
-H "X-API-Key: $JSONPAGE_API_KEY"Search by name also works for the United Kingdom (country=GB). Establishments are not available for this country: the matching route returns 404 not_available_in_country.
Frequently asked questions
How many characters does a company number have?+
Eight: eight digits, or a two-letter prefix followed by digits.
What do the prefixes SC, NI or OC mean?+
They mark an entity type or a jurisdiction other than the ordinary company of England and Wales.
Does a company number have a check digit?+
No, not one that can catch a typing mistake. You need to look the company up.
Why does my number start with zeros?+
Short numbers are padded with zeros to 8 characters. They are part of the number.
Keep reading
- BELGIUMBelgian enterprise number: format and how to check it10 digits starting with 0 or 1, the link with Belgian VAT, establishment units and how to check it.
- SWITZERLANDSwiss UID (CHE) number and Swiss VAT numberThe CHE-123.456.789 format, the TVA, MWST or IVA suffix, VAT groups and how to check a Swiss company.
- VATFrench VAT number: format and how to check itThe French, Belgian and Swiss formats, the mentions on the invoice and the check before invoicing.