Frequently asked questions

Every report includes:

• Credit rating and calculated credit limit
• Risk indicator score with plain-English assessment
• Company registration and legal status
• Directors, shareholders and management
• Financial statements (where available)
• Registered address and contact details
• Trading history and business activities
• Court judgements and adverse records
• Bankers and payment behaviour (where available)

A business credit report is a structured summary of a company's identity, ownership, financial standing and credit risk, drawn from public registries and, where appropriate, supplemented by in-country investigation. “Business credit report” and “company credit report” describe the same product: the language varies by region (American users typically say “business”, British and Commonwealth users typically say “company”). A business credit report is about a legal entity, not an individual, and is distinct from a consumer credit report.

For a fuller reference on what these reports contain and when to use them, see our company credit check guide.

To run a company credit check, search for the company by name and country. We will show you the available report options: instant online reports for selected developed markets (delivered within minutes), or freshly investigated reports for all other countries (typically delivered within 2 to 30 working days, depending on the country and the turnaround selected). The company check covers identity, ownership, financial position, credit risk indicators and adverse records. There is no subscription and you just pay per report.

A background check on a supplier or customer combines verification of legal identity (registration, status, directors, ownership) with risk screening (financial standing, court records, sanctions, adverse media). For overseas counterparties, the value of an investigated background check is in the in-country layer confirming the registered address is a real operating site, securing trade references, identifying group structure, and surfacing local-language adverse media that public registries do not collect. Search the company on our site to see the options available for that country.

The core structure is the same: credit rating, financial position, directors, legal status, and risk indicators. The depth of each section varies by country based on what is publicly available. For markets with strong filing regimes financial data is comprehensive. For markets with opaque filings our agents look to supplement the public record with in-country research.

All reports are delivered in English regardless of the country investigated. Source documents in Mandarin, Arabic, Turkish, Portuguese or any other language are translated and standardised. You receive a single, consistently formatted English report you can act on immediately.

Yes. Every report is downloadable as a PDF from your account. The PDF version is the same content as the online version and is suitable for sharing with colleagues, attaching to compliance files, or printing.

Reports are stored in your account history for 12 months from delivery. You can view, re-download and share them at any time during that period. After 12 months they are archived; contact us if you need access to older reports.

Turnaround depends on the country and the report type you choose:

• Online instant: minutes (selected countries only)
• Express investigation: 2–5 working days
• Standard investigation: 6–8 working days
• Complex investigation: up to 30 working days

Instant online reports are available for countries with comprehensive, accessible business registries and includes Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland (Eire), Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, and USA. For all other countries reports are freshly investigated by our in-country agents.

Reports appear in your account as soon as they're ready. You'll also receive an email notification with a link. From your account you can view the report online or download the PDF version.

Yes, completely. The subject company is never informed that you have made an enquiry. Our in-country agents operate without knowing your identity.

Information is sourced from official company registries, court records, financial filings, regulatory databases, news archives, and direct verification by our in-country agents. We do not rely on a single centralised database: every report is freshly assembled from current, primary sources.

Our reports cover business entities and the public information associated with them. Personal data of named individuals (such as directors) is sourced from public registers in accordance with applicable data protection law. For questions about specific data protection obligations, please contact us.

Reports are priced in credits at £9.99 per credit plus VAT where applicable. The number of credits per report depends on the country and the turnaround you choose: online instant reports are 5 to 10 credits, and freshly investigated reports are 18 credits for express, 10 credits for standard, or 25 credits for complex investigations. See the pricing page for full details.

Your credit is refunded in full to your account. You only pay for reports we successfully deliver.

Credits are valid for 12 months from purchase. As long as your account remains active, they stay available for use on any report in any country.

Payment is by credit or debit card, or by PayPal. You open an account, buy credits in advance, and use them on any report. A VAT invoice is generated automatically and is available in your account.

No. There are no monthly fees, minimum spends or contracts. You buy credits when you need them and use them at your own pace.

Go to the Open Account page, enter your contact and billing details, choose a credit bundle, and pay by card or PayPal. Your account and credits are active immediately.

Use the "Forgot login" link on the sign-in page. If you still can't access your account, contact us and we'll restore access.

Yes. Many of our clients share an account across a team. Reports ordered are visible to anyone with the login, and credits are drawn from the shared balance. For larger organisations with separate billing requirements, get in touch.