Country-specific guidance Current

Verifying a company client's registration details against the Companies Register

Check what the client tells you against the public register, not the other way round.

A New Zealand company client's own paperwork is a starting point, not proof on its own. This guide sets out a practical approach to checking those details against the Companies Register. It is general information, not legal or compliance advice.

Action plan

1 Search the Companies Register directly, not just the client's paperwork The register is a public, searchable source you can check independently of what the client provides.

The New Zealand Companies Office's Companies Register is a searchable public register of companies incorporated in New Zealand, including their addresses, directors, and shareholders. Search it directly using the company's name or New Zealand Business Number, rather than relying solely on a certificate or extract the client has supplied.

  • Search the Companies Register using the company's name or NZBN
  • Don't rely only on a document the client has provided without an independent check
  • Note the date you carried out the search as part of your evidence

Done when: The company has been searched directly on the Companies Register, not only checked against client-supplied documents

NZ Companies Register: search the register
2 Cross-check the details that actually matter for due diligence Focus on the details relevant to verifying the company and who's behind it.

When you search the register, cross-check the company's registered name, New Zealand Business Number, registered office address, and current directors and shareholders against what the client has told you. A mismatch on any of these is worth resolving before proceeding, not something to note and move past.

  • Confirm the registered name and NZBN match what the client has stated
  • Confirm the registered office address and current directors and shareholders
  • Resolve any mismatch before relying on the client's own documents

Done when: The company's registered name, NZBN, address, directors, and shareholders have each been cross-checked against the register

NZ Companies Office: searching our registers
3 Remember the register identifies, it doesn't verify individuals Confirming a company's registration isn't the same as verifying the identity of the people behind it.

A register search confirms the company is genuinely registered and shows who's listed as a director or shareholder. It doesn't verify the identity of those individuals or confirm who the company's actual beneficial owners are. Treat the register search as one step in a wider due diligence process, not the end of it.

  • Use the register search to identify who's listed, not to verify their identity
  • Still verify each relevant individual's own identity separately
  • Still ask about beneficial owners who may not appear on the register at all

Done when: The register search was used to identify company details, with individual identity and beneficial ownership verified separately

See requesting beneficial ownership information from a corporate client