Business Identity
LEI Registration, Renewal & Transfer
A Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a 20-character code, defined by the ISO 17442 standard, that uniquely identifies a legal entity — a company, fund, partnership or trust — in financial transactions and regulatory reporting worldwide. It's not the same as a company registration number, and it's issued by an accredited LEI issuer rather than by a government registry.
Companies are commonly asked for an LEI when opening a corporate brokerage or investment account, trading regulated financial instruments, or meeting certain transaction-reporting obligations. Whether it applies to your company depends on your activity and jurisdiction — this page is general information, not legal or regulatory advice, so always confirm the specific requirement with your broker, bank or regulator.
LEI check
Does my company need an LEI?
A short guide — general information only, not confirmation of a regulatory requirement.
Question 1 of 4
No personal information is collected by this questionnaire.
Who typically needs one
Companies opening a corporate brokerage or investment account, trading financial instruments, or subject to transaction-reporting requirements. This may be required in your case — confirm with your broker, bank or regulator.
What information is usually needed
Legal name, registered address, company registration number, and — where applicable — parent or ultimate-parent ownership information. Exact fields vary by issuer and jurisdiction.
Validity and renewal
LEIs are typically renewed on an annual basis. A lapsed LEI still exists but shows as not current in the GLEIF register, which some counterparties won't accept.
Understand the options
Registration, renewal or transfer — what's the difference?
New registration
Creates a brand-new LEI for an entity that has never had one. You'll typically provide legal name, registered address, registration number and ownership details.
Renewal
Keeps an existing, current LEI active — typically needed annually. Renewal is completed with the LEI issuer that manages your record (your "managing LOU").
Transfer
Moves an existing, current LEI from one LEI issuer to a different one, for example to change provider. The LEI code itself does not change.
Not sure which of these applies to you? Use LEI lookup to check your current status first.
Register
Complete your LEI application
Registration, renewal and transfer are all completed with our independent LEI issuer partner, not directly with StandardsDesk.
Not connected yet — LEI partner integration is not connected yet
Registration, renewal and transfer will be completed through an embedded partner form once it's connected. To activate this, set LEI_IFRAME_URL and/or LEI_FALLBACK_URL in src/config/site.ts.
Not sure if you need one?
Answer a short questionnaire for general guidance.
Check an existing LEI
Search the public GLEIF register by code or company name.
Business investing
More on corporate accounts and investment identifiers.
All services
See our full range of business compliance services.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is an LEI?
A Legal Entity Identifier is a 20-character alphanumeric code, defined by the ISO 17442 standard, that uniquely identifies a legal entity participating in financial transactions worldwide. It's issued by an accredited LEI issuer (a Local Operating Unit, or LOU) and recorded in the global GLEIF register.
Does my company definitely need an LEI?
It depends on what you're doing and who is asking. Companies trading financial instruments, opening corporate brokerage or investment accounts, or subject to certain transaction-reporting rules are often asked for one. We can't confirm a legal requirement for your specific situation — always check with your broker, bank or regulator, or use our short questionnaire for general guidance.
How much does an LEI cost and how long does it take?
Pricing and turnaround are set by the independent LEI issuer partner, not by us, and can vary by provider and jurisdiction. Check current pricing and typical turnaround directly on the partner's registration page before submitting your application.
What's the difference between registration, renewal and transfer?
Registration creates a brand new LEI for an entity that doesn't have one. Renewal keeps an existing LEI current, typically on an annual basis — without it, the record becomes lapsed. Transfer moves an existing, current LEI from one LEI issuer to another, for example if you want a different provider or pricing.
What happens if my LEI lapses?
A lapsed LEI still exists but is shown as not current in the GLEIF register. Some counterparties won't accept a lapsed LEI for reporting or onboarding until it's renewed. Renewal is handled by an LEI issuer, typically for a fee set by that issuer.
What information will I need to provide?
Typically the entity's full legal name, registered address, company registration number, and — depending on the issuer and jurisdiction — information about direct or ultimate parent ownership. Requirements can vary slightly by issuer and jurisdiction, so check the partner form for the exact fields required.