Best Government Business Registries

Introduction

Statutory registers are a different kind of entry from every other directory here. You do not choose to be listed: incorporation creates the record, and the register publishes it. They score highest in this dataset precisely because being absent from one is not a missed marketing opportunity, it is a legal problem.

They are also the most reliable data source available on any company, which is why aggregators like OpenCorporates build on them rather than competing with them.

Evidence base

Evidence base: 13 of 64 verified directories in the PetroHrys dataset are official or statutory registers. Every figure and table on this page is generated from those records at build time. Fields that were never established are shown as Unknown rather than filled in.

Who should use these

Anyone performing due diligence, compliance checks or counterparty verification, and companies confirming their own public record is accurate.

Comparison

Best Government Business Registries: verified directories, top 12 of 13 by editorial score
Directory	Country	Category	Scope	Submission	Verification required	Review system	PetroHrys Score
Companies House Register	united-kingdom	government	national	Free	Yes	No	95
ABN Lookup	australia	government	national	Free	Yes	No	93
Search ASIC registers	australia	government	national	Free	Yes	No	92
Baza Internetowa REGON	poland	government	national	Free	Yes	No	91
L'Annuaire des Entreprises	france	government	national	Free	Yes	No	91
Veřejný rejstřík a Sbírka listin	czech-republic	government	national	Free	Yes	No	91
Bundesanzeiger	germany	government	national	Unknown	Yes	No	90
Gemeinsames Registerportal der Länder	germany	government	national	Unknown	Yes	No	90
Registro Imprese	italy	government	national	Unknown	Yes	No	90
Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle	france	government	national	Unknown	Yes	No	89
USPTO Trademark Search	united-states	government	national	Free	Yes	No	89
Colegio de Registradores de España	spain	government	national	Unknown	Yes	No	88

How to read this list

Check the register of the country of incorporation first, and treat aggregators as a convenience layer over it rather than a substitute. Note that some registers explicitly do not verify what is filed with them.

Frequently asked questions

Are these registers free to search?

Several are, and the dataset records which. Where the official page did not state whether access or certified extracts are chargeable, the field is Unknown rather than assumed.

Does a register entry mean a company is legitimate?

Not necessarily. Companies House, for example, states that it does not check the accuracy of the information filed with it. A register confirms existence and filings, not conduct.

Editorial references

Every directory named on this page has its own page recording what was verified, when, by whom, and from which source. Scoring is documented in How the PetroHrys Score Works, and the verification standard in How Directories Are Verified.