Company verification marks — what they mean in Korea, China, Hong Kong, Japan and other countries, and how to get one

eGuro · Company verification marks

✓ A verification mark means 'eGuro has checked this'.
It does not mean we vouch for the company.

Every country has its own company registration numbers and documents. For each mark, we explain what was checked and what was not.

Flag — the country the company chose when it signed up. Korean companies are shown without a flag.

✓ Credit code checked (blue) — shows that the Chinese company's 18-character number follows the format rules.

✓ Business license verified (green) — shows that an administrator has checked the business license. All marks based on a document check are green.

Country tag — the flag and the country name.

Verification mark — the same mark as in the company info window, shown as a white tag.

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South Korea Business registration number · National Tax Service
Number name	Business registration number (사업자등록번호) — 10 digits (e.g. 123-45-67890)
What it is	The number a business receives when it registers with the National Tax Service on starting business. It is used when issuing and receiving tax invoices, and both corporations and sole proprietors have one.
Mark and what was checked	✓ Verified (NTS) · When a company signs up as a Business member, we send its business registration number, representative's name and business start date to the National Tax Service's business registration authenticity and status lookup, and confirm that all three match the NTS records and the business is not suspended or closed. No document needs to be uploaded.
What was not checked	If the business is suspended or closed, or the representative changes, after sign-up, the mark does not change on its own. If you edit the representative's name or business start date in Company Info, the check is run again.

▸ How it looks on screen — a Korean company

Company info window

Company page header

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China 中国 · 统一社会信用代码 · 营业执照
Number name	Unified Social Credit Code(统一社会信用代码, USCC) — 18 letters and digits
What it is	Since 2015, China has merged into one(三证合一) the business license number, organization code and tax registration number that companies used to receive separately, and uses this single number instead. It is roughly like Korea's business registration number and corporate registration number combined. The 1st character is the registering authority (9 = market regulation administration), the 2nd is the entity type (1 = enterprise), the 3rd–8th are the region code, the 9th–17th are the organization code, and the final 18th character is a check character calculated from the first 17 (national standard GB 32100-2015).
What the business license is	The business license(营业执照) is the certificate of company establishment issued by the Administration for Market Regulation (市场监督管理局). It works like Korea's business registration certificate and corporate register combined. It shows the company name, credit code, company type, legal representative (法定代表人), registered capital, date of establishment, address and business scope (经营范围, the business the company may carry out), and its QR code lets you look up the official record. In China it must be displayed at the place of business, so sending a copy to trading partners is common.
Mark and what was checked	✓ Credit code checked ✓ Business license verified · ✓ Credit code checked: at sign-up, we check that the 18 characters use only allowed characters and that the final check character matches the calculation. This filters out typos and made-up numbers. Every Chinese company that signs up gets this mark. · ✓ Business license verified: an administrator checks that the company name and credit code on the uploaded photo of the business license match the sign-up information.
What was not checked	The credit code mark alone cannot tell you whether a company with that number actually exists. The business license mark is based on looking at a photo, so please check for yourself in China's official records (公示系统) whether the company is still operating.

▸ How it looks on screen — a Chinese company

Company info window

Company page header

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Hong Kong 香港 · 商業登記號碼 · 商業登記證
Number name	Business Registration Number(商業登記號碼, BR No.) — 8 digits
What it is	Every company and individual doing business in Hong Kong must register with the Business Registration Office of the Inland Revenue Department (稅務局) and obtain a Business Registration Certificate(商業登記證, BR). In a certificate number such as '12345678-000-04-24', the first 8 digits are the Business Registration Number; the rest are the branch number and the month and year the certificate expires. eGuro stores only the first 8 digits, even if you enter the rest.
What the BR certificate is	A certificate showing that the business is registered. It must be renewed every 1 or 3 years and must be displayed at the place of business. Limited companies separately receive a Certificate of Incorporation (公司註冊證明書) and a company number (CR No.) from the Companies Registry (公司註冊處).
Mark and what was checked	✓ BR certificate verified · At sign-up, we only check that it is 8 digits. Hong Kong numbers have no published check-digit method, so the number alone does not earn a mark. · ✓ BR certificate verified: an administrator checks that the company name and number on the photo of the BR certificate match the sign-up information.
What was not checked	The certificate has a validity period, so after our check it may have expired without being renewed. We did not compare it directly with Hong Kong government records.

▸ How it looks on screen — a Hong Kong company

Company info window

Company page header

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Japan 日本 · 法人番号 · 登記事項証明書
Number name	Corporate Number(法人番号) — 13 digits
What it is	A number assigned since 2015 by Japan's National Tax Agency (国税庁), one per company. It is a public number that anyone can look up on the NTA's Corporate Number Publication Site, and its first digit is a check digit calculated from the remaining 12; those remaining 12 digits are the same as the company registration number (会社法人等番号) used in the commercial register. Only corporations (companies) have one; sole proprietors do not.
What the certificate of registered matters is	The certificate of registered matters(登記事項証明書) is the company registration certificate issued by the Legal Affairs Bureau (法務局), and works like Korea's corporate register. It shows the trade name (company name), head office address, business purpose, capital, directors and other officers including the representative director, and date of establishment. In Japan it is the basic document showing 'that the company was lawfully established, and who represents it', so when opening an account or signing a contract, partners usually ask for one issued within the last 3 months. The most common type is the 履歴事項全部証明書 (full certificate of historical registered matters), which includes past records as well.
Mark and what was checked	✓ Registration certificate verified · At sign-up, we check that it is 13 digits and that the leading check digit matches the calculation (no mark is given for this). · ✓ Registration certificate verified: an administrator checks that the company name and the company registration number (会社法人等番号, 12 digits) on the photo of the certificate of registered matters match the company name and the last 12 digits of the Corporate Number given at sign-up. · We are preparing a feature that connects to the NTA's corporate number system to match the company name to the corporate number automatically.
What was not checked	The certificate reflects the records as of its date of issue. Please check any later changes on the Corporate Number Publication Site.

▸ How it looks on screen — a Japanese company

Company info window

Company page header

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Other countries Taiwan · Singapore · USA, etc.
Number name	Varies by country. E.g. Taiwan 統一編號 (Unified Business Number, 8 digits), Singapore UEN, USA EIN
What document	A company registration certificate issued by that country's authorities (e.g. Taiwan 經濟部 company registration record, Singapore ACRA BizFile)
Mark and what was checked	✓ Documents verified · At sign-up, we only check that it is 4–30 letters and digits. · ✓ Documents verified: an administrator checks that the company name and number on the photo of the company registration document match the sign-up information.
What was not checked	Documents look different in every country, and the administrator did not compare them directly with that country's government records.

▸ How it looks on screen — a company from another country (example: Taiwan)

Company info window

Company page header

⚠ What a verification mark does not tell you

· It does not mean we vouch for the company. A verification mark does not guarantee the company's creditworthiness or stock, whether parts are genuine, or their quality, delivery or the outcome of a deal (Terms of Use, Article 5-2).

· It reflects the time of the check. If the company closes, or its name, address or representative changes after the check, the mark does not change on its own.

· Documents were checked from photos. The administrator looked at the photo or PDF the company uploaded, and did not compare it with the original document or the records of that country's authorities. A well-made forged document may not be caught.

· China's ✓ Credit code checked only looks at the number's format. This mark cannot tell you whether a company with that number actually exists, or whether the number really belongs to the company that signed up.

· So do not be convinced that a company is trustworthy from the mark alone. The mark is just one of several clues to consider when you start trading with someone for the first time.

Company Info → Verification document

The company administrator uploads the document in the 'Verification document' field under My eGuro → Company Info. JPG · PNG · PDF, up to 10MB. Please make sure the company name and registration number are clearly visible.

Administrator check

An administrator checks that the company name and registration number on the document match the sign-up information. If they do, the mark is added; if not, the document is returned with the reason. The result is also sent by email.

Document files are deleted after 30 days

Only site administrators can see the documents. 30 days after the check is completed (or 7 days for a previous document replaced by a new one), the file is deleted and only the check result is kept.