Registers, numbers and banking, explained properly
Practical guides that cut across jurisdictions: how to search an official register, which tax number a form is really asking for, and what to do when a bank freezes an account. Every figure is sourced and dated.
Company registers
What each official register publishes, what it charges for, and what it will never show.
Delaware Business Entity Search in 2026: What It ShowsThe free Delaware entity search returns a file number, formation date and registered agent. It never shows owners. Here is what you get, what you do not, and where to look next.12 min readCompanies House Search in 2026: Owners, Filings, LimitsCompanies House is free, shows directors and owners, and holds 4.8 million companies. It also states it does not check what is filed. Here is how to search it properly.11 min readHong Kong Companies Registry Search: Free vs Paid in 2026Name, document index and charges searches are free. Company particulars cost HK$22. The portal also moved in December 2023. Here is what you get at each price.11 min readACRA BizFile Company Search: Free vs the S$5.50 ProfileSearching a Singapore company by name or UEN is free. Directors, shareholders and paid-up capital sit behind a S$5.50 Business Profile. Here is what each one shows.11 min readEstonian Business Register Search: The Most Open in EuropeFree directors, shareholders, annual reports, declared turnover and tax arrears. But the beneficial owner register closed to the public in 2025. Here is what you can still see.14 min readIrish CRO Company Search: Free Data, Paid DocumentsName and status searches on CORE are free. Documents cost €3.50 each. But the Open Data Portal now publishes the same financial statements for nothing. Here is the shortcut.11 min readUK VAT Number Check: Proof, Formats and the VIES TrapHMRC's checker confirms a GB VAT number and returns the business name and address. Enter your own number and it also gives you proof of the check. Here is why that matters.10 min readEIN Verification: There Is No Public Lookup, and What to DoThe IRS runs no public EIN directory. Verification means TIN Matching, a W-9, or the CP 575. Here is each route, who qualifies, and the 24% cost of getting it wrong.11 min read
Tax and company numbers
Which number is which, who issues it, and which one the form is actually asking for.
UK Tax Identification Number: There Isn't One, and What to GiveThe UK issues no single TIN. Which number counts depends on who you are and which form is asking, and two official sources disagree for companies. Here is the decision matrix.12 min readTax Office Reference Number: Format, Where to Find ItIt is your employer PAYE reference, formatted 123/AB456. Not the Accounts Office reference, not your UTR. Here is where each one lives and which HMRC form wants which.10 min readUTR Number: Company vs Personal, and How to Find YoursA UTR is 10 digits from HMRC. A director has two of them, one personal and one for the company, and using the wrong one on a return is the classic mistake. Here is how to tell them apart.10 min readUEN Singapore: How to Read One Without Looking It UpA UEN encodes the year of registration and the entity type. Learn the three formats and you can read a counterparty's age and legal form straight off the number, for free.10 min readSingapore Tax Identification Number: NRIC, FIN or UENSingapore gives one clean answer. Citizens and PRs use their NRIC, foreign pass holders their FIN, entities their UEN. Here is which, the formats, and what if you have none.10 min readHong Kong TIN: The Number on Your Tax Return Is Not ItThe IRD prints a 'TIN' on individual tax returns that is not valid for CRS or bank forms. The real answer is your HKID without brackets, or the first 8 digits of the BR number.10 min readBRN vs Company Number Hong Kong: One Number Since 2023Hong Kong merged its two company identifiers on 27 December 2023. Companies formed since have one number. Older ones still have two. Here is which you need, and when.10 min read
Business banking
Accounts, freezes, proof of address and the clocks that run while you wait.
Business Bank Account Frozen: Why, and the Real TimelinesYour bank often cannot legally tell you why. Three different mechanisms freeze accounts, each with its own statutory clock: 7 working days, 31 days, 217 days, or two years.12 min readHow to Unfreeze a Business Bank Account: A Week by Week PlanWhat to send, when to escalate, and which deadlines are yours rather than the bank's. Includes the evidence pack contents and the 15 day rule most people never hear about.11 min readProof of Address: The 3 Month Rule Is Not One RuleUtility bills expire at 90 days. Bank statements often last 6 months, and council tax 12. Knowing which clock applies is usually the difference between rejection and approval.9 min readOffshore Business Bank Account: What It Means in 2026Banking secrecy ended with CRS in 2017. Over 120 jurisdictions now exchange account data automatically. Here is what an offshore account still does, and how to choose one.10 min readWhy Bank Transfers Take So Long, and How to Make Them FasterA direct transfer averages 15 hours. Add intermediaries and it is 1 day 11 hours. Add a currency conversion and it is 4.6 days. Here is where the time actually goes.10 min read