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, never the owners. What you get, what you do not, where to look.13 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. How to search it well.12 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 Search Singapore: Free vs the S$5.50 ProfileSearching a Singapore company by name or UEN on BizFile is free. Directors, shareholders and paid-up capital sit behind a S$5.50 Business Profile.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. What remains.14 min readIrish CRO Company Search: Free Data, Paid DocumentsName and status searches on CORE are free and documents cost €3.50 each, but the Open Data Portal now publishes the same financial statements for nothing.13 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 too and you get proof of the check. Why it 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: each route, who qualifies, and the 24% cost of getting it wrong.11 min readCompanies House Fees 2026: The Complete Filing ListEvery Companies House fee in one table: incorporation, confirmation statement, charges, restoration, LLPs and certified copies. Digital and paper.8 min readBR Fee Hong Kong 2026/27: HK$2,350, and the Levy Is BackA one-year BR certificate costs HK$2,350 from April 2026 and three years HK$6,170, because the HK$150 levy returned. Renewal timing and expiry penalties.6 min readDelaware Certificate of Good Standing: $50 or $175?The short form costs $50, the long form $175 and lists every filing. Which one your bank wants, and why the free online status check is not enough.7 min readLost Certificate of Incorporation: How to Replace ItThe original is never reissued. You get a certified copy, 22 pounds by post for a UK company. What to do in the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Delaware.8 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. 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.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. Where each one lives and which 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, one personal and one for the company, and using the wrong one on a return is the classic mistake.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 off the number.10 min readSingapore Tax Identification Number: NRIC, FIN or UENIn Singapore your tax identification number is one you already hold: NRIC for citizens and PRs, FIN for pass holders, UEN for entities. Formats and edge cases.10 min readHong Kong Tax Identification Number (TIN): HKID or BR No.Hong Kong issues no separate TIN. Individuals give their HKID number without brackets, companies the first 8 digits of the BR number, not the one on a return.10 min readHong Kong Business Registration Number: Format, BRN vs CRNA Hong Kong business registration number is 8 digits, the first block of the BR certificate number. Since 27 December 2023 new companies have only this one.10 min readIrish CRO Number: Format, Where to Find It, How to CheckAn Irish CRO number is up to 6 digits and never changes. Where it appears, how it differs from the tax number and the RBO, and how to verify one on CORE.7 min readEstonian Registry Code: Business Registration Number FormatAn Estonian business registration number (registrikood) is 8 digits and permanent. How it differs from the VAT number and the isikukood, and how to verify one.7 min readDelaware File Number vs EIN: Two Numbers, Two IssuersThe file number is 7 digits from Delaware and instant. The EIN is 9 digits from the IRS and can take weeks without an SSN. Which one a form wants.7 min readUK Company Number Format: Prefixes and Leading ZerosA UK company number is 8 characters and the leading zeros are part of it. What each prefix means, and why your number keeps getting rejected by forms.8 min readEstonian VAT Number: EE Plus 9 Digits, and When You Need ItRegistration is mandatory at 40,000 EUR of taxable turnover, with three business days to act. The KMKR format, and how it differs from the registry code.6 min readIrish VAT Number: Format, Thresholds, How to VerifyAn Irish VAT number is IE plus 7 digits and one or two letters. Goods and services thresholds differ, and verifying on the day of supply protects you.7 min readCorporation Tax Reference Number: How to Find and Read ItThe Corporation Tax payment reference is 17 characters: your company UTR plus a code for the accounting period. Where to find it and how to fix a wrong one.12 min readAre EIN Numbers Public? Where Yours Shows Up in 2026A private company's EIN sits in no IRS directory, yet the law does not make it secret. Where it gets published, who can see it, and how to limit exposure.13 min readGST Registration Check Singapore: Read the IRAS ResultCheck a Singapore company's GST status on the IRAS search, with no login. How to read status, period and remarks, and what a missing record really means.12 min readITIN vs EIN vs SSN: Which One a Foreign-Owned LLC NeedsAn EIN belongs to the company, an SSN and an ITIN to a person. Which of the three a foreign-owned US LLC needs, which form asks for which, and when.13 min readSSIC Code Singapore: Choose, Read and Change It in 2026An SSIC code is the 5-digit activity code on a Singapore company's ACRA record. How many you declare, when one triggers a referral, how to change it free.11 min readTax Identification Number by Country: Which One to GiveA tax identification number is a box on a form, not one number. What a company gives in the UK, Ireland, Estonia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the US.13 min readBusiness Registration Number: What It Is Called by CountryA business registration number is the number a register gives a company at formation. Its name, issuer and shape in six jurisdictions, and the tax ID overlap.13 min read
Company documents
The certificates and copies a bank or a registry asks for: who issues them and what each one proves.
Certificate of Formation: What It Is and Its Names by StateA certificate of formation is the state filing that creates an LLC. Its names in seven states, what it is not, the four papers it produces, how to get a copy.13 min readCertificate of Incumbency: Who Issues It, What It ProvesNo state issues a certificate of incumbency. Who signs it, what it lists, when it must be notarized or apostilled, and what replaces it in each jurisdiction.13 min readShare Certificate: Singapore and Hong Kong Company RulesA company share certificate is evidence of title, not the title itself. Deadlines, proof value and lost certificate rules in Singapore and Hong Kong.13 min readCertified True Copy of Company Documents: Who Can CertifyA certified true copy is either issued by the registry or signed by a professional who saw the original. Who can certify in Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK.13 min readTax Residency Certificate for a Company in 5 CountriesA company's tax residency certificate has five names in five countries. Forms, fees and conditions for the US, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Ireland.13 min read
Business banking
Accounts, freezes, proof of address and the clocks that run while you wait.
How Long Can a Bank Freeze a Business Account? Real ClocksYour bank often cannot legally tell you why. Three mechanisms freeze business accounts, each with its own legal clock, from seven working days to 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. With the evidence pack contents and the 15 day rule few people hear of.11 min readProof of Address for Business Accounts: Not One 3 Month RuleUtility bills expire at 90 days. Bank statements often last 6 months, council tax 12. Knowing which clock applies often decides rejection or approval.9 min readOffshore Business Bank Account: What It Means in 2026Banking secrecy ended with CRS in 2017 and over 120 jurisdictions now exchange account data. 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. Where the time goes.10 min read
Structures and concepts
The vocabulary of company law, defined once and properly.
Estonia e-Residency Timeline: How Long It Takes in 2026e-Residency review takes about 30 days and the company about a day, but collecting the card sits in between. The full 2026 timeline to a working Estonian OÜ.10 min readLocal Contact Person in Estonia: Rules, Cost, Who Can Be OneIf your board lives abroad, Estonian law requires a licensed contact person. Who may hold the role, what it costs, and how it differs from a legal address.9 min readSection 137 Bond Ireland: Cost, Duration, When You Need ItNo EEA-resident director means a 25,000 EUR bond under Section 137. What it covers, what it costs over two years, and how the Section 140 exemption works.7 min readCompany Secretary Fees by Jurisdiction: What You PaySingapore and Hong Kong require a company secretary, the UK and Delaware do not. What the role costs in each jurisdiction, and who is allowed to hold it.8 min readDoing Business in Singapore vs Germany: Side by Side, 2026Setup time, capital, corporate tax, VAT and employment cost compared. Singapore incorporates in days with no minimum capital, Germany needs a notary.9 min readApostille for Company Documents: What Actually Needs OneAn apostille only works between Hague Convention countries, and most corporate documents must be notarised first. What needs one, and in what order.7 min readLtd vs Limited: Is There a Difference in UK Law?Ltd and Limited mean the same thing in UK law, but your company registered only one of them. Which form to use on invoices, contracts and bank accounts.14 min readUltimate Beneficial Owner Register: Who Files, Who Sees ItWho must declare, at what threshold, where and by when, and who can read the entry: beneficial owner registers in the UK, Ireland, Estonia, Asia and the US.13 min readDate of Incorporation: What It Is and Where to Find ItThe date of incorporation is the day the registrar writes on the certificate, not the day you applied. Where to read it and which deadlines start that day.13 min readRegistered Agent: What It Does for a Foreign-Owned LLCA registered agent receives lawsuits and state mail for your LLC. What it does, what it knows about a foreign owner, and what replaces it outside the US.13 min readInc vs Corp: Is There a Difference? What the Law SaysInc. and Corp. mark the same kind of company. The twelve words Delaware law accepts, why an LLC cannot use them, and what a US suffix really tells you.11 min readHolding Company vs Parent Company vs Subsidiary: The LawThe law defines holding company and subsidiary; parent is the accounting word. The UK and Hong Kong tests, and what a corporate owner changes in registers.13 min readShare Capital vs Paid-Up Capital: What the Gap Costs YouShare capital is the figure you choose, paid-up capital is what shareholders have paid. The gap is a debt. Rules for Singapore, Hong Kong and the UK.13 min readPte Ltd Meaning: What Pte and Ltd Stand For in SingaporePte Ltd stands for Private Limited: shares closed to the public, liability limited. What the suffix says about a Singapore company, and what it leaves out.11 min readStrike Off vs Dissolution: UK Company Closure ExplainedStriking off a UK company and dissolving it are one ending, not two options. The real alternative is liquidation, and the strike off you never asked for.14 min readNominee Director: What It Means, Duties and Risks (2026)No statute knows a director in name only. What a nominee director is, where a local director is required, what both sides risk and what registers show.13 min readDormant Company UK: HMRC vs Companies House Rules in 2026A UK company can be dormant for HMRC and active for Companies House. The two tests, the four cases, what you still file and what ends dormant status.13 min read
Operating taxes
The taxes a company meets after it exists.
CT600 Deadline: Why the Tax Is Due Before the ReturnThe CT600 is due 12 months after your accounting period ends, but the tax is due at 9 months and 1 day. Two deadlines, and the money comes first.8 min readMonthly Bookkeeping in Estonia 2026: Do You Even Need It?Most Estonian companies run by non-residents file nothing monthly. Monthly filing starts with VAT or salaries, and the only fixed deadline is the annual one.7 min readDelaware LLC Annual Fees 2026: The $300 to $400 ShiftDelaware raised the LLC annual tax from $300 to $400 under HB 400. It applies to tax year 2026, and the first bill at the new rate is due on 1 June 2027.7 min read