LEI Lookup
Find a company's Legal Entity Identifier, or check an LEI and see who it belongs to.
An LEI (Legal Entity Identifier) is a 20-character code that identifies a legal entity, such as a company, bank or fund, in financial transactions. Search by company name, enter an LEI to check its check digits and see its record, or enter a SWIFT/BIC code to find the LEI mapped to it. The record comes live from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation, which publishes the LEI data as open data.
Look Up an LEI
Type at least 3 characters and press Search. The country is the country of the legal address in the LEI record.
Spaces and dashes are ignored. The check digits are tested in your browser. A code that passes is then looked up.
Only BICs of legal entities that have an LEI are mapped. A branch or department code often has none, and the mapping is kept by Swift and GLEIF.
How an LEI Is Built
| Characters | Part | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | Prefix | Identifies the LEI issuer that made the code, so codes from different issuers never clash. |
| 5 to 18 | Entity part | Chosen by the issuer. It carries no meaning, so it does not show the company name, country or type. |
| 19 and 20 | Check digits | Two digits worked out from the first 18 characters, using ISO 7064 MOD 97-10. |
The example is the LEI of Deutsche Bank AG. The prefix and the entity part do not tell you anything about the company. To learn who holds an LEI, look the code up.
How the Check Digits Work
The check works the same way as an IBAN's. Replace each letter with two digits (A is 10, B is 11 and so on to Z, which is 35), and keep the digits as they are. The whole number must leave a remainder of 1 when divided by 97. For 7LTWFZYICNSX8D621K86:
Dividing that number by 97 leaves a remainder of 1, so the LEI passes. To make new check digits, put 00 after the first 18 characters, take the remainder after dividing by 97, and subtract it from 98. The check digits are worked out this way in the standard, and 19,302 LEIs from the Swift and GLEIF mapping all pass. Some LEIs end in 00 or 01 and still pass, because 00 and 97 leave the same remainder, and so do 01 and 98. The check catches about 99% of one-character mistakes and of swaps of two neighbouring characters, so a pass does not prove that the LEI is real. The lookup does.
LEI Statuses
Every record has a registration status. These are the values in GLEIF's data. Only Issued is a record in good standing.
| Status | In plain words |
|---|---|
| Issued | The LEI is issued and in good standing. |
| Lapsed | The renewal date passed and the LEI was not renewed. The LEI still exists. |
| Merged, Retired | The record is closed because the entity merged into another, or stopped existing. |
| Annulled, Duplicate | The LEI was issued in error, or the entity has another LEI that should be used. |
| Pending transfer, Pending archival | The record is moving to another issuer, or being archived. |
Go Deeper
What an LEI Is For
The LEI is a global standard, ISO 17442, for identifying legal entities in financial transactions. GLEIF, the not-for-profit foundation that runs the system, says every LEI is unique and can represent only one entity, and that each LEI links to reference data about who the entity is and, where reported, who owns it. Companies, banks, funds and public bodies use LEIs in regulatory reporting and in payments, and a bank may ask for yours before it opens an account or a trade.
How This Lookup Works
When you search, your browser asks GLEIF's public API for the record and this page shows what comes back. GLEIF's API allows 60 requests per minute for each user, so if you search very fast the page will tell you to wait. The page never stores what you type. It shows the date of the GLEIF data that answered your request.
Finding an LEI From a SWIFT/BIC Code
Swift and GLEIF publish a mapping between BICs and LEIs. It covers BICs of legal entities and foreign branches that have an LEI, so a BIC of a branch, department or test system usually has no LEI. Enter the 8 or 11 characters of the BIC. For an 8-character BIC the page looks for the code with XXX added, the way the mapping writes a main office. Check a BIC on our SWIFT code checker.
Getting an LEI
An LEI is issued by an accredited LEI issuer, and GLEIF keeps a list of issuers. Issuers set their own fees, so compare them, and remember that an LEI has to be renewed each year to stay Issued.
What This Page Uses
The record data comes live from the GLEIF API. GLEIF says its LEI data is free and provided under the CC0 licence, and that data is maintained by the LEI issuers. The BIC search uses the API's BIC filter, which is based on the BIC-to-LEI mapping that Swift and GLEIF publish. The check digit method is the one in ISO 17442, and it was tested on 19,302 LEIs. You can look any record up on GLEIF's own LEI search. We last checked on 19 September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an LEI?
An LEI is a Legal Entity Identifier, a 20-character code that identifies a legal entity such as a company, bank, fund or public body in financial transactions. It follows the ISO 17442 standard. GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation, runs the system, and every LEI is unique and can represent only one entity.
What do the 20 characters of an LEI mean?
Characters 1 to 4 are the prefix of the issuer that made the code, characters 5 to 18 are chosen by the issuer, and characters 19 and 20 are check digits. The code carries no meaning about the company, so you cannot tell its name, country or type from it. Look the code up to see the record.
How do I check whether an LEI is valid?
Two checks. First the check digits: the code passes if the 20 characters, with letters turned into numbers, leave a remainder of 1 when divided by 97. This page does that in your browser. Then the lookup: GLEIF must have a record with that code. A code can pass the first check and still never have been issued, so use the lookup.
How are the check digits worked out?
By the ISO 7064 MOD 97-10 method, the same as an IBAN. Replace each letter by two digits, A = 10 to Z = 35, put 00 after the first 18 characters, take the remainder after dividing by 97, and subtract it from 98. The page shows a worked example, and all 19,302 LEIs in the Swift and GLEIF mapping pass.
How good are the check digits at catching typing mistakes?
They catch about 99% of mistakes where one character is wrong and about 99% of swaps of two neighbouring characters. So a code that passes probably has no typing mistake, but that does not prove that the LEI exists. Use the lookup for that.
What is the difference between an LEI and a SWIFT/BIC code?
An LEI identifies a legal entity, and a BIC identifies an institution, or one of its branches or departments, on the financial messaging network. One entity can have several BICs and one LEI. Swift and GLEIF publish a mapping between them, and this page can look an LEI up from a BIC. Check a BIC with our SWIFT code checker.
What do the LEI statuses mean?
Issued means the LEI is issued and in good standing. Lapsed means the renewal date passed without a renewal. Merged and Retired mean the record is closed because the entity merged into another or stopped existing, Annulled and Duplicate mean the LEI was issued in error or another LEI should be used, and Pending transfer and Pending archival mean the record is moving to another issuer or being archived. The table on this page lists them.
Why does a record say Lapsed?
An LEI has to be renewed with its issuer, usually each year. If the renewal date passes without a renewal, GLEIF shows the record as Lapsed. The entity still exists and the record still shows its data, but the data has not been confirmed recently. Ask the entity to renew.
Can one company have more than one LEI?
It should not. An LEI represents one entity, and GLEIF marks records that turn out to be duplicates. But GLEIF says it cannot guarantee that a certain LEI is the only LEI issued for a legal entity, so search the name as well as the code, and prefer the record with the status Issued.
What are the parent companies on a record?
Where an entity has reported who owns it, GLEIF links its direct parent and ultimate parent, which have LEIs too. The Show parent companies button loads them. If it says none are reported, the entity has not reported a parent that has an LEI, or has given a reason for not reporting one. It does not mean the entity has no owner.
How do I get an LEI for my company?
From an accredited LEI issuer. GLEIF keeps the list, and each issuer sets its own fee, so compare them. You renew the LEI each year, and keep your data up to date, so that the record stays in good standing.
Why did my search find nothing?
The name search looks in the official registered legal name, so a trading name or a brand may not match. Try fewer words, another spelling, or the name in the entity's own language, and remove the country. If you have the entity's SWIFT/BIC code, look it up on the SWIFT/BIC tab, but a BIC of a branch or department may not have an LEI.
Where does the data come from, and how current is it?
Live from GLEIF's public API. GLEIF says its LEI data is free and provided under the CC0 licence, and that the data is maintained by the LEI issuers. The page shows the date of the GLEIF data that answered your request. We do not store or change the data, and this page is not provided or endorsed by GLEIF. We last checked on 19 September 2026.
Is anything I type sent anywhere?
Yes, to GLEIF. A check of the check digits stays in your browser, but a search, or a lookup of an LEI or a BIC, goes from your browser to GLEIF's API, so GLEIF can see the request. GLEIF allows 60 requests per minute for each user. We do not store what you type.
