A legal entity is not limited to the use of an LEI issuer in its own country; Instead, it may use the registration services of any accredited and qualified LOU to validate LEI registrations in its authorized jurisdiction(s). The table below lists all GLEIF-accredited LEI issuers that provide LEI services by jurisdiction. Accredited LEI issuers have successfully completed the GLEIF accreditation program for associated jurisdictions, either for non-fund entities only or for non-financial entities and fund entities. To find out which LEI issuers in a given country provide services to entities other than funds, select the appropriate country from the drop-down list at the top of the table below. To find out which LEI issuers provide services to fund companies in a particular country, please select the relevant country from the drop-down list and be sure to check the “I want to register a fund” box. A legal entity is not limited to the use of an LEI issuer in its own country. You can access the services of any OU accredited to issue LEI codes in their authorized jurisdictions. To find an authorized issuer in any jurisdiction, GLEIF has a search function on its website. Simply select the jurisdiction(s) to find the issuers and the results will be displayed in a table. At the end of the data validation process, the LEI code is issued and sent to the client via the email address provided. The LEI is also published in the GLEIF database. The database is updated daily, approximately every 6 hours, so the LEI code and associated data may take a little longer to be visible in the global database. Once the LEI code has been listed in GLEIF, it can be made available to any tax authority that needs it! Since 3 January 2018, all companies wishing to participate in transactions on the European financial market (bonds, shares, futures, swaps and other derivatives or securities) must have an active LEI number.

On that date, the European Union Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) and the associated Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation (MiFIR) entered into force. Each investment service provider must verify that the trader has an active LEI code. Where possible, the entity`s data shall be validated from the relevant official business register. In the case of trusts or pension funds or other types of entities that are not listed in an official register, the client is usually asked to provide some form of official document from which the company`s data can be validated. After submission of the application and payment of the fee, the data will be processed and assigned to the LEI. It will be published in the GLEIF database and the client will also be informed that the process is complete. An LEI issuer – also known as a local operating unit (LOU) – provides registration, renewal and other services and acts as the primary interface for legal entities applying for an LEI. Self-registration requires the legal entity of record to provide accurate reference data to the LOU. The LOU must then verify the reference data with locally authoritative sources, such as a national business register, and issue an LEI compliant with the LEI standard.

The LEI is linked to key reference information that allows for the clear and unambiguous identification of legal entities involved in financial transactions. Self-registration requires a legal entity seeking to obtain an LEI to provide its LEI issuer with accurate reference data, i.e. publicly available information about legal entities identifiable by an LEI. Reference data includes: Any legal entity has the right to apply for an LEI number. The process consists of a few steps, which are explained in detail below. The legal entity is required to inform the managing LEI issuing organisation of any changes to its legal entity reference data. The annual renewal process ensures that the legal entity and the LEI issuer review and revalidate the legal entity`s reference data at least annually. This ensures high data quality in relation to the global LEI population and therefore confidence in the Global LEI System. In order to obtain an entity identifier, an LEI application must be completed.

An LEI can be requested from a Local Operating Unit (LOU), i.e. entities that issue LEI codes, or from an LEI registrar, such as LEI search. The registration and renewal of the LOU, as well as other services, must be accredited by the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) to be approved to issue LEIs. Registration agents establish a connection between customers and LOUs, take care of the whole process and make it as easy as possible for the end customer. A legal entity can “transfer” the maintenance of its LEI from one LOU to another. To this end, the authorized representative of the corporation must contact the new LOU, provide their pre-existing LEI number, and provide any other documents required for the new LOU. The new LOU contacts the original LOU.