RIVEROS CORP NETWORK | Apostille de la Haya · Notary Public Center · Compliance Officers · USJurisdiction
RIVEROS CORP NETWORK | Apostille de la Haya · Notary Public Center · Compliance Officers · USJurisdiction
Riveros Corp is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
Before you sign with a US company, confirm that it exists, that it is in good standing, who runs it and what liabilities come with it. We deliver a records file on the company, with every data point tied to its source registry.
Verifying a US company means confirming in official records that the company legally exists, that it is current with the state where it was formed, who is listed as running it and what liens, lawsuits or restrictions are on file in its name.
It sounds obvious, yet it’s where almost everyone goes wrong, for a structural reason: there is no federal business registry in the United States. There’s no national database where you can look up a company. Each state keeps its own registry, with its own search tool, its own terminology and its own level of detail.
That’s why a polished corporate website, a logo and a Miami address prove absolutely nothing. And that’s why a search in the wrong state comes back “not found” for a company that does exist.
A Delaware company does not appear in the Florida registry. The first step is getting the state right.
A company can be on the registry and still be administratively dissolved for failing to file its Annual Report.
US corporate registries make the company’s existence public, not who is behind it.
They come from importers, family offices, professional firms and companies about to sign with a US counterparty.
It’s probably formed in another state and only has a business address in Florida. Those are two different things.
None of that goes through a public registry. It can be set up in an afternoon and does not prove legal existence.
The most common question and the most disappointing answer: the state registry does not publish ultimate ownership.
There is no public IRS lookup to confirm a private company’s EIN. You have to confirm it another way.
Lawsuits and liens on its assets live in systems separate from the corporate registry. No one puts them together for you.
A certificate of status shows the company’s status on the day it was issued, not today.
Each problem above is matched by a specific part of the file.
Before searching, we determine where the company is actually formed and whether it is also authorized to do business in other states.
We request the certificate of status issued by the state itself, not a screenshot or a forwarded PDF.
We pull the officers, registered agent and address, and explain clearly where public information ends and why.
We explain which documents do prove the counterparty’s tax number and how to request them without putting yourself in an awkward spot.
Liens on assets, court cases and federal exclusions, brought together in a single document.
If the certificate has to be accepted in another country, we also handle its apostille.
Each section of the report states the source searched and the date. That’s what makes a finding hold up.
Exact legal name, registration number, entity type, date of formation and state where it was formed. This comes from the state’s corporate registry.
Whether it is active, inactive or administratively dissolved. In Florida, the document that proves it is the Certificate of Status.
Whether it filed its Annual Report and when. It is the simplest sign of whether anyone is still looking after the company.
Directors, officers, managers or managing members, depending on the entity type and on what that state publishes.
Who receives the company’s legal notices and at which physical address in the state. A telling detail when it doesn’t match anything else.
Security interests recorded against the company’s property under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). They show who has a priority claim.
Cases in federal courts, including bankruptcy, and in state courts when the county publishes them.
Debarment from federal government contracting and screening against OFAC’s SDN List.
Fictitious names registered by the company. They explain why the company operates under a brand that doesn’t match its legal name.
An honest report starts with its limits. These are the questions the US corporate registry does not answer, no matter how hard you dig:
So how do you get to the real owner?
Not through the registry, but through due diligence: documents provided by the counterparty itself, a declared corporate structure that is checked against the records, and verification of the individuals who appear. That is exactly the work of a KYC file.
That’s why many clients order both together: the registry verification proves what the company is; the due diligence establishes who is behind it and how much risk they carry.
All we need is the name and any clue about where it operates. If you have a registration number or an address, even better: it speeds things up.
We determine where it is actually formed and whether it is also authorized to do business in other states.
Formation details, standing, Annual Report history, officers and registered agent.
Liens on assets, court cases, federal exclusions and sanctions screening.
We request the state certificate that proves the company’s status, with the issue date visible, and have it apostilled if it will be used outside the United States.
Everything in one place, each data point with its registry and date, and anything that could not be verified stated as such.
Confirm that the company you are contracting with exists, is in good standing and is signing through someone who can bind it.
Especially in import deals where the first payment goes out upfront against an invoice.
Registry status, liens and lawsuits of the target company, as the foundation for the transaction’s due diligence.
As part of onboarding a US counterparty in your Know Your Customer procedure.
Our own office at 175 SW 7th Street, Suite 1905, Miami. We work every day with state registries in Florida and across the country.
If the document has to be accepted outside the United States, we also handle its apostille.
With the official name and the registry terms in English, which are the ones that will appear in any later document.
The entire process is handled through documents and video calls.
By searching the corporate registry of the state where it was formed, which is the authority that certifies its existence and standing. There is no federal business registry: each state keeps its own, so the first step is always to determine the correct state.
No. Company formation is handled by each state, and there is no federal database that brings them together. That is why a company may not appear in the Florida registry and still be perfectly real: it is simply formed in another state.
It is the document issued by the state itself certifying that the company exists and is current with its registry obligations. It carries an issue date and shows the situation on that specific day, not today: an old certificate cannot prove the current status.
Not through the state registry: beneficial ownership is not public information. The registry publishes the company’s existence, its officers or managers and its registered agent, but not who ultimately owns it. Getting to the real owner takes due diligence work with documents that are provided and then checked.
An administratively dissolved company is still listed in the registry, but it has lost its good standing for failing to meet obligations such as the Annual Report. Appearing in the registry is not the same as being in good standing, and it’s one of the costliest mix-ups we see.
The IRS does not offer a public lookup of private companies’ tax identification numbers. It has to be confirmed in other ways, usually with documents provided by the counterparty itself. We tell you which document to request so it holds up as support.
It includes the court cases that can be found in federal courts, including bankruptcy, and in state courts when the county publishes them. It also includes security interests recorded against the company’s assets, which show who has a priority claim on its property.
Yes. We work with registries across the country. The level of detail published varies from state to state, and the report states expressly what that state publishes and what it doesn’t.
Yes, and it will normally need an apostille to be accepted by foreign authorities. We can handle the certificate and its apostille in the same order.
The company’s name and any clue about where it operates. If you have its registration number, its address or one of its invoices, the work is faster and more precise.
The report shows who is listed as officer or manager according to the registry. Verifying those individuals—identity, public background, sanctions lists—is due diligence work that can be ordered along with this one or separately.
It depends on the state and on whether an official certificate is requested, which has its own issuing times. We give you a specific timeline in writing before we start.
Send us the name and whatever you know about it. We’ll tell you what can be verified in your case, which registry it is in and what the report would contain.
or call us at +1 (305) 647-3000 · Monday through Friday
175 SW 7th St, Suite 1905 · Miami, Florida 33130
To reach the individuals behind the company.
The standard level of counterparty verification.
Sanctions, PEPs and source of funds when risk factors are present.
If what you need is to form the company, not verify it.
