LEI Lookup

What an LEI lookup gives you: a public, standardized record for a legal entity — including identity details (Level 1 “who is who”), relationship data where available (Level 2 “who owns whom”), and key fields like issuer (LOU — LOU (Local Operating Unit) — an accredited organization that issues/renews LEIs and validates entity data.LOU: LOU (Local Operating Unit) — an accredited organization that issues/renews LEIs and validates entity data.) and current status.

What you can look up

An LEI lookup is most useful when you need to uniquely identify an entity across countries and naming conventions — especially when the entity is a counterparty — The other party to a transaction (e.g., a bank, fund, or company) that enters into the financial agreement with you.counterparty: The other party to a transaction (e.g., a bank, fund, or company) that enters into the financial agreement with you. in regulated financial activity.

How to search (by LEI, name, registration number)

The most authoritative public source is the Global LEI Index coordinated by GLEIF — GLEIF — the organization that coordinates the global LEI system and maintains data quality in the Global LEI Index.GLEIF: GLEIF — the organization that coordinates the global LEI system and maintains data quality in the Global LEI Index. as part of the GLEIS — GLEIS (Global LEI System) — the global framework of rules and institutions that supports issuing and publishing LEIs.GLEIS: GLEIS (Global LEI System) — the global framework of rules and institutions that supports issuing and publishing LEIs..

You can typically search using:

• Exact LEI: best option when you already have the code.
• Legal name: useful, but may return multiple similar entities across jurisdictions.
• Business registry / registration number: helpful for disambiguation in a given jurisdiction — The country or legal area whose laws and regulations apply to an entity or activity.jurisdiction: The country or legal area whose laws and regulations apply to an entity or activity..

Interpreting status and key dates

When you open an LEI record, focus on the entity status and the validation/renewal dates. For many practical workflows, “active/validated” vs “lapsed” is the difference between smooth processing and a manual review.

If your record shows it is no longer current, go to Renewing an LEI to understand how to revalidate and restore usability.

Understanding Level 1 vs Level 2 data

The LEI system publishes two main layers of reference data:

• Level 1 (Who is Who): core identity fields (name, addresses, registration info).
• Level 2 (Who owns Whom): relationship data for direct/ultimate parents where applicable and reportable.

Not every entity will show Level 2 relationships. Some legal structures (or local reporting conditions) can limit relationship disclosure, and in some cases the “no relationship reported” outcome is expected.

Common lookup mistakes