API reference

Everything an agent or developer needs to call BizCheck. The same content is available as markdown at /llms-full.txt and as OpenAPI 3.1 at /openapi.json.

Overview

BizCheck verifies companies from official sources: national company registers, EU VIES for VAT, GLEIF for LEI, and the EU, UN, US (OFAC) and UK sanctions lists. Every fact carries a source with its URL and fetched_at time.

HTTP API base: https://bizcheck.app/api/v1 (JSON in, JSON out)
MCP server: https://bizcheck.app/mcp (streamable HTTP, POST)
CLI: npx bizcheck (Node, no runtime dependencies)

Authentication

Send the key as a bearer token: Authorization: Bearer bc_live_.... Demo deployments issue bc_test_... keys. signup and coverage need no key.

Get a key with POST /api/v1/signup. No human is involved. The full key is returned once; BizCheck stores only a SHA-256 hash and the key prefix, so a lost key cannot be recovered. Store it where your agent keeps secrets, for example the BIZCHECK_API_KEY environment variable or ~/.config/bizcheck/config.json. Each IP address can create 5 keys per 24 hours.

Checks and plans

A check is one call to check, company, search or sanctions. vat, iban, account, checkout and coverage cost nothing but are rate limited.

Free: 25 checks per key, once. No card.
Pro: EUR 5 per month, 2,000 checks per month (fair use). Premium paid-source lookups, when available, count 10 checks each.

To upgrade, call POST /api/v1/checkout (or read upgrade_url from /account or from a 402 error) and give the link to a human. After payment the same key is Pro. The human lands on a page that says so; the agent just retries.

HTTP endpoints

Base URL https://bizcheck.app/api/v1. Billable responses include checks_left.

Cost: free. No key needed. MCP: signup. CLI: bizcheck signup.

Create an API key. No human, form or card needed. The key is shown once: store it. Limited to 5 signups per IP per 24 hours.

Parameter	In	Type	Notes
label?	body	string	A name for the key, e.g. your agent's name.

Request

curl -X POST https://bizcheck.app/api/v1/signup \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"label":"my-agent"}'

Response (example)

{
  "api_key": "bc_live_7Hq2...redacted",
  "key_prefix": "bc_live_7Hq2",
  "label": "my-agent",
  "plan": "free",
  "checks_left": 25,
  "upgrade_url": "https://checkout.example/c/9f2e...",
  "message": "Save this key now; it is shown only once. It includes 25 free checks. Send it as \"Authorization: Bearer <key>\"."
}

GET/api/v1/account

Cost: free. Needs a key. MCP: account. CLI: bizcheck account.

Plan, checks used and left, period end, and a ready upgrade_url for this key.

Request

curl https://bizcheck.app/api/v1/account \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BIZCHECK_API_KEY"

Response (example)

{
  "key_prefix": "bc_live_7Hq2",
  "label": "my-agent",
  "plan": "free",
  "status": "active",
  "checks_used": 25,
  "checks_limit": 25,
  "checks_left": 0,
  "period": "lifetime",
  "period_end": null,
  "upgrade_url": "https://checkout.example/c/9f2e..."
}

POST/api/v1/checkout

Cost: free. Needs a key. MCP: get_checkout_link. CLI: bizcheck upgrade.

Create a checkout link tied to the calling key. Give it to a human. When they pay, the same key becomes Pro; nothing to reconfigure.

Parameter	In	Type	Notes
plan	body	"pro"	The plan to buy.

Request

curl -X POST https://bizcheck.app/api/v1/checkout \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BIZCHECK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"plan":"pro"}'

Response (example)

{
  "checkout_url": "https://checkout.example/c/9f2e...",
  "expires_at": "2026-11-05T09:12:41Z",
  "plan": "pro",
  "price": "EUR 5/month, 2,000 checks per month"
}

POST/api/v1/check

Cost: 1 check. Needs a key. MCP: check_business. CLI: bizcheck check "Nokia Oyj" --country FI.

The main call. Give any identifier you have; BizCheck resolves the company, validates VAT and IBAN, screens sanctions lists, and returns a verdict (clear, review or fail) with plain-English reasons. If one source is down you still get partial results.

Parameter	In	Type	Notes
name?	body	string	Company name.
country?	body	string	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2, e.g. EE. Strongly recommended with name.
registry_id?	body	string	National registry code.
vat?	body	string	VAT number with country prefix.
lei?	body	string	20-character LEI.
iban?	body	string	IBAN to validate.

Send at least one field. verdict is fail on a sanctions hit scoring 0.92 or more or a dissolved company; review on a weaker hit, an invalid VAT number, unknown status or no registry match; otherwise clear. Ambiguous names return candidates.

Request

curl -X POST https://bizcheck.app/api/v1/check \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BIZCHECK_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name":"Nokia Oyj","country":"FI"}'

Response (example)

{
  "query": {
    "name": "Nokia Oyj",
    "country": "FI"
  },
  "verdict": "clear",
  "reasons": [
    "Nokia Oyj (FI 0112038-9) is active in Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH, YTJ open data).",
    "No matches on the EU, OFAC, UK, UN sanctions lists."
  ],
  "company": {
    "id": "FI:0112038-9",
    "country": "FI",
    "registry_id": "0112038-9",
    "name": "Nokia Oyj",
    "former_names": [
      "Oy Nokia Ab"
    ],
    "status": "active",
    "status_detail": "Registered in the Trade Register",
    "legal_form": "Public limited company",
    "incorporated_on": "1978-03-15",
    "address": "Karakaari 7, 02610 ESPOO",
    "vat_numbers": [
      "FI01120389"
    ],
    "industry": {
      "code": "70100",
      "scheme": "TOL 2008",
      "label": "Activities of head offices"
    },
    "website": "https://www.nokia.com",
    "sources": [
      {
        "name": "Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH, YTJ open data)",
        "url": "https://tietopalvelu.ytj.fi/yritys/0112038-9",
        "fetched_at": "2026-11-04T09:12:40Z",
        "licence": "CC BY 4.0, Finnish Patent and Registration Office"
      },
      {
        "name": "GLEIF (Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation)",
        "url": "https://search.gleif.org/#/record/549300A0JPRWG1KI7U06",
        "fetched_at": "2026-11-04T09:12:40Z",
        "licence": "CC0 1.0, GLEIF"
      }
    ],
    "lei": "549300A0JPRWG1KI7U06"
  },
  "sanctions": {
    "screened_lists": [
      "EU",
      "OFAC",
      "UK",
      "UN"
    ],
    "lists_updated_at": {
      "EU": "2026-11-04T04:00:26Z",
      "UN": "2026-11-04T04:00:33Z",
      "OFAC": "2026-11-04T04:00:34Z",
      "UK": "2026-11-04T04:00:46Z"
    },
    "hits": []
  },
  "checks_left": 24
}

GET/api/v1/search

Cost: 1 check. Needs a key. MCP: search_companies. CLI: bizcheck search bolt --country EE.

Find companies by name. Returns candidates with their registry ids.

Parameter	In	Type	Notes
q	query	string	Name or part of a name.
country?	query	string	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2.
limit?	query	integer	Default 5.

Request

curl "https://bizcheck.app/api/v1/search?q=bolt%20technology&country=EE" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BIZCHECK_API_KEY"

Response (example)

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "FI:0112038-9",
      "country": "FI",
      "registry_id": "0112038-9",
      "name": "Nokia Oyj",
      "former_names": [
        "Oy Nokia Ab"
      ],
      "status": "active",
      "status_detail": "Registered in the Trade Register",
      "legal_form": "Public limited company",
      "incorporated_on": "1978-03-15",
      "address": "Karakaari 7, 02610 ESPOO",
      "vat_numbers": [
        "FI01120389"
      ],
      "industry": {
        "code": "70100",
        "scheme": "TOL 2008",
        "label": "Activities of head offices"
      },
      "website": "https://www.nokia.com",
      "sources": [
        {
          "name": "Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH, YTJ open data)",
          "url": "https://tietopalvelu.ytj.fi/yritys/0112038-9",
          "fetched_at": "2026-11-04T09:12:40Z",
          "licence": "CC BY 4.0, Finnish Patent and Registration Office"
        },
        {
          "name": "GLEIF (Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation)",
          "url": "https://search.gleif.org/#/record/549300A0JPRWG1KI7U06",
          "fetched_at": "2026-11-04T09:12:40Z",
          "licence": "CC0 1.0, GLEIF"
        }
      ],
      "lei": "549300A0JPRWG1KI7U06"
    }
  ],
  "checks_left": 23
}

GET/api/v1/company/{country}/{id}

Cost: 1 check. Needs a key. MCP: get_company. CLI: bizcheck company FI 0112038-9.

Fetch one company by country and national registry code.

Parameter	In	Type	Notes
country	path	string	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2.
id	path	string	National registry code.

Request

curl https://bizcheck.app/api/v1/company/FI/0112038-9 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BIZCHECK_API_KEY"

Response (example)

{
  "company": {
    "id": "FI:0112038-9",
    "country": "FI",
    "registry_id": "0112038-9",
    "name": "Nokia Oyj",
    "former_names": [
      "Oy Nokia Ab"
    ],
    "status": "active",
    "status_detail": "Registered in the Trade Register",
    "legal_form": "Public limited company",
    "incorporated_on": "1978-03-15",
    "address": "Karakaari 7, 02610 ESPOO",
    "vat_numbers": [
      "FI01120389"
    ],
    "industry": {
      "code": "70100",
      "scheme": "TOL 2008",
      "label": "Activities of head offices"
    },
    "website": "https://www.nokia.com",
    "sources": [
      {
        "name": "Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH, YTJ open data)",
        "url": "https://tietopalvelu.ytj.fi/yritys/0112038-9",
        "fetched_at": "2026-11-04T09:12:40Z",
        "licence": "CC BY 4.0, Finnish Patent and Registration Office"
      },
      {
        "name": "GLEIF (Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation)",
        "url": "https://search.gleif.org/#/record/549300A0JPRWG1KI7U06",
        "fetched_at": "2026-11-04T09:12:40Z",
        "licence": "CC0 1.0, GLEIF"
      }
    ],
    "lei": "549300A0JPRWG1KI7U06"
  },
  "checks_left": 23
}

GET/api/v1/vat/{vat}

Cost: 0 (free). Needs a key. MCP: validate_vat. CLI: bizcheck vat FI01120389.

Validate an EU VAT number against VIES. Free, but rate limited.

Parameter	In	Type	Notes
vat	path	string	With country prefix, e.g. FI01120389.

Request

curl https://bizcheck.app/api/v1/vat/FI01120389 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BIZCHECK_API_KEY"

Response (example)

{
  "vat": "FI01120389",
  "valid": true,
  "name": "Nokia Oyj",
  "address": "c/oVero-osasto PL 226 00045 NOKIA GROUP",
  "checked_at": "2026-11-04T09:12:41Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "VIES (European Commission VAT validation)",
    "url": "https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/rest-api/ms/FI/vat/01120389",
    "fetched_at": "2026-11-04T09:12:41Z"
  }
}

GET/api/v1/iban/{iban}

Cost: 0 (free). Needs a key. MCP: validate_iban. CLI: bizcheck iban EE382200221020145685.

Validate an IBAN (structure and checksum) and resolve the bank where known. Free, but rate limited.

Parameter	In	Type	Notes
iban	path	string	No spaces.

Request

curl https://bizcheck.app/api/v1/iban/EE382200221020145685 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BIZCHECK_API_KEY"

Response (example)

{
  "iban": "EE382200221020145685",
  "valid": true,
  "country": "EE",
  "bank_code": "22",
  "bic": "HABAEE2X",
  "bank_name": "Swedbank AS"
}

GET/api/v1/sanctions

Cost: 1 check. Needs a key. MCP: screen_sanctions. CLI: bizcheck sanctions "Example Trading".

Screen a name against the EU, UN, US (OFAC) and UK sanctions lists. A hit is a possible match with a score, not a finding: a human should review it.

Parameter	In	Type	Notes
name	query	string	Person, company or vessel name.
country?	query	string	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2, narrows matches.
threshold?	query	number	0 to 1, default 0.85.

Request

curl "https://bizcheck.app/api/v1/sanctions?name=Example%20Trading" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BIZCHECK_API_KEY"

Response (example)

{
  "screened_lists": [
    "EU",
    "OFAC",
    "UK",
    "UN"
  ],
  "lists_updated_at": {
    "EU": "2026-11-04T04:00:26Z",
    "UN": "2026-11-04T04:00:33Z",
    "OFAC": "2026-11-04T04:00:34Z",
    "UK": "2026-11-04T04:00:46Z"
  },
  "hits": [
    {
      "list": "OFAC",
      "name": "EXAMPLE TRADING LLC",
      "matched_alias": "Example Trading",
      "score": 0.93,
      "kind": "entity",
      "programme": "RUSSIA-EO14024",
      "listed_on": "2024-02-23",
      "reference": "OFAC-00000",
      "url": "https://sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov/"
    }
  ],
  "checks_left": 22
}

GET/api/v1/coverage

Cost: free. No key needed. MCP: coverage. CLI: bizcheck coverage.

Which countries and sources are covered, and what each one returns. No key needed.

Request

curl https://bizcheck.app/api/v1/coverage

Response (example)

{
  "countries": [
    {
      "country": "EE",
      "name": "Estonia",
      "...": "..."
    }
  ]
}

MCP server

Streamable HTTP at https://bizcheck.app/mcp. Authenticate with the same bearer key. signup and coverage work without one, so an agent can connect first and create its key from inside the session. Server card: /.well-known/mcp.json.

Tool	What it does	Key	Checks
signup	Create an API key. Save the returned key; it is shown once.	No	free
account	Plan, checks left, period end, upgrade_url.	Yes	free
get_checkout_link	Checkout link for this key, to hand to a human.	Yes	free
check_business	Full check: registry, VAT, IBAN, sanctions, verdict and reasons.	Yes	1
search_companies	Find companies by name, optionally in one country.	Yes	1
get_company	One company by country and registry id.	Yes	1
validate_vat	EU VAT number validity via VIES.	Yes	0
validate_iban	IBAN checksum and bank lookup.	Yes	0
screen_sanctions	Name screening against EU, UN, OFAC and UK lists.	Yes	1
coverage	Countries and sources covered.	No	free

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http bizcheck https://bizcheck.app/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer bc_live_YOUR_KEY"

Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bizcheck": {
      "url": "https://bizcheck.app/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer bc_live_YOUR_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop (via mcp-remote)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bizcheck": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://bizcheck.app/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer bc_live_YOUR_KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

CLI

npx bizcheck <command>. Config lives in ~/.config/bizcheck/config.json (api_key, base_url); BIZCHECK_API_KEY and BIZCHECK_BASE_URL override it. Add --json to any command for machine output.

Command	What it does
bizcheck signup	Create a key and save it to ~/.config/bizcheck/config.json.
bizcheck account	Show plan and checks left.
bizcheck upgrade	Print the checkout link and open it in a browser.
bizcheck check <name\|vat\|iban> [--country XX]	Run a full check.
bizcheck search <q> [--country XX]	Search companies by name.
bizcheck company <CC> <id>	Fetch one company by registry id.
bizcheck vat <vat>	Validate a VAT number.
bizcheck iban <iban>	Validate an IBAN.
bizcheck sanctions <name>	Screen a name against sanctions lists.
bizcheck coverage	List covered countries and sources.

Errors

Every error has the same shape: { "error": { "code", "message", "upgrade_url"? } }.

Code	HTTP	Meaning	What to do
bad_request	400	Missing or malformed input.	Fix the request. Do not retry unchanged.
unauthorized	401	Missing, unknown or revoked key.	Send Authorization: Bearer <key>. If you have no key, call signup.
out_of_checks	402	This key has no checks left.	Give error.upgrade_url to your human. After they pay, retry with the same key.
not_found	404	No company with that id in that register.	Check the id, or use search.
rate_limited	429	Too many requests.	Back off and retry later.
source_unavailable	502	An upstream register or list did not answer.	check still returns partial results with a reason. Retry later for the rest.

402 out_of_checks

{
  "error": {
    "code": "out_of_checks",
    "message": "This key has used its 25 free checks. Give the upgrade_url to your human. After they pay, retry with the same key.",
    "upgrade_url": "https://checkout.example/c/9f2e..."
  }
}

Rate limits

Signup is limited to 5 keys per IP address per 24 hours. All endpoints, including the free ones, are rate limited per key. When you exceed a limit you get HTTP 429 with code rate_limited: wait and retry with backoff. Do not retry 400, 401 or 402 responses unchanged.

Data sources and attribution

BizCheck only uses official, publicly available sources. Each fact in a response carries the source name, URL and fetch time, and a licence where the source publishes one. When you show BizCheck data to people, cite the sources entries, not BizCheck.

Company registers: per country, listed below.
VAT: EU VIES (VAT Information Exchange System).
LEI: GLEIF (Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation).
Sanctions: EU consolidated list, UN Security Council consolidated list, US OFAC SDN list, UK sanctions list.

Countries and sources covered by BizCheck
Country	Level	Source	Returns	Officers	Owners
CZ Czechia	Official register, live	ARES (Ministry of Finance)	name, status, address, legal form, incorporated on, former names, officers, owners, industry, vat, lei	Yes	Yes
EE Estonia	Official register, live	e-Business Register (RIK)	name, status, address, legal form, incorporated on, former names, vat, lei	No	No
FI Finland	Official register, live	PRH / YTJ open data	name, status, address, legal form, incorporated on, former names, industry, website, vat, lei	No	No
FR France	Official register, live	API Recherche d'entreprises (INSEE Sirene, INPI RNE)	name, status, address, legal form, incorporated on, officers, industry, vat, lei	Yes	No
IE Ireland	Official register, live	Companies Registration Office open data	name, status, address, legal form, incorporated on, industry, vat, lei	No	No
LV Latvia	Official register, live	Register of Enterprises open data	name, status, address, legal form, incorporated on, officers, owners, vat, lei	Yes	Yes
NO Norway	Official register, live	Brønnøysund Register Centre	name, status, address, legal form, incorporated on, former names, officers, industry, website, vat, lei	Yes	No
PL Poland	Official register, live	KRS open API and Biała lista VAT	name, status, address, legal form, incorporated on, industry, website, vat, lei	No	No
CH Switzerland	Official register, live	Zefix linked data (LINDAS)	name, status, address, legal form, lei	No	No
HR Croatia	Official register, key pending	Sudski registar open data	name, status, address, legal form, incorporated on, vat, lei	No	No
GR Greece	Official register, key pending	OpenData GEMI	name, status, address, legal form, incorporated on, vat, lei	No	No
GB United Kingdom	Official register, key pending	Companies House	name, status, address, legal form, incorporated on, former names, officers, owners, industry, lei	Yes	Yes
AL Albania	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
AD Andorra	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
AM Armenia	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
AT Austria	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
AZ Azerbaijan	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
BE Belgium	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
BA Bosnia and Herzegovina	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
BG Bulgaria	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
CY Cyprus	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
DK Denmark	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
GE Georgia	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
HU Hungary	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
IS Iceland	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
XK Kosovo	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
LI Liechtenstein	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
LT Lithuania	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
LU Luxembourg	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
MT Malta	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
MD Moldova	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
MC Monaco	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
ME Montenegro	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
MK North Macedonia	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
PT Portugal	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
RO Romania	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
SM San Marino	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
RS Serbia	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
SK Slovakia	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
SI Slovenia	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
ES Spain	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
SE Sweden	VAT and LEI only	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
TR Turkey	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
UA Ukraine	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
VA Vatican City	VAT and LEI only	GLEIF	lei	No	No
DE Germany	VAT and LEI only, paid register planned	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
IT Italy	VAT and LEI only, paid register planned	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No
NL Netherlands	VAT and LEI only, paid register planned	VIES + GLEIF	vat, lei	No	No

Freshness

Registry records may be served from a short cache of public data. sources[].fetched_at tells you exactly when each record was read from the register. VAT results carry checked_at. Sanctions results carry lists_updated_at, the time each list was last refreshed.

If a source does not answer, check returns what it could get, adds a reason saying which source failed, and the standalone endpoints return 502 source_unavailable.

Overview

Authentication

Checks and plans

HTTP endpoints

POST/api/v1/signup

GET/api/v1/account

POST/api/v1/checkout

POST/api/v1/check

GET/api/v1/search

GET/api/v1/company/{country}/{id}

GET/api/v1/vat/{vat}

GET/api/v1/iban/{iban}

GET/api/v1/sanctions

GET/api/v1/coverage

MCP server

CLI

Errors

Rate limits

Data sources and attribution

Freshness