OpenCorporates

Overview

OpenCorporates is the largest open database of company entities — 200M+ companies with registered addresses, officers/directors, and corporate registries from 130+ jurisdictions. The API requires a free API key for reliable use (requests without one return 401 — verified).

Quick Start

A company by jurisdiction + number (replace YOUR_KEY):

curl "https://api.opencorporates.com/v0.4/companies/gb/06500244?api_token=YOUR_KEY"

{
  "results": {
    "company": {
      "name": "OPEN CORPORATES LIMITED",
      "company_number": "06500244",
      "jurisdiction_code": "gb",
      "incorporation_date": "2008-03-04",
      "registered_address_in_full": "...",
      "officers_url": "https://api.opencorporates.com/v0.4/companies/gb/06500244/officers"
    }
  }
}

Search companies:

curl "https://api.opencorporates.com/v0.4/companies/search?q=tesla&api_token=YOUR_KEY"

Officers of a company:

curl "https://api.opencorporates.com/v0.4/companies/gb/06500244/officers?api_token=YOUR_KEY"

Authentication

• Register at opencorporates.com → request a free API token (in account settings).
• Send it as the api_token query parameter (requests without one return 401 — verified).

Rate Limits & Notes

• Free token: modest rate limits (roughly a few hundred requests/day); paid tiers scale.
• Companies are identified by jurisdiction_code + company_number (e.g. gb/06500244).
• Jurisdiction codes are ISO-style (gb, us_de, fr, jp…).
• Data is aggregated from official corporate registries — rich for background checks and KYC-style lookups.

FAQ

Is OpenCorporates free? Free token with modest limits; heavier use is paid.

How do I get a token? Register at opencorporates.com — request an API token in account settings.

How are companies identified? By jurisdiction + number, e.g. gb/06500244.