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AUSTRALIA COMPANY BUSINESS REGISTER

AUSTRALIA COMPANY BUSINESS REGISTER

Company register in Australia (ASIC): how to verify a business

Australia runs a company register through the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the national equivalent of Companies House, recording every company and assigning an ACN so partners and investors can verify a business’s identity, directors and status.

How Australia’s company register functions

Operated by ASIC, the register records companies and assigns each a nine-digit Australian Company Number, while the Australian Business Register issues the ABN; both are searchable online, with core data free and detailed extracts available for a fee.

Searching for an Australian company before a commercial agreement

Before any agreement, a counterpart can search ASIC’s registers by company name or ACN, and the free ABN Lookup by ABN or name, retrieving the official record that confirms the business exists and remains registered in Australia.

Information you can obtain from the Australian register

Each record shows the company name, ACN, type, registration date, status and registered office, while ABN Lookup adds ABN, GST and entity-type details, together giving a counterpart an official picture of an Australian business before committing.

Confirming an Australian company is registered and active

Checking ASIC confirms whether a company holds a valid ACN and is registered rather than deregistered or under external administration, a key step that prevents engagement with a business lacking genuine legal standing in Australia.

Why investors review the register before committing capital

Ahead of an acquisition or investment, investors consult ASIC to authenticate the share structure, gauge legal exposure and confirm that the directors presented match the officeholders officially recorded as empowered to bind the Australian target company.

Identifying directors and officeholders

ASIC’s register names a company’s directors and officeholders together with their roles, allowing a counterpart to confirm who genuinely holds the authority to commit the entity before any contract is finalised with the company in Australia.

Official documents obtainable from the registry

Beyond free summary data, ASIC provides paid search extracts and copies of company documents, each forming a verifiable and enforceable source a counterpart can rely on during a transaction, financing or compliance review of an Australian company.

Finding a company’s ACN or ABN

A company’s ACN can be located through the ASIC register and its ABN through ABN Lookup by entering the business name, these identifiers linking every record and conditioning access to the documents held on the entity.

Why banks and compliance teams use the register for due diligence

Banks and compliance teams rely on ASIC and ABN Lookup to meet know-your-customer obligations, identify directors and beneficial owners, document anti-money-laundering checks and build an official audit trail underpinning any later regulatory review of an Australian counterparty.

Tracking changes in ownership, management or status

Because ASIC records lodgements, a counterpart can track changes in directors, registered office or company status over time, including a move into administration, spotting recent changes that may precede a sensitive transaction with an Australian business.

Reducing fraud and commercial risk through the register

By making official company data publicly checkable, the Australian register deters misrepresentation, exposes deregistered or shell entities and helps businesses lower fraud and commercial risk before extending credit, supplying goods or entering a partnership in Australia.

Official bodies providing access to Australia’s company register

The official bodies below provide access to Australia’s company and business registers, enabling a counterpart to verify a business, consult its core data and obtain official documents on entities registered in the country before transacting.