Supplier Check API: UK company, VAT, sanctions and website in one verdict (KYB)

Use when…

• You must vet a UK supplier, customer or partner before paying, onboarding or signing.
• A procurement, finance or KYB agent needs one tool call that returns pass / review / fail with reasons.
• You want Companies House, VAT, LEI, sanctions (company + directors + owners) and website risk without wiring each source.

Try this input

Copy-paste this JSON as the Actor input (it matches a successful run / the default schema):

{
  "suppliers": [
    {
      "company_number": "00445790",
      "vat_number": "GB220430231",
      "website": "tesco.com"
    }
  ],
  "sanctionsThreshold": 88
}

Sample output (real run 2026-10-27)

One dataset item, shortened:

{
  "supplier": "TESCO PLC",
  "company_number": "00445790",
  "verdict": "pass",
  "fail_reasons": [],
  "review_reasons": [],
  "pass_reasons": [
    "company is active at Companies House",
    "LEI record found",
    "…"
  ],
  "checks_run": [
    "companies_house",
    "lei",
    "…"
  ],
  "checks_unavailable": [
    "gazette"
  ],
  "evidence": {
    "companies_house": {
      "status": "ok",
      "company_number": "00445790",
      "company_name": "TESCO PLC",
      "type": "plc",
      "…": "+12 more keys"
    },
    "lei": {
      "status": "ok",
      "records": [
        {
          "lei": "2138002P5RNKC5W2JZ46",
          "legal_name": "TESCO PLC",
          "jurisdiction": "GB",
          "entity_status": "ACTIVE",
          "…": "+3 more keys"
        }
      ]
    },
    "gazette": {
      "status": "error",
      "error": "Client error '403 Forbidden' for url 'https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/notice/data.json?text=%22TESCO+PLC%22&res…"
    },
    "vat": {
      "type": "uk_vat",
      "input": "GB220430231",
      "vat_number": "GB220430231",
      "check": "format-only",
      "…": "+2 more keys"
    },
    "…": "+2 more keys"
  },
  "error": null,
  "checked_at": "2026-10-27T19:40:36+00:00",
  "sources": {
    "Companies House": "OGL v3",
    "The Gazette": "OGL v3",
    "GLEIF": "CC0",
    "EU VIES / HMRC": "public service terms",
    "…": "+5 more keys"
  },
  "…": "+2 more keys"
}

Vet a supplier, customer or partner in one call. Each check returns pass / review / fail with plain reasons and the evidence behind them. It is built for AI agents, procurement and finance teams, onboarding flows and n8n / Make / Zapier automations.

What it checks

• Companies House (UK): status, insolvency history, overdue accounts and confirmation statement, disputed or undeliverable office address, company age, active officers and persons with significant control.
• The Gazette: insolvency notices (winding-up, liquidation, administration) that mention the company.
• GLEIF: Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) record.
• VAT: EU VAT numbers live via VIES; UK VAT numbers by format and HMRC checksum.
• Sanctions: the company plus its active directors and owners, screened against US OFAC SDN, the UK Sanctions List, EU FSF and the UN Consolidated List (fuzzy matching).
• Website: domain age, DNS, SSL and brand-lookalike risk.

Verdict rules

• fail: company not found or not active, insolvency history, or a strong sanctions match (score ≥ 95).
• review: overdue filings, recent incorporation (under 6 months), Gazette notices, an invalid VAT number, a possible sanctions match or a risky website.
• pass: none of the above.

Tip: company number gives the fullest check. With a name only, the register and officer checks are skipped.

Quick start

Leave the default input (it is prefilled) and click Start:

{"suppliers": [{"company_number": "00445790", "vat_number": "GB220430231", "website": "tesco.com"}], "sanctionsThreshold": 88}

Sample output (real run, 26 Oct 2026, default input)

supplier	company_number	verdict	pass_reasons	checks_unavailable
TESCO PLC	00445790	pass	company is active at Companies House; LEI record found; VAT number valid (format-only); no sanctions matches (12 names screened); website looks established	gazette

Evidence from the same run: Companies House status active, incorporated 1947-11-27, no insolvency history, accounts next due 2027-08-26; LEI 2138002P5RNKC5W2JZ46 (ACTIVE); tesco.com registered 1994-12-20, risk low.

Use cases

• Vet a new supplier before the first invoice is paid.
• Re-check existing suppliers monthly on a schedule.
• KYB step in customer or partner onboarding flows.
• Give a procurement or finance AI agent one tool call for supplier risk.

Output (one row per supplier)

verdict, fail_reasons[], review_reasons[], pass_reasons[], evidence (Companies House profile, officers, PSCs, Gazette notices, LEI, VAT result, sanctions hits, website signals), sources, checks_run, checks_unavailable, checked_at.

Pricing

Pay per event: $0.15 per supplier checked. Invalid input rows are not charged. There is no subscription. Schedule it to re-check suppliers monthly.

FAQ

Do I need a Companies House key? No, one is built in.

Is a UK VAT number confirmed as registered? No. UK VAT is checked by format and HMRC checksum only. EU VAT numbers are checked live with VIES.

What if a check could not run? It is listed in checks_unavailable and left out of checks_run, so you can see the verdict was made without it.

Non-UK companies? Register checks are UK only. LEI, EU VAT, sanctions and website checks work for any country.

Limits & failure modes

• The Gazette often blocks Apify cloud servers (403), so the Gazette insolvency-notice check is usually unavailable and listed in checks_unavailable. Companies House insolvency history is still checked.
• With a company name only (no number), register, officer and owner checks are skipped.
• Sanctions use fuzzy name matching: expect occasional false positives, and a miss is possible for unusual spellings.
• UK VAT is format and checksum only, not a live HMRC registration check.
• Verify before consequential decisions. This is an automated aid built from public data, not legal, credit, fraud or compliance advice. Check the evidence (and any sanctions match against the official list) before refusing, onboarding, paying or reporting anyone.

Last tested: 26 Oct 2026, run OK (default input, Apify cloud).

Sources and licences

Companies House, The Gazette and the UK Sanctions List (Open Government Licence v3); GLEIF (CC0); EU VIES; US OFAC (public domain); EU FSF (EU reuse policy); UN Security Council (public); public RDAP, DNS and TLS data.

Disclaimer: this is an automated due-diligence aid built from public official data. It is not legal, credit or compliance advice. Review the evidence, and confirm any sanctions match against the official list before acting.

Use from AI agents (MCP)

Add it to any MCP client via https://mcp.apify.com?actors=tudorlane/supplier-check, or call the Apify API / run-sync endpoint.