LEI Entity Lookup API
Resolve a legal entity through the GLEIF register by LEI code or by name. Official legal name, addresses, jurisdiction, national company number, BIC codes, and parent/subsidiary links.
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Integration guide
Copy a snippet, replace your API key, run. Works in any HTTP client — examples below in cURL, JavaScript, and Python.
/api/lei-lookuphttps://www.apipick.comResolve a legal entity through the GLEIF LEI register
leistringoptional20-character LEI code. Mutually exclusive with name. HWUPKR0MPOU8FGXBT394
namestringoptionalLegal entity name to search for. Mutually exclusive with lei. Tesla, Inc.
countrystringoptionalISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code narrowing a name search. US
include_relationshipsbooleanoptionalWith lei, also return direct parent, ultimate parent, and subsidiary count. true
curl -X GET "https://www.apipick.com/api/lei-lookup" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"{
"mode": "lei",
"query": "HWUPKR0MPOU8FGXBT394",
"found": true,
"record": {
"lei": "HWUPKR0MPOU8FGXBT394",
"legal_name": "Apple Inc.",
"other_names": [
"Apple Computer, Inc."
],
"legal_address": {
"lines": [
"C/O C T Corporation System",
"330 N. Brand Blvd"
],
"city": "Glendale",
"region": "US-CA",
"country": "US",
"postal_code": "91203"
},
"jurisdiction": "US-CA",
"legal_form": "H1UM",
"entity_status": "ACTIVE",
"registered_as": "806592",
"bic": [
"APLEUS66XXX"
],
"registration_status": "ISSUED",
"next_renewal_date": "2027-03-08T17:27:20Z"
},
"relationships": {
"direct_parent": null,
"ultimate_parent": null,
"direct_children_count": 8
},
"source": "GLEIF",
"credits_used": 3,
"remaining_credits": 97
}Built for Real-World Use Cases
Entity Resolution
Turn a messy company name in a CRM into one canonical identifier that joins cleanly across systems and jurisdictions.
Counterparty KYC
Confirm a counterparty's registered legal name, jurisdiction, and national company number against an official source.
Ownership Mapping
Walk parent and subsidiary links to see who ultimately controls an entity before extending credit or signing.
Research Agents
Give a research agent a citable identity source, so entity claims in its output trace back to a register rather than a guess.
Response Fields
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| mode | string | Which lookup ran: lei or search |
| record.lei | string | The 20-character ISO 17442 identifier |
| record.legal_name | string | null | Official registered legal name |
| record.other_names | string[] | Previous and alternative names on record |
| record.legal_address | object | null | Registered address, split into lines, city, region, country, postcode |
| record.jurisdiction | string | null | Jurisdiction of formation, e.g. US-CA |
| record.registered_as | string | null | Number in the national company register — the bridge to local filings |
| record.entity_status | string | null | ACTIVE or INACTIVE |
| record.bic | string[] | Mapped SWIFT/BIC codes, where the entity has any |
| record.registration_status | string | null | LEI lifecycle status, e.g. ISSUED or LAPSED |
| relationships | object | Present with include_relationships: direct parent, ultimate parent, subsidiary count |
| total_matches | integer | Search mode only: how many records matched the name |
| credits_used | integer | Credits deducted for this request |
| remaining_credits | integer | Credits remaining in your account |
Rate limits
Throttling is per API key, sliding 60-second window. Hit the limit and you get a clean 429 with a Retry-After header.
30req/min
Per API key, per endpoint. Sliding 60-second window.
3concurrent
Max simultaneous in-flight requests per API key.
X-RateLimit-LimitMaximum requests allowed per minuteX-RateLimit-RemainingRequests remaining in the current windowX-RateLimit-ResetSeconds until the current window resetsRetry-AfterSeconds to wait before retrying (only on 429)HTTP/1.1 429 Too Many Requests
Retry-After: 12
X-RateLimit-Limit: 30
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 0
X-RateLimit-Reset: 12
{
"error": "rate_limit_exceeded",
"message": "Rate limit exceeded: 30 requests/minute per API key. Retry after 12s.",
"retry_after": 12
}Data Source & Licensing
Records come from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation, which maintains the LEI register on behalf of the Regulatory Oversight Committee. GLEIF publishes both Level 1 reference data and Level 2 ownership data under CC0 — public domain, no attribution required and no restriction on downstream use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is an LEI and why use it as a key?
A: A Legal Entity Identifier is a 20-character ISO 17442 code that identifies one legal entity worldwide — required for anyone trading in regulated financial markets. Unlike a company name it is unambiguous, and unlike a national register number it does not collide across jurisdictions, which makes it the right join key for entity resolution.
Q: Can I search without knowing the LEI?
A: Yes. Pass name instead of lei to search the register by legal name, optionally narrowed with country. GLEIF's name filter is a relevance match rather than an exact one, so total_matches can be large — the returned records are the ranked head of that list.
Q: How do I get the corporate ownership tree?
A: Add include_relationships=true to an LEI lookup. You get the direct parent, the ultimate parent, and a count of direct subsidiaries, each parent identified by its own LEI so you can walk the tree upward or downward with further calls.
Q: How current is the data?
A: GLEIF publishes a new golden copy of the register daily, and this endpoint queries their live API rather than a local snapshot. Entities must renew their LEI annually, so registration_status and next_renewal_date tell you whether a record is actively maintained or has lapsed.
Q: Is the data free to redistribute?
A: GLEIF publishes the LEI reference data under CC0, into the public domain, with no licensing restriction on downstream use. That is unusual for entity data and is why this endpoint exists — the same lookup from a commercial vendor typically comes with redistribution terms attached.