An LEI Certificate is a document that sets out a legal entity’s Legal Entity Identifier reference data: its LEI code, legal name, registered address, jurisdiction, LEI status, and renewal date. It is issued by the LEI Issuer that manages the entity’s LEI, as a signed record of that entity’s registration. Counterparties frequently ask for one.
Only two sources can attest to LEI data
LEI reference data is public, so anyone can access it. Two parties can stand behind it.
GLEIF, through the Global LEI Index. The authoritative record of every LEI in existence. Live, public, and always current.
The managing LEI Issuer, through a sealed Certificate. The accredited issuer that validated the entity against its national business registry and published the record to the Global LEI Index. It is accountable to GLEIF for the accuracy of that data, and it is the only party that can put its name to a dated document confirming it. That attestation is carried by a digital seal, which identifies whether the document has been altered since it was issued.
Which of these are you looking for?
“I need to prove my company has an LEI.” Send the counterparty a link to your entity’s record in the Global LEI Index. It is live, authoritative, free, and maintained by GLEIF. Use the LEI lookup to find it.
“I need a document for a file, a pack, or a submission.” This is what an LEI Certificate is for. Someone has asked for a document rather than a link, usually a bank onboarding team, an auditor, a tender portal, or a fund administrator who needs something dated and attributable to put in a folder. Read on.
“I need to get an LEI in the first place.” In India in particular, “LEI Certificate” is often used to mean the LEI itself. If your entity does not yet have a 20-character LEI code, you need to register an LEI, not download a Certificate. Registration takes about five minutes and most LEIs are issued the same day.
What is on an LEI Certificate?
An LEI Certificate reproduces the entity’s Level 1 reference data as published in the Global LEI Index, together with the registration lifecycle dates and the identity of the LEI Issuer that manages the record. A RapidLEI certificate contains:
- LEI code, the 20-character ISO 17442 identifier
- Legal name of the entity as registered
- Legal jurisdiction and legal form
- Registered address
- LEI status at the point of issue, for example ISSUED, LAPSED, or RETIRED
- Initial registration date and last update date
- Next renewal date
- Managing LEI Issuer, the issuer accountable for the record
- Certificate serial number and certificate issue date
- QR code linking to the entity’s live record in the Global LEI Index
- RapidLEI electronic seal
It does not contain Level 2 ownership data, financial information, or any assessment of creditworthiness, standing, or fitness to trade. It is a statement of identity, not a rating.
Is an LEI Certificate a legal requirement?
LEI Certificates exist because counterparty document checklists may ask for a digital attestation in the form of a document. A bank’s onboarding form has a field marked “upload certificate of registration”. A tender portal will not accept a URL. An audit file needs something with a date on it. In those situations, an LEI Certificate is often the only thing the other side will accept.
What is the difference between a printed LEI record and an LEI Certificate?
A printed LEI record shows data. A sealed LEI Certificate attests to it.
Anyone can generate a PDF of a public registry page, and that PDF proves nothing about who produced it, whether it has been edited since, or whether the entity data was verified by anybody.
The RapidLEI LEI Certificate is signed with an electronic seal under eIDAS, Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, using a certificate on the Adobe Approved Trust List. When the recipient opens the PDF, Adobe Reader confirms two things automatically, without anyone having to ask:
- Origin. The document was issued by RapidLEI, and not by the sender, a broker, or an intermediary.
- Integrity. Not one character has changed since it was sealed. Edit the legal name, the address, or the renewal date and the seal breaks. The document reports itself as invalid.
For a compliance team processing hundreds of onboarding packs, the check takes seconds and requires no follow-up with the sender.
Where can I download an LEI Certificate?
You download an LEI Certificate from the LEI Issuer that manages your LEI. Each issuer produces certificates only for the entities whose data it validates and publishes, so you cannot obtain a RapidLEI certificate for an LEI managed by Bloomberg, LSEG, or any other issuer, and vice versa. To find out who manages your LEI, look it up in the LEI lookup tool and check the managing issuer, shown as “Managing LOU” in GLEIF search results.
If RapidLEI manages your LEI, you can order an LEI Certificate directly from your entity’s search result, or from the LEI Certificate page. It is delivered as a PDF by email, usually within minutes.
If another issuer manages your LEI, you have two options. Ask that issuer whether it provides a certificate. Or transfer your LEI to RapidLEI, which is straightforward, keeps the same LEI number, does not change your renewal date, and creates no gap in coverage.
Can I get an LEI Certificate for free?
The information on an LEI Certificate is free. It is published in the Global LEI Index and you can view, print, or export it at any time at no cost, without an account, from search.gleif.org or from the RapidLEI LEI lookup.
What is not free, and what a printout cannot give you, is the “seal” and the attestation. RapidLEI charges for the accredited issuer that verified the data to put its name to it and seal it.
How much does an LEI Certificate cost?
A RapidLEI LEI Certificate costs 10 EUR per issued certificate, plus VAT where applicable. Equivalent pricing is available in USD, GBP, and INR. Order a new one whenever your entity’s record changes, or whenever a counterparty asks for a current copy.
Who is eligible for a RapidLEI LEI Certificate?
Any legal entity whose LEI is issued and managed by RapidLEI, and whose LEI is in ISSUED status. RapidLEI can only attest to reference data that RapidLEI validated and published to the Global LEI Index, which is why the certificate is limited to LEIs it manages.
Two exclusions follow from this:
- LEIs managed by another issuer. Transfer the LEI to RapidLEI first. Transfers operate within GLEIF rules, take minutes, and do not change the LEI number or the renewal date.
- LAPSED LEIs. A certificate confirming that an LEI has lapsed is of no use to anyone. Renew the LEI first, then order the certificate. See how to reactivate a lapsed LEI.
How long is an LEI certificate valid?
An LEI Certificate is a snapshot. It confirms the entity’s LEI reference data and status at the point of issue, and it carries the date it was issued. It does not expire, and it does not remain a statement of current status once the underlying record changes.
If your LEI subsequently lapses, an old certificate does not make it valid. If your legal name or address changes, order a fresh certificate.
How does a recipient verify an LEI certificate?
Three ways, and none of them require contacting the sender.
Open it in Adobe Reader. The electronic seal validates automatically through the Adobe Approved Trust List. Adobe confirms that RapidLEI issued the document and that it has not been altered since.
Scan the QR code. It links to the entity’s live record in the Global LEI Index, which shows the position today rather than the position on the day the certificate was issued.
Keep the LEI Certificate if you need a dated, attributable record of the position on a given day. Check the live record if you need the position today.
When should you use an LEI Certificate?
Use a certificate when the other side needs a document rather than a link, and when it matters that the document is attributable to the issuer rather than to you.
- Bank and broker onboarding. Where the onboarding form has a document upload field and no URL field.
- Counterparty due diligence responses. Where you are answering a DDQ and the recipient will file the answer, not click it.
- Fund launch and administration packs. Where each fund’s LEI evidence sits in a structured document set alongside the prospectus and the constitutional documents.
- Audit and board files. Where a dated record of compliance position at a point in time is the point.
- Tender and procurement submissions. Where portals reject links and accept PDFs.
Where a counterparty simply wants to check that your LEI is valid, send the Global LEI Index link. It is faster, it is live, and it is authoritative.
How do I get an LEI Certificate?
- Find your entity. Use the LEI lookup to search by company name, LEI code, ISIN, or BIC.
- Check the managing issuer. If it says RapidLEI, you will have the option via the LEI record to obtain a sealed LEI Certificate. If it names another issuer, transfer the LEI first.
- Check the LEI status. It must read ISSUED. If it reads LAPSED, renew it first.
- Order the certificate. Enter a delivery email address. Payment is handled by Stripe. RapidLEI does not store card details.
- Receive the PDF. The sealed certificate arrives by email, usually within minutes.