How to Check Whether an Overseas Supplier Really Exists

Finding a supplier online is easy; verifying that they are a legitimate business entity is much harder. Fraudsters routinely clone legitimate company websites or invent entirely fake corporate identities.

What This Guide Helps You Check

• How to confirm basic corporate existence.
• How to cross-reference identity across multiple sources.
• How to verify domain and communication consistency.

What Public Information Cannot Establish

• Manufacturing Capability: A registered trading company is not a factory.
• Delivery Reliability: A real company can still default on an order.
• Product Quality: Registration proves legal existence, not manufacturing standards.

Practical Steps to Verify Existence

1. Request Official Registration Documents

Always ask the supplier for their official company registration document (e.g., a Certificate of Incorporation, Tax Certificate, or Trade Registry Extract). Obtain their exact legal name and registration number.

2. Check the Local State Registry

Do not trust the supplier’s provided PDF blindly. Use the relevant national or state corporate registry to look up the registration number. Example: In Türkiye, you would check MERSİS; in the UK, Companies House. Ensure the legal name and address in the registry match the documents you were provided.

3. Verify Domain and Contact Consistency

Scammers often use free email addresses (e.g., @gmail.com) or register a domain name very similar to a real company (e.g., realcompany-ltd.com instead of realcompany.com).

• Domain Age: Use a WHOIS lookup to check when the supplier’s domain was registered. If a “20-year-old factory” registered its domain three weeks ago, investigate immediately.
• Email Consistency: Ensure all communication comes from the verified official domain.

4. Cross-Reference the Registered Address

Search the registered business address on Google Maps or local mapping equivalents. Switch to Street View. If the address of a “heavy machinery factory” points to a residential apartment building or a generic virtual office, ask for an explanation.

Red Flags

• The supplier cannot provide a government-issued registration number.
• The company name on the proforma invoice does not exactly match the name in the state registry.
• Communication strictly occurs via WhatsApp and free email providers without a professional domain.

Important Limitations

Verifying existence is only layer one of due diligence. Even if a company legally exists, it does not mean they are safe to do business with. Fraudulent entities frequently register legal companies to appear legitimate for short periods before disappearing.

When Local Assistance May Be Useful

If the state registry is not publicly accessible to foreigners, or if you need someone to physically verify that the address houses an active business rather than an empty office, coordinating an independent local professional is a practical next step.