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How to verify a New Zealand Business Number (NZBN)?

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Where to check an NZBN: the official lookups​

The New Zealand Companies Office (part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) runs free lookups that take an NZBN. Which one you need depends on who holds the number:

  • A company, including an overseas company registered in New Zealand: use the Companies Register. The Companies Office: "You can search the Companies Register to find the information we hold about New Zealand and overseas companies, including director and shareholding information. … You can search for a company using its name, registration number or New Zealand Business Number (NZBN)." [1]
  • Most other businesses, such as a sole trader, partnership, trust, public sector entity, limited partnership or incorporated society: use the Companies Office's Search Business tool, which searches "by a business' or organisation's name, its incorporation number, or its New Zealand Business Number (NZBN)". [2]
  • A charitable trust board: use the Companies Office's Charitable Trusts Register. Search Business does not return them: on 2026-11-11 it found nothing for two charitable trust boards' NZBNs. The register's help page says: "To start a search, enter a charitable trust board's name, incorporation number or New Zealand Business Number (NZBN)." [10]

Each tool covers different businesses: the Companies Office describes Search Business as the tool for "other business and entity types". On 2026-11-11, Search Business with Register set to "All" found nothing for Fonterra's company NZBN, and the Companies Register found nothing for Inland Revenue's public-sector NZBN. If you don't know what kind of business you are dealing with, try the Companies Register first, then Search Business, then the Charitable Trusts Register (or search the NZBN Register, which covers all three).

Source snapshot — the official lookup portal: the Companies Office's Companies Register, searched by "company name, number, or NZBN" Source snapshot captured 2026-11-11 — original

Source snapshot — Companies Office: sole traders, partnerships, trusts, public sector, limited partnerships and incorporated societies are searched with one tool, Search Business, by name, incorporation number or NZBN (the page also lists charitable trust boards, which have their own register) Source snapshot captured 2026-11-11 — original

The NZBN Register at nzbn.govt.nz covers every NZBN holder. The Companies Office says "You can also search the NZBN Register for any business with a NZBN", and that companies are included automatically: "You can find your NZBN on the Companies Register or by searching at nzbn.govt.nz." [2][3] It also covers NZBN holders that are on none of the three Companies Office tools above. The steps below use the Companies Office tools.

What to expect before you search (as at 2026-11-11):

  • Free, with no login. "For most of our registers it is free to search and you do not need to log in." [2] Neither the Companies Register nor Search Business asked for a login or showed a CAPTCHA. The Companies Register asks you to log in only for filing tasks, and for a PPSR search, which is a separate register with a fee ("$2 (plus GST)"). [1]
  • 1,000 results. Search Business: "Searches are limited to 1000 results". The Companies Register lets you save or export up to 1,000 results ("You can save up to 1,000 search results"). For larger result sets, refine the search or "request access to our bulk data", a monthly snapshot. [1][2] A search by one NZBN never comes close.
  • The NZBN API needs a subscription key. MBIE's NZBN API is free, but a call without a key is refused (see the FAQ below). [4]

How to verify an NZBN​

A company's NZBN: the Companies Register​

  1. Open the Companies Register at https://companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/ and leave "Companies" selected.
  2. Type the 13 digits with no spaces into "Enter a company name, number, or NZBN" and click Search. The status filters are Registered, Removed and External admin, and by default results include all three (as at 2026-11-11).
  3. Open the record. The results list each match as NAME (company number) (NZBN: …) with its status, entity type, address and incorporation date. Click the company name.
  4. Compare the "Company Summary". Check that all 13 digits of the NZBN match, then read the company name, Company number, Company Status and Entity type.

For example, Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited has NZBN 9429036748471 and company number 1166320:

Source snapshot — number format: the Companies Register record for Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited shows the 13-digit NZBN 9429036748471 next to the 7-digit company number 1166320, status Registered Source snapshot captured 2026-11-11 — original

Most other NZBNs: Search Business​

  1. Open Search Business at https://app.businessregisters.govt.nz/sber-master/service/create.html?service=registerItemSearch. Leave Register on "All", or pick Incorporated Societies, Limited Partnerships, Public Sector, or Sole Traders, Partnerships and Trusts.
  2. Choose "Equals" next to "Name or Number or NZBN", type the 13 digits and click Search. The Companies Office lists 'contains', 'starts with' and 'equals' (exact match) searches. [2]
  3. Read the result. Each result shows the name, NZBN, address, registration date, business type and business status. For example, Inland Revenue Department appears as NZBN 9429041926024, type Central Government, status Registered.

Source snapshot — the Search Business form: Register "All", "Name or Number or NZBN", and the note that sole traders, partnerships and trusts can make some of their information private Source snapshot captured 2026-11-11 — original

A charitable trust board's NZBN: the Charitable Trusts Register​

  1. Open the Charitable Trusts Register at https://charitabletrusts.companiesoffice.govt.nz and search by the trust board's name, incorporation number or NZBN.
  2. Read the result. The results list each trust board's "current and previous names", "incorporation number", "NZBN" and "registration status". Select its name to see the full public record. [10]

What the result tells you​

ResultWhat it means
Companies Register: "Registered""The company is currently registered."
Companies Register: "In liquidation", "In receivership", "In Voluntary administration" or "In Statutory Management" (grouped as "External admin" in the filters)A receiver, liquidator, administrator or statutory manager "has been appointed to administer this company".
Companies Register: "Removed""The company has been removed from the register." Its NZBN still has a valid check digit.
Companies Register: "Your search returned no results."A typo or spaces in the number, a business that is not a company (try Search Business), or a number that does not exist.
Search Business: status registered, inactive, external administration, dissolved, deregistered or closedThe Companies Office lists these 6 business statuses. Only "registered" means the business is currently on its register.
Search Business: "No Search results found"A typo, a company's NZBN (try the Companies Register), or a number that does not exist.

Sources: the Companies Register's status definitions [1], and the Search Business status list and result fields [2]. The "no results" messages are as shown by each tool on 2026-11-11.

A company record shows its name, number, NZBN, incorporation date and status; its registered office, address for service and address for records; its directors; its shareholdings ("If a company is listed on the stock exchange or has extensive shareholdings, we only show details of the 10 largest share parcels"); its registered documents, such as annual returns and its constitution; and any optional NZBN details, such as trading name, industry classification and trading area. [1] Search Business shows "only publicly available information". [2]

NZBN format​

An NZBN is 13 digits. MBIE's API definition describes it as "The 13 digit unique identifier of a New Zealand business entity", and nzbn.govt.nz says "Each NZBN is a Global Location Number (GLN), supplied by GS1 New Zealand". [5][6]

  • Check digit. Because an NZBN is a GS1 GLN, its 13th digit is a GS1 check digit. GS1's method: multiply the first 12 digits alternately by 1 and 3 (starting with 1), add the results, and subtract the sum from the nearest equal or higher multiple of ten. [7] For Fonterra's 9429036748471, the first 12 digits give a sum of 139, and 140 − 139 = 1, the last digit.
  • Prefix. NZBNs shown on the registers (as at 2026-11-11) begin with 9429, but no official rule fixes this prefix, so don't reject a number on its prefix alone.
  • Not a tax number. The NZBN is not an IRD number or a GST number. Inland Revenue: "Your GST number will be the same as your IRD number." [8] For the IRD number format, see our New Zealand Tax ID Guide.

Source snapshot — number format: GS1's check-digit method. For a 13-digit key (the GTIN-13 row; an NZBN is a 13-digit GS1 GLN), multiply digits 1 to 12 by 1, 3, 1, 3…, add them, and subtract the sum from the nearest equal or higher multiple of ten Source snapshot captured 2026-11-11 — original

Source snapshot — Inland Revenue: "Your GST number will be the same as your IRD number." Source snapshot captured 2026-10-13 — original

Common false negatives​

  • Wrong register. A non-company NZBN returns no results on the Companies Register, and a company or charitable trust board NZBN returns none on Search Business "All". Try the other tools, or the NZBN Register, before you treat the number as unknown.
  • Spaces. On 2026-11-11, a valid NZBN typed in blocks with spaces returned "Your search returned no results." on the Companies Register. Type the 13 digits as one string.
  • Partial matches. The Companies Register also matches part of a number: a 12-digit string missing its check digit still returned a company on 2026-11-11. Compare all 13 digits on the result, not just the name.
  • Same name, different company. Two companies called FONTERRA CO-OPERATIVE GROUP LIMITED are on the register: 1166320 (NZBN 9429036748471, Registered) and 1124189 (NZBN 9429036965915, Removed). Match on the NZBN.
  • Status filter in Advanced search. In Advanced search, a status filter limited to Registered hides removed companies. To check a supplier, leave all statuses selected.
  • Private details. "Sole Traders, Partnerships and Trusts can choose to make some of their information private. Your search results will only include information they have chosen to make public." [9] A missing trading name or phone number does not mean the NZBN is wrong.
  • Removed but valid. A removed company's NZBN still passes the check digit, and an automated check (including the one below) can report it as valid. Always read the status.
  • No NZBN at all. Sole traders, partnerships and trusts are on the NZBN Register only if they "have chosen to register for an NZBN". [4]

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Frequently Asked Questions​

What is the difference between an NZBN, a company number and an IRD number, and which should I ask a supplier for?​

They are three different identifiers. The company number is the short number the Companies Register gives each company (Fonterra's is 1166320), and only companies have one. The NZBN is a 13-digit identifier that any New Zealand business can hold. The Companies Office says: "While only companies have a company number, any business in New Zealand can get an NZBN — including sole traders, partnerships and trusts." The IRD number is Inland Revenue's tax identifier. It "identifies your business or organisation for all its tax related events", and a business's GST number is the same as its IRD number. Ask for the NZBN to confirm that the business exists and to read its status. Ask separately for the GST number if you need to claim GST. [1][2][3]

A sole trader gave me their NZBN but the Companies Register returns no results. Is the number fake?​

Not necessarily. The Companies Register holds companies only, so the NZBN of a sole trader, partnership or trust returns "Your search returned no results" there. Search it on the Companies Office's Search Business tool instead, or on the NZBN Register at nzbn.govt.nz. Sole traders, partnerships and trusts are on the NZBN Register only if they "have chosen to register for an NZBN", so a genuine sole trader may have no NZBN at all. They can also make some of their details private, so a result may show less than you expect. [1][2][3]

The Companies Register shows a supplier as Removed or In liquidation. What does that mean?​

The Companies Office defines each status. Registered: "The company is currently registered." In liquidation, In receivership, In Voluntary administration or In Statutory Management: a receiver, liquidator, administrator or statutory manager "has been appointed to administer this company". Removed: "The company has been removed from the register." A removed company can apply to be restored, and "There's no time limit on when a company can be restored to the register". If a company in liquidation owes you money, the Insolvency and Trustee Service says you "can’t chase them directly to repay the debt": find out who the liquidator is and file a claim. Take advice before you pay or sign anything new with a company in either state. [1][2][3]

A supplier's NZBN shows Registered. Does that mean it is registered for GST?​

No. The Companies Register and the NZBN record show that the business is registered, not that it is registered for GST with Inland Revenue. A business must register for GST if its turnover was at least NZD 60,000 in the last 12 months, or is expected to be at least NZD 60,000 in the next 12 months (Inland Revenue, as at 2026-11-11). Below that, registration is voluntary unless you add GST to your prices. Companies can add their GST number to their NZBN details, but the field is optional and often blank: Fonterra's "GST Number(s)" field was empty on 2026-11-11. Inland Revenue's GST pages (as at 2026-11-11) offer no public GST-number lookup, so ask the supplier for its GST number, which is the same as its IRD number. [1][2][3]

Do we need authentication to use the NZBN API for public lookups?​

Yes. The NZBN API at api.business.govt.nz needs a subscription key even to read public data. A request without one is refused with "Access denied due to missing subscription key." (as at 2026-11-11). MBIE's API portal says "There is no fee for using this API", and that for most users who only search and get public information "the subscription key method is all that's needed". Two-legged OAuth adds a short-life access token if your key might be exposed to your product's users. Three-legged OAuth is needed for functions that update entities. Use the sandbox key and endpoints while you build, and note that "Sandbox data is not a mirror of production data." [1]

Yes. A company incorporated overseas and registered to do business in New Zealand is on the Overseas Register, which "is part of the New Zealand Companies Register", and it appears in an ordinary search. On 2026-11-11 a plain search returned Westpac Banking Corporation (company number 463, NZBN 9429040974897) as a Registered "Overseas ASIC Company". Advanced search only filters the results: "Overseas ASIC company" covers Australian companies and "Overseas non-ASIC company" covers all others. An overseas company must register "within 10 working days of starting your activities in New Zealand". Its New Zealand company number and NZBN are separate from its Australian ABN and ACN. [1][2]

Does an incorporated society or charitable trust board have an NZBN, and where do I check it?​

Yes. Incorporated societies and charitable trust boards have already been allocated an NZBN. They are not on the Companies Register: search for an incorporated society on the Companies Office's Search Business tool, and for a charitable trust board on the Charitable Trusts Register (charitabletrusts.companiesoffice.govt.nz). You can find either on the NZBN Register. Since 6 April 2026 every incorporated society must comply with the Incorporated Societies Act 2022. Existing societies could re-register between 5 October 2023 and 5 April 2026, and a society that did not re-register was removed from the register. It can apply to be restored. [1][2][3][4]

How Lookuptax can help you in NZBN validation?

Lookuptax validates VAT and tax ID numbers, including the NZBN, through one API. It checks each number's format and check digit and, where an official lookup is available, its registration status against the official source.