How to Verify a Company Registration Number with SSM

By Axecta Management Services, Kuala Lumpur · Last verified: 29 October 2026

Why verifying a number is worth ten minutes

A registration number ties a name to a legal entity. Without it, a “company” in a contract might be a trading name, a dissolved entity or a business that shares a name with a better-known one. Verification protects you in four situations that come up regularly for Malaysian businesses: onboarding a new supplier or customer, accepting a purchase order from a company you have not met, opening a bank or payment account that requires counterparty checks, and preparing e-invoices, where the buyer’s details must be correct.

Under the Companies Act 2016.pdf), the registration number and name in the register define the company, so the register is the right place to check. Verification is not the same as a credit check. An SSM search tells you whether the entity exists, what its recorded particulars are and who is on the register as directors and shareholders. It does not tell you whether the company will pay on time.

What SSM offers for checking an entity

SSM’s corporate information page lists the products and four portals, supplied by appointed service providers, through which they can be obtained: SSM e-Info, MYDATA-SSM, SSM Search and SSM SAFEDATA. SSM’s e-Info page describes the products you are likely to use for verification:

SSM does not publish prices for these on those pages. The corporate information page says fees follow the schedule under Regulation 8 of the Companies Regulations 2017. Portals may show their own checkout price, so confirm it before paying.

Step by step: verify a registration number

1. Ask for the documents first. Request the Certificate of Incorporation or notice of registration (for a company) or the registration certificate (for a business). A company with nothing to hide can send these in minutes.
2. Note the exact legal name and number. Copy them as printed, including “Sdn Bhd” or “Berhad” endings.
3. Search on an SSM portal. Use the number first; if that returns nothing, use the exact name. A mismatch between name and number is the first warning sign.
4. Open the profile and read the header. Check that the registration number on the profile matches the one you were given. SSM’s announcement on the new format says the existing and new numbers are shown together during the transition, so you should see both on a record that was registered before 11 October 2019.
5. Compare the details. Name, registered address, directors and shareholders on the profile should match the person’s claims and the signatory on the contract.
6. Read the status. Look for anything that suggests the company is not active, such as winding up, strike-off or dissolution wording. The portal’s wording governs; do not assume a result means the company is trading.
7. Check charges if credit is involved. Company Charges shows registered security over assets.
8. File the evidence. Save the dated PDF to the counterparty folder. A profile is a snapshot, so the date matters.

What to compare on the profile

On the signatory point: under the Companies Act 2016 a company’s directors manage its business. If the person signing is not a director, ask for evidence of authority such as a board resolution. See directors’ resolution vs shareholders’ resolution for how such authority is documented.

Verify the tax number as well

If you will issue or receive e-invoices with a company, you also need its tax identification number (TIN). LHDN’s MyInvois SDK FAQ says a TIN can be checked through the MyTax Portal, through the Validate Taxpayer’s TIN function before submitting an e-invoice, or by contacting the HASiL Contact Centre on 03-8911 1000. The same FAQ says non-individual TINs use prefixes such as C for companies and that a company TIN ends with a zero. The e-Invoice Guideline, Version 4.8, which LHDN published on 30 August 2026 on its guidelines page, requires the buyer’s registration number as well as the TIN, and says SSM-registered taxpayers should input only the new 12-digit number. See registration number vs TIN.

Red flags

• A number that does not return the name on the invoice or contract.
• A refusal or long delay in sharing the certificate.
• A registered address that is only a mailbox, with no one who can receive notices, for a business making large claims.
• A different company name on the invoice from the one on the contract.
• Letterhead showing a number with the wrong length or format.
• Pressure to pay a deposit before the entity can be identified.
• Bank account names for payment that differ from the registered name.
• A profile that shows recently changed directors or address right when the deal starts. This may be innocent, but ask why.

What this means for different readers

If you run a Sdn Bhd: build a short vendor onboarding checklist and keep the profile, certificate copy and TIN on file for each counterparty. It also makes year-end audit confirmations and e-invoice master data easier. The companion checklist in prepare accounting records for e-invoice covers how to store these details.

If you are a sole proprietor: you will mostly be checked, not checking. Keep your certificate of registration displayed at the principal place of business, as section 11A of the Registration of Businesses Act 1956 requires, and keep a scan available.

If you are foreign-owned or dealing with a foreign party: overseas counterparties often ask for proof of existence. The Attestation of Company Good Standing is the SSM product designed for that, and its QR code lets the recipient check a printout against SSM’s stored copy. A foreign company registered in Malaysia has a company number allocated on registration (Companies Act s565(3)), which differs from any Malaysian subsidiary’s number.

A realistic scenario (illustrative)

A distributor is asked to supply goods on 30-day credit to a new customer, which has sent a purchase order and a number. The credit controller searches the number on an SSM portal and finds the name matches, but the company profile shows a different registered address from the delivery address. She phones the number on the profile, not the one on the purchase order, and asks for a board resolution and the Certificate of Incorporation. Within a day she has both, and the delivery address turns out to be a new warehouse. She files the profile, sets up the customer with the registration number and TIN in the system, and approves a modest initial credit limit. Nothing in this example is a real case; it shows how a simple search and one call prevent a fraudulent or mistaken order.

Common mistakes

• Searching only the trading name. Many businesses trade under a name different from the legal name.
• Trusting a screenshot supplied by the counterparty. Run your own search.
• Treating “found” as “healthy”. A search that returns a record says nothing about solvency.
• Skipping the check for existing customers. Details change; refresh profiles for key accounts at least annually.
• Using a number from an old contract. It may be the pre-2019 number. Quote the 12-digit number. See new vs old company registration number.
• Forgetting to record the date of the search. An undated screenshot proves little.

How Axecta helps

Axecta’s company secretarial service can run profile searches, check directors and charges, and prepare a short due-diligence note for a supplier, customer or acquisition target. For clients preparing for e-invoicing, we also help build the customer and supplier master data so that name, registration number and TIN are consistent. If a bank has raised queries about a company’s details, see corporate bank account application problems.

Next steps

1. Decide which counterparties are high-risk by value, credit terms or reliance.
2. For each, request the incorporation documents and run a profile search.
3. Record the legal name, 12-digit number, TIN, address and search date.
4. Re-check annually and before any large new deal.
5. Consider Company Watch for key accounts.

Frequently asked questions