How to Verify a Latvian Company

Before you sign a contract, pay an invoice or choose a supplier, it is worth spending five minutes checking that a Latvian company is real, active and the right size. Latvia publishes most of the information you need for free.

1. Find the registration number

Every legal entity has an 11-digit registration number (reģistrācijas numurs), shown for every company in this directory — for example on the largest employers list. It should appear on invoices, contracts and the company's website.

2. Check the official register

Search the number in the Register of Enterprises (Uzņēmumu reģistrs). You will see the legal name, legal address, status (active, in liquidation or excluded), officers and, for many companies, beneficial owners. Commercial services such as Lursoft provide annual reports, credit information and history.

3. Confirm the VAT number

A Latvian VAT number is LV followed by the 11-digit registration number. You can validate it in the EU's VIES service. If a company issues VAT invoices but is not VAT-registered, ask questions.

4. Look at size and activity

The State Revenue Service publishes each company's average number of employees and taxes paid. In this directory these figures appear next to every company: a firm with dozens of employees and steady tax payments is generally more established than one with none. Our directory only includes entities with employees or tax payments in 2024 — 97,891 in total.

5. Check the main activity

The NACE code tells you what the company says it mainly does. Browse the industry directory to see where a company sits and who its peers are. A mismatch between the declared activity and what a company is selling you is a warning sign.

6. Watch for red flags

Status shows liquidation, insolvency or exclusion from the register.
Recently registered company offering unusually large deals.
Bank account in a different country from the company with no clear reason.
Registered address that is a mass-registration address with no real office.