A document report answers one question: what do official sources actually contain about this company, this filing, or this transaction record? The answer is bounded by what the relevant register holds — not by what a counterparty claims.
Control is the operative concern. Who signed the founding documents? Whose name appears on the share register? Which director filed the last annual return? These are verifiable positions. Whether those positions translate into actual authority is a separate question — one this report does not answer. The report establishes the record. The record is the starting point.
What the report establishesFiled documents, named signatories, registered positions, and the date each entry was made. Source: official company registers and filing systems · verified 2026-09-10. TurnaroundSignal tier: 3 business days. Standard tier: 5 business days. Extended tier: 10 business days. Timelines run from confirmation of the request. PriceFixed at the tier selected. Signal €440 · Standard €890 · Extended €1 800. No variable fees added after submission. What the report does not establishBeneficial ownership not disclosed in the filing, verbal agreements, and any arrangement not recorded in the official register.A document report is a structured extraction from official sources. The scope is defined by the tier selected and the jurisdictions involved.
At the core, the report retrieves filed documents: incorporation instruments, articles of association, director appointments, share allotments, and annual filings where these are publicly accessible. Each document is identified by its filing reference, filing date, and the register from which it was retrieved.
The report records named positions. A director named in a filing is a named director. A shareholder listed in a share register is a listed shareholder. The report does not infer authority from position, and it does not assess whether a named person exercises actual control. That distinction is deliberate and consistent across all tiers.
Where a document has been filed in a language other than English, the report provides a working translation of the operative provisions. The translation is functional, not certified. Where a certified translation is required for legal proceedings, that is noted explicitly.
The report identifies gaps. If a filing that would ordinarily appear in a register is absent — a missing annual return, an unfiled share allotment, a lapsed registration — the report records the absence. An absence is a finding.
Documents filed with a register establish a formal record of control at the moment of filing. A director appointment filed on a given date establishes that the appointment was registered on that date. It does not establish that the director was active, that the appointment was not subsequently varied by private agreement, or that the named person had any operational role.
Share registers show registered holders. In jurisdictions where nominee arrangements are common, the registered holder and the beneficial owner are different persons. The report identifies the registered holder. Where the jurisdiction maintains a beneficial ownership register and that register is accessible, the report notes what it contains. Where it is not accessible — or where the jurisdiction does not maintain one — the report states that explicitly.
Signatory authority appears in founding documents and in any filed power of attorney. The report extracts the scope of authority as written. Whether that authority was exercised within its stated scope is not a question the document record answers.
This is not a limitation of the report. It is the ceiling of what the sources allow — and that ceiling is stated before payment.
A single corporate structure may involve entities in several jurisdictions. Each jurisdiction maintains its own register, operates its own filing rules, and sets its own access conditions.
The report maps the filing layer for each entity in scope. For each jurisdiction, it identifies the primary register, the documents available from that register, the access conditions (public, restricted, or closed), and the date of retrieval.
Where a jurisdiction's register is publicly accessible without registration, the report notes that. Where access requires a national identifier, a registered account, or a declaration of legitimate interest, the report notes that too — and the retrieval is handled as part of the service. The access path is removed; the buyer receives the document, not instructions for obtaining it.
Where a register is closed to foreign applicants without a local representative, the report states the limit. No document is fabricated to fill a gap. The gap is recorded.
The Extended tier covers structures spanning multiple jurisdictions with a consolidated findings table. The Standard tier covers a single entity with its immediate filing history. The Signal tier covers a defined document set for a single entity.
Turnaround is counted in business days from confirmation of the request. Confirmation is issued once the scope is agreed and the tier is selected.
Signal reports are delivered within three business days. Standard reports within five. Extended reports within ten.
Delivery is a structured PDF with a source index. Each finding is keyed to its source document. Each source document is identified by register, filing reference, and retrieval date. The index is not a bibliography — it is an audit trail.
Where a document cannot be retrieved within the stated turnaround — because a register is temporarily unavailable or because access requires a step that extends the timeline — the buyer is notified before the deadline, not after.
Official registers record what was filed. They do not record what was agreed privately, what was communicated verbally, or what was done outside the filing system.
A company may have undergone a change of control that has not yet been registered. The register will show the previous position. The report will show the register. The gap between the register and reality is not something any document report can close — in any jurisdiction, at any price.
Beneficial ownership is the most common gap. In most jurisdictions, the beneficial owner is not the same as the registered shareholder, and the beneficial owner is not named in any filed document. Where a jurisdiction maintains a UBO register and that register is accessible, the report includes what it contains. Where it is not accessible, the report states the limit precisely: the chain is established to the registered holder, and the report names the point at which it stops.
Insolvency and enforcement records are held in separate registers from company registers. A document report at the Signal tier does not include insolvency searches. Standard and Extended tiers include a named insolvency register check for each entity in scope.
Court records are not part of any tier of this report. They are covered under a separate report type.
The limit is stated before payment. If the scope of what the sources allow does not meet the buyer's requirement, the appropriate response is to state that before the report is commissioned — not to commission a report and discover the limit afterward.
In a cross-border structure, the same fact may appear differently in different registers. A director named in one jurisdiction's filing may not appear in a related entity's filing in another jurisdiction. A share allotment recorded in one register may not be reflected in the group's consolidated filing in another.
These discrepancies are findings. The report does not resolve them. It records each source's position, identifies the discrepancy, and notes the date of each filing. What the discrepancy means — whether it reflects a filing error, a deliberate structure, or a change not yet registered — is a question for legal analysis, not for a document report.
Where a discrepancy is identified, the report flags it explicitly in the findings summary. A discrepancy between sources is not a defect in the report. It is information.
| Tier | Price | What is included | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | €440 | Filed documents for one entity: incorporation instrument, current director list, share register extract, last annual filing. Retrieval from one register. Source index with retrieval dates. | Insolvency search. Multi-jurisdiction coverage. Translation of full document sets. Beneficial ownership register check. |
| Standard | €890 | All Signal content plus: insolvency register check for the named entity, filed financial statements where accessible, beneficial ownership register check where the register is accessible, working translation of operative provisions. | Multi-jurisdiction consolidation. Court record search. Extended historical filing review beyond the last three years. |
| Extended | €1 800 | All Standard content plus: multi-jurisdiction coverage for structures spanning up to five entities, consolidated findings table keyed to source documents, historical filing review to incorporation, discrepancy log where sources disagree. | Court record search. Certified translations. Legal qualification of findings. Representation before any authority. |
What is the difference between a document report and a legal opinion? A document report extracts and presents what official sources contain. It does not assess what those contents mean for a particular legal position, transaction, or dispute. A legal opinion applies legal analysis to established facts. This report produces the facts; it does not apply the analysis.
Can the report cover a company in a jurisdiction where the register is not in English? Yes. Where the operative register is in another language, the report includes a working translation of the relevant provisions. The translation identifies which provisions were translated and from which source document. Certified translations are not included in any tier and are noted as outside scope where required.
What happens if a document cannot be retrieved? If a document within the agreed scope cannot be retrieved — because the register is temporarily unavailable, because access requires a step that cannot be completed within the turnaround, or because the document does not exist in the register — the report records the attempt, the reason for non-retrieval, and the date. The absence of a document is a finding.
Does the report cover beneficial ownership? Where a jurisdiction maintains an accessible beneficial ownership register, the Standard and Extended tiers include a check of that register. Where the register is not accessible to foreign applicants, or where the jurisdiction does not maintain one, the report states that explicitly. The Signal tier does not include a beneficial ownership register check.
Is the price fixed or does it vary by jurisdiction? The price is fixed at the tier selected. It does not vary by jurisdiction or by the number of documents retrieved within the agreed scope. If the scope requires adjustment after the request is submitted — for example, because the structure is more complex than initially described — the revised scope and price are agreed before work continues.
How is the report delivered? Delivery is a structured PDF. Each finding is keyed to its source document. Each source document is identified by register, filing reference, and retrieval date. The source index is included as a separate section of the PDF.
What is not covered by any tier of this report? Court records, certified translations, legal qualification of findings, and representation before any authority are outside the scope of all tiers. These are separate services.
Official company registers and filing systems — accessed per jurisdiction at the time of retrieval. No single global register exists; each jurisdiction's primary register is identified in the source index of the delivered report. Retrieval dates are recorded per document.
Insolvency registers — checked at Standard and Extended tiers. Access conditions and record retention periods vary by jurisdiction. A negative result confirms the absence of a record in the register at the date of retrieval; it does not confirm the absence of proceedings filed in a different register or jurisdiction.
Beneficial ownership registers — checked where accessible at Standard and Extended tiers. Access conditions vary by jurisdiction and are subject to change. The report records the access condition at the date of retrieval.
Disclaimer: This report is a factual compilation from official registers and public sources. It is provided for informational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and contains no legal qualification of the facts established. VLO Law Firm assumes no liability for actions taken or not taken based on this material. For advice regarding your particular situation, please contact info@vlolawfirm.com.
Author: James Whitfield — Partner, UK & Common Law, VLO Law Firm