Every document in a corporate verification chain carries a price. That price is not arbitrary. It is set by a combination of official tariffs, access conditions, and the work required to remove the path between a foreign buyer and a source that was not designed for foreign buyers. Control over a company — who holds it, who can enforce it, who can block a resolution — is the question that drives most document requests. The price of answering that question is determined before the request is accepted, not after.
What determines the priceThe official tariff of the source registry, the access conditions imposed on foreign applicants, and the scope of documents required to establish the control layer. Source: VLO Law Firm analytical methodology · verified 2026-09-16 When the price is statedBefore payment. The ceiling of what the sources allow is stated at the same time as the price. Source: VLO Law Firm service terms · verified 2026-09-16 What is not included in the priceLegal qualification of the facts established. The report is a factual compilation. Source: VLO Law Firm service terms · verified 2026-09-16 Price tiersNot applicable to this page. Price is communicated in response to a submitted request, based on jurisdiction, object, and scope.How official tariffs feed into the document price
Every registry that holds corporate documents sets its own tariff. That tariff covers the cost of extracting a single document or a certified copy. It does not cover the cost of identifying the correct national identifier, navigating a registration requirement, satisfying a declaration of legitimate interest, or translating the output into a language the buyer can use.
The price of a document report is the sum of those layers. The registry tariff is one input. The access path is another. The scope — how many documents are needed to establish the control layer — is the third.
Where a registry is public and free of charge, the price of the report reflects the removed path, not the registry fee itself. This is stated explicitly on every page where it applies.
This register is public and free of charge. What you are paying for is the removed path: registration, national identifier, language, electronic signature, declaration of legitimate interest.
What the control layer requires
Control is not always visible in a single document. A shareholder list names participants and their percentage holdings. It does not name the person who instructs those participants. A director filing names the registered officer. It does not name the person who appointed that officer or who can remove them.
Establishing the control layer requires, at minimum:
- the current shareholder list or equivalent ownership record
- the director or officer filing at the relevant date
- any document that modifies voting rights, veto rights, or appointment rights — shareholders' agreements, articles of amendment, notarial deeds
Each of those documents has its own source, its own tariff, and its own access condition. The price of the report reflects the number of documents required and the conditions attached to each.
Where the price is set in the process
The price is set after the scope is defined and before the request is accepted. The sequence is fixed:
- The object is identified — company name, national identifier, jurisdiction.
- The scope is defined — which documents are needed to answer the control question.
- The sources are identified — which registries hold those documents and under what conditions.
- The ceiling of what the sources allow is stated — what the documents will and will not show.
- The price is stated — fixed, based on scope and access conditions.
- The request is accepted.
No work begins before step 6. No price changes after step 5. If the scope changes after acceptance, the price is restated before additional work begins.
The limit of what the sources allow
Official registries record what was filed. They do not record what was agreed privately, what was transferred informally, or what was structured to remain outside the filing obligation.
The following limits apply across jurisdictions and are stated before payment:
Shareholder lists record legal ownership at the date of filing. Beneficial ownership — the person who ultimately controls or benefits — is recorded separately, where a UBO register exists and is accessible. In many jurisdictions, UBO registers are not publicly accessible following the CJEU ruling in joined cases C-37/20 and C-601/20. Where access is restricted, the report states the restriction and identifies the last accessible layer.
Director filings record the registered officer. They do not record the terms of appointment, the scope of authority, or the identity of the person who controls the appointment. Those terms are in the articles of association or a shareholders' agreement. Where those documents are filed, they are retrievable. Where they are not filed, the report states the gap.
Insolvency registers record proceedings that have been opened and registered. A negative result does not confirm the absence of a filed application that has not yet been registered. The report states this limit explicitly.
Financial statements record what was submitted to the registry. Where submission is voluntary or where small-company exemptions apply, the registry may hold no financial data. The report states the exemption regime and its effect on the available record.
The ceiling of what the sources allow is stated before payment. The price reflects the scope of what is retrievable, not the scope of what would be ideal.
Where the sources disagree
Where two sources return conflicting information about the same object — for example, a shareholder list that differs from a notarial deed, or a director filing that conflicts with a court record — the discrepancy is reported as a finding, not resolved editorially.
Discrepancy between sources is itself a result. It identifies a question that requires legal advice, not further document retrieval. The report names the sources, states what each shows, and states where they diverge.
FAQ
Why is the price stated before payment rather than after the report is delivered? The scope of a document report is defined before work begins. The sources are identified, the access conditions are known, and the ceiling of what the sources allow is established. A price stated after delivery would mean the buyer accepted an unknown cost for an unknown scope. That is not the basis on which this service operates.
Does the price change if the registry returns fewer documents than expected? The price is set against the scope of the request, not the volume of the output. If a registry returns no record for a given object, that absence is itself a finding. The report states what was searched, under what conditions, and what was returned. The price does not change because the registry returned nothing.
Is the price the same across all jurisdictions? No. The price reflects the access conditions of the specific jurisdiction, the number of sources required, and the scope of documents needed to address the control question. A jurisdiction with a free, open registry and a single document requirement carries a different price from a jurisdiction with a restricted registry, a national identifier requirement, and multiple document layers. The price for a specific request is communicated in response to a submitted request.
What is not included in the price? Legal advice, legal qualification of the facts established, representation, and any action taken on the basis of the report. The report is a factual compilation from official sources. It does not constitute legal advice and contains no legal qualification of the facts it establishes.
Can the scope be expanded after the report is delivered? Yes. If additional documents are required — for example, a shareholders' agreement that was not in the initial scope — a supplementary request is submitted. The price for the supplementary scope is stated before that work begins.
What happens if a source is inaccessible at the time of the request? If a registry is temporarily unavailable, the report notes the access attempt, the date, and the result. If a registry requires a condition that cannot be satisfied — for example, a national identifier that is not publicly searchable — the report states the condition and its effect on the available record. The price is adjusted to reflect the reduced scope, and the ceiling of what the sources allow is restated.
Sources:
VLO Law Firm analytical methodology and service terms · vlolawfirm.com · verified 2026-09-16
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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
