Why verification exists at all
International B2B procurement runs on trust, and trust in cross-border trade is not evenly distributed. The German manufacturing base is unusually well documented - the Handelsregister is public, filings are legally required, and the Bundesanzeiger publishes insolvency data - which means a surprising amount can be verified objectively rather than taken on assertion. The problem is that almost nobody does it, because doing it properly takes hours per company and the tools are spread across a dozen different official sites in German.
That is the entire service. We do the checks that take time, and we tell you what we found, including when the answer is that a company is not what it claims to be.
What the EUR 299 includes
| Check | What we do | What it catches |
|---|---|---|
| Handelsregister filing review | Retrieve the current register extract, review the complete filing history, confirm the legal entity, registered address, legal form, registered capital, founding date and all managing directors | Shell companies, recently formed entities, trading-name-only sellers, an entity that does not match the invoice |
| Bundesanzeiger and insolvency check | Search published insolvency and liquidation proceedings, check for rejected insolvency applications, review the announcement history | The single most predictive indicator of supplier failure. A rejected insolvency application is a public signal of severe distress |
| Geschäftsführer confirmation | Confirm the named managing directors against the register, and confirm the person you are dealing with is actually one of them or their authorised representative | Impersonation, an "export manager" with no corporate role, a broker presenting themselves as the factory |
| ISO certificate validation | Validate the certificate number directly with the issuing body - TÜV, DNV, SGS, Bureau Veritas, DEKRA, TÜV Rheinland and others - including the certificate scope, the accredited body, and the expiry date | Fabricated or expired certificates. A certificate number that does not validate with the issuer is decisive and disqualifying |
| Facility and address verification | Confirm the registered address corresponds to a real industrial or commercial site, check satellite and street-view imagery, and where a video walkthrough can be arranged, review it | The very common pattern of a registered address that is a coworking space, a residential address, or an unrelated company |
| Capability interview | Structured call with a named contact at the supplier, covering equipment list, capacity, tolerance capability, certification scope, current workload and lead time | Suppliers who describe capability at one level and are resourced at another. This is where reseller-versus-manufacturer becomes clear |
What it explicitly does not include
Being clear about the boundary is what makes the rest of the report trustworthy. The EUR 299 does not include:
- Factory audit - a physical audit with process review, capability measurement and quality-system assessment. This is a multi-day engagement costing EUR 2,500-8,000 depending on scope and location.
- Financial due diligence - audited accounts, credit report, solvency assessment. Creditreform and Dun & Bradstreet offer these; a full credit report costs EUR 200-900 and is worth it before a first order above roughly EUR 50,000.
- Quality audit to a recognised standard - an IATF 16949, AS9100 or ISO 9001 readiness assessment against the standard. Certification bodies do this; it is a separate engagement.
- Sample inspection - pre-shipment inspection of actual production. Inspection agencies such as SGS, TÜV and Bureau Veritas handle this per shipment, typically 0.3-0.8% of shipment value with a minimum fee.
- Reference calls with existing customers - valuable but time-consuming and sometimes declined for commercial confidentiality reasons.
What you can check yourself, for free, before paying anyone
A meaningful part of this is genuinely free and fast. Do these first:
Handelsregister search
handelsregister.de is free to search. You get the legal form, registered address, capital, founding date and managing directors without paying for the document. If the legal entity name on the invoice does not appear here, stop. Search under Handelsregisterbekanntmachungen (HRB, HRA) rather than the Vereinsregister.
German VAT number validation
The EU VIES service validates a German USt-IdNr. against the German tax authorities in real time, free. If the VAT number the supplier quotes does not validate, or validates to a different legal entity, that is a serious signal.
Impressum check
German law requires every commercial website to publish an Impressum carrying the legal entity name, registered address, register number and managing directors. Look for it. A company claiming to be an established manufacturer with no Impressum is not operating within German law, which tells you something about how carefully they run.
Bank account name match
The account name must match the registered legal entity exactly. A request to pay a personal account, a different company's account, or a "logistics partner" account is the most reliable single fraud signal in international trade. This one check catches a large share of attempted payment fraud.
ISO certificate number validation
Most certification bodies operate a public certificate check. Enter the certificate number the supplier gives you. A number that does not resolve, resolves to a different company, or carries an expiry date in the past, is decisive.
When the EUR 299 is worth it, and when it is not
| Your situation | Is it worth EUR 299? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First order above EUR 50,000 with an unfamiliar supplier | Yes, clearly | 0.6% of exposure. The single highest-return spend in the whole procurement process |
| Supplier asking for a deposit or full prepayment | Yes, and do it before paying anything | Prepayment requests are the highest-risk signal in the category |
| Supplier is a reseller and you need to know the factory | Yes | The capability interview is what reveals the actual manufacturing site |
| Repeat order, same supplier, relationship already verified | No | Re-verify annually at most, or on any change of entity or address |
| Order below EUR 5,000 | No | Do the five free checks yourself. The absolute exposure does not justify the fee |
| Supplier has a well-known name and a public reputation | Usually no | But note that large firms have authorised-dealer structures, so verify your contact is an authorised dealer rather than an unaffiliated trader |
How the process runs
- Send us the supplier details - company name, address, website, the contact person's name and role, VAT number if you have it, and what you are buying.
- We run the register, insolvency, certificate and address checks - typically complete within one business day.
- We interview the named contact - scheduled at a time that suits their working day, which usually means European business hours.
- You receive the report - 3-5 business days from receipt of the details. Written, with sources cited so you can re-check anything that matters.
- We call you if anything disqualifies them - you do not need to wait for the report to find out that a supplier is a shell.
If you have a supplier you are not sure about, send us the details and we will tell you what we find. EUR 299, three to five business days, and the report tells you when the answer is no.
More in this section
- German Supplier Contact Database 2026
- German Supplier Verification Service How It Works 299 Eur
- Request For Quotation German Manufacturers Free Rfq Service 2026
- Verify German Gmbh Handelsregister Creditreform 2026
Related reading
- GmbH check: HRB number and verifying a German company
- Is online-handelsregister.de legitimate? Alternatives explained
- GmbH check: HRB number and verifying a German company
- German supplier contact database: directories and how to use them
- How to verify German suppliers
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to verify a German supplier?
Our supplier verification is EUR 299 excluding VAT, delivered in 3-5 business days. It covers Handelsregister filing review, Bundesanzeiger insolvency checks, Geschäftsführer confirmation, ISO certificate validation with the issuing body, facility and address verification, and a structured capability interview with a named contact. A full factory audit or financial due diligence is a separate engagement costing considerably more.
How long does German supplier verification take?
Three to five business days from receipt of the supplier details. The register, insolvency and certificate checks typically complete within one business day. The capability interview with the supplier's named contact is the variable element, since it must be scheduled during European business hours.
What does a Handelsregister extract show?
A Handelsregister extract shows the registered legal entity name, legal form, registered address, register and register number, registered capital, the date of formation, the complete filing history, and all current managing directors. It is the authoritative record of who the company legally is. Register extracts are available as a small per-document fee from handelsregister.de, and the search itself is free.
Can I verify a German supplier myself for free?
Partly, and it is worth doing before paying anyone. Search handelsregister.de for the legal entity, address and managing directors. Validate the German VAT number free through the EU VIES service. Check the supplier's Impressum, which German law requires and which should name the legal entity and register. Confirm the bank account name matches the registered entity exactly. And validate any ISO certificate number directly with the issuing body. These five checks catch a large share of problem suppliers.
What is the most common supplier fraud signal?
A payment route that does not match the legal entity. A request to pay a personal account, a third-party intermediary, a 'logistics partner', or to pay in cryptocurrency is the most reliable fraud indicator in international trade, and it is more predictive than anything in the company documentation. Legitimate German manufacturers invoice from their registered entity and accept standard bank transfer or letter of credit.