The verification standard
What a company must satisfy before it appears in the registry, written so that it can be read in full before anybody asks you to trust it. Five clauses, each with the evidence that proves it and the consequence when it fails.
All clauses
- BSL-VS-01
The company exists where it says it does.
Status: active In force
- BSL-VS-02
Its licence to trade is current.
Status: active In force
- BSL-VS-03
Its certificates are real and in date.
Status: active In force
- BSL-VS-04
The legal entity has been screened.
Status: pending Written, not yet enforced
- BSL-VS-05
Someone answers.
Status: active In force
The company exists where it says it does.
- Evidence
- Registration number and legal name, confirmed against the register that issued them.
- Accepted issuer
- The companies register of the company's own jurisdiction.
- Re-checked
- On listing, and on any change to legal name or registration number.
- While unsatisfied
- The company cannot be listed.
- Status
- In force
Its licence to trade is current.
- Evidence
- The trade licence, held on file with its issuing body and its expiry date.
- Accepted issuer
- The licensing authority named on the licence.
- Re-checked
- As the recorded expiry date approaches.
- While unsatisfied
- The listing is suspended until a current licence is filed.
- Status
- In force
Its certificates are real and in date.
- Evidence
- Class approvals, management system certificates and insurance cover, each recorded with issuer, issue date and expiry.
- Accepted issuer
- The classification society, certification body or underwriter named on the document.
- Re-checked
- As each recorded expiry date approaches, per certificate.
- While unsatisfied
- An expired credential blocks the case step that depends on it, and raises EXPIRED_CERT.
- Status
- In force
The legal entity has been screened.
- Evidence
- A sanctions screening result against the legal entity, dated.
- Accepted issuer
- Not yet fixed
- Re-checked
- Before listing, and again whenever the company joins a case.
- While unsatisfied
- The company cannot be listed, and cannot be added to a case.
- Status
- Written, not yet enforced
Someone answers.
- Evidence
- A named contact at the company, confirmed by reply.
- Accepted issuer
- The company itself, from an address at its own domain.
- Re-checked
- No recurring check
- While unsatisfied
- The listing carries no named contact and is marked incomplete.
- Status
- In force
What this standard does not do
- Verification confirms documents and identity. It is not an opinion on a company's finances, its solvency or the quality of its work.
- A verified listing is not a guarantee of performance on any case.
- A clause marked pending is written but not yet enforced by the platform. It is shown so that the standard can be read in full before it is complete, not so that it can be relied on.
How to cite this
Quote the clause reference and the version together. A clause reference is permanent: a clause is never renumbered, and a clause that is withdrawn keeps its reference and is marked withdrawn rather than removed.
Be measured against it
If your company can satisfy these five clauses, tell us which division it belongs in and we will write back with the documents we need.