How do I verify an Australian ABN via API?
A single call returns ABN status, active, cancelled, or superseded, along with entity type and registration details from the Australian Business Register.
What is the difference between an ABN lookup and an ASIC company search?
ABN Lookup confirms tax registration status, while ASIC confirms legal company status. They operate on different schedules and can genuinely disagree on a given entity.
How do I check if an Australian business is still active before onboarding them as a vendor?
A combined ABR and ASIC check in one call confirms current status on both registers, rather than relying on one source that might be out of date relative to the other.
Can I get ABR and ASIC data in a single API call for KYC?
Yes, the entity record combines both, with any conflict between them flagged explicitly rather than left for a human to notice.
What does ASIC company status EXAD, DRGD, or SOFF mean for a compliance check?
These are ASIC's own status codes covering states like external administration, deregistration, and strike off. Each carries different compliance implications, and the API returns the code directly rather than requiring a lookup table on your end.
How do I automate supplier due diligence for Australian entities?
Entity verification combined with a KYC risk signal can run automatically as part of a supplier onboarding step, rather than a manual check run before payment.
Is the ABR API or the data.gov.au bulk download better for production use?
Bulk downloads are static snapshots that go stale. A live API call reflects the current published status at query time, with the snapshot date included in the response.
How do Australian banks verify business customers at onboarding?
Typically a combined check against ABR and ASIC, confirming both tax registration and legal company status match what the customer has provided.
What data fields are available when looking up an Australian company by ACN?
Company status and registered address, sourced from the ASIC Company Register.
How do I flag an ABN and ASIC mismatch as a KYC risk signal?
The API returns an explicit mismatch flag when the two registers disagree, which can be fed directly into a risk rating model rather than derived manually.