Semaphore offers a powerful search API to find companies across multiple countries. The search endpoint allows you to find companies based on:

  1. Company name (legal name, commercial name, or historical name)
  2. Registration number

It’s important to note that the availability of these search methods can vary depending on the country you’re searching in.

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Response Times

Search response times can fluctuate based on the specific registry we need to query:

  • Fastest responses: A few hundred milliseconds
  • Slowest responses: Up to ten seconds

For a detailed breakdown of:

  • Available search methods by country
  • Expected response times for each country
  • Other country-specific search information

Please refer to our comprehensive coverage map.

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Search Endpoint

Request
curl --request GET \
  --url 'https://api.getsemaphore.com/v2/search?country=FR&query=Semaphore' \
  --header 'x-api-key: <api-key>'

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Query Parameters

ParameterRequiredDescription
countryYesCountry code for the search. Can be an ISO country code (e.g., “FR”, “GB”, “DE”). For US states, combine “US” with the state code (e.g., “US-CA” for California).
queryYesThe search term - can be a company name or registration number.

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Response

The search results include basic company information such as:

  • Legal name (and English translation for non-Latin names)
  • Registration number
  • Legal address
  • Country code

Example response:

[
  {
    "address": {
      "addressLine1": "10 rue de la Fraternité",
      "city": "Bagnolet",
      "postalCode": "93170",
      "region": "FR",
      "countryCode": "FR",
      "state": "Île-de-France"
    },
    "companyNumber": "932884117",
    "legalName": "SEMAPHORE",
    "legalNameInEnglish": null,
    "country": "FR"
  }
]

The company number format may vary by country. For example, in Germany it might be a concatenation of the registry and city (e.g., “Augsburg HRB 34617”). The search function will always return a usable company number that can be used with other Semaphore APIs.

Once you have found a company through the search endpoint, you can use its ID to retrieve more detailed information using the company data endpoint.