LEI Codes: What They Are and Why They Matter for SSL
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A Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a unique 20-character code that identifies a company in financial transactions worldwide. Beyond finance, LEI codes are increasingly used as a fast, standardized way to prove a business is real — which is exactly why they can speed up SSL certificate validation too.
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What Is an LEI Code?
An LEI is issued once per organization and stays with it for life, similar to a passport number for a business. It's part of a global system overseen by the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF), created after the 2008 financial crisis so regulators and businesses could clearly answer the question “who is this company, really?”
Each LEI is tied to a small set of verified facts: the company's legal name, registered address, and country of registration — checked against official public sources wherever possible.
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Benefits of Having an LEI Code
- Faster OV and EV SSL validation. Since your organization's legal identity is already verified, GoGetSSL can reuse that proof instead of starting business validation from scratch.
- One identity, recognized everywhere. The same LEI works across banks, financial platforms, regulators, and — increasingly — certificate authorities, instead of repeating verification paperwork for each one.
- A permanent, stable reference. Unlike a registration number that can vary by country or system, an LEI follows a single global format, making it easy to reference consistently.
- Regulatory-ready. Required or recommended for many financial reporting and trading activities, so having one already in place removes a future scramble.
- Public and verifiable. Anyone can look up an LEI in the Global LEI Index and see exactly what's been verified about the entity behind it.
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Understanding Corroboration Levels
Not every LEI record is verified to the same degree — and GLEIF is explicit about this rather than treating every LEI as equally trustworthy. Each record carries a corroboration level, showing how thoroughly its data was checked against an official source.
Fully Corroborated Fully Corroborated Partially Corroborated Partially Corroborated What it means What it means What it means
Every data element was validated against an authoritative public source (a business register, for example) At least one data element could not be validated against a public source Why this happens Why this happens
The company's home country has an accessible public business register covering all required fields Some required data simply isn't collected or published by the local authority — not necessarily a problem with the company itself How common How common
About 88% of all LEI records globally About 4% of all LEI records globally Best for Best for
KYC/KYB checks, regulatory reporting, and validation processes that require the highest confidence Still valid and usable, but flagged as having a gap in independent verification A third category, Entity-Supplied Only, covers records where no public register exists at all — the data comes directly from the company and is reviewed by the LEI issuer, but can't be independently cross-checked. This is common for entities not required to register publicly.
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FAQ (quick answers)
- Do I need an LEI to get an SSL certificate?
No — LEI is optional. It's a way to speed up and strengthen OV/EV validation if you already have one, or plan to get one for other business reasons. - Does GoGetSSL accept Partially Corroborated LEI records?
Yes. A Partially Corroborated LEI still confirms your organization's core identity — it simply means one or more secondary data fields couldn't be cross-checked against a public register, often due to how your local jurisdiction publishes data, not an issue with your company. - How do I check my LEI's corroboration level?
Look up your LEI on the Global LEI Index — the corroboration level is listed as part of the public record. - Where can I get an LEI code?
GoGetSSL offers LEI registration starting at $62/year, including a free SSL certificate with every plan. See LEI plans.
- Do I need an LEI to get an SSL certificate?
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