Overview

The LEI Registration API provides programmatic access to LEI lifecycle management—registration, renewal, validation, and lookup. This guide covers authentication, available endpoints, request/response formats, and error handling.

Authentication

All API requests require an API key passed via the X-API-Key header. Keys are generated from the API Dashboard and are environment-specific (test/live).

curl -X GET "https://api.lei-search.com/v1/lei/5493001KJTIIGC8Y1R12" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key_here"

API keys are stored as SHA-256 hashes. Rate limits vary by tier: Starter (60 req/min), Pro (300 req/min), Enterprise (1000 req/min).

Base URL

https://api.lei-search.com/v1

Endpoints

POST /lei/register

Submit a new LEI registration application. The request is validated against official company registries before submission to GLEIF.

POST /lei/register
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "entity": {
    "legalName": "Acme Corporation Ltd",
    "legalAddress": {
      "firstAddressLine": "123 Business Park",
      "city": "London",
      "country": "GB",
      "postalCode": "EC1A 1BB"
    },
    "registrationNumber": "12345678",
    "jurisdiction": "GB"
  },
  "parentInfo": {
    "hasDirectParent": true,
    "directParentLEI": "HWUPKR0MPOU8FGXBT394"
  }
}

Request Fields

• entity.legalName (required) - Official registered name
• entity.legalAddress (required) - Registered address object
• entity.registrationNumber (required) - Company registration number
• entity.jurisdiction (required) - ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code
• parentInfo.hasDirectParent - Boolean for Level 2 relationship data
• parentInfo.directParentLEI - LEI of direct parent entity (if applicable)

Response

HTTP 202 Accepted
{
  "applicationId": "APP-2025-001234",
  "status": "PENDING_VALIDATION",
  "estimatedCompletion": "2025-02-07T12:00:00Z"
}

POST /lei/renew

Renew an existing LEI. Optionally update entity data during renewal.

POST /lei/renew
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "lei": "5493001KJTIIGC8Y1R12",
  "renewalPeriod": "1_YEAR",
  "updateData": {
    "legalAddress": {
      "city": "Manchester"
    }
  }
}

Parameters

• lei (required) - The 20-character LEI code
• renewalPeriod - 1_YEAR, 2_YEAR, or 3_YEAR
• updateData - Optional object containing fields to update

GET /lei/{lei_code}

Retrieve entity data for a specific LEI. Returns Level 1 reference data and Level 2 relationship data.

GET /lei/5493001KJTIIGC8Y1R12

HTTP 200 OK
{
  "lei": "5493001KJTIIGC8Y1R12",
  "legalName": "Acme Corporation Ltd",
  "status": "ACTIVE",
  "nextRenewalDate": "2026-02-05",
  "registrationAuthority": "RA000544",
  "jurisdiction": "GB",
  "legalAddress": {
    "firstAddressLine": "123 Business Park",
    "city": "London",
    "country": "GB",
    "postalCode": "EC1A 1BB"
  },
  "relationships": {
    "directParent": "HWUPKR0MPOU8FGXBT394",
    "ultimateParent": "HWUPKR0MPOU8FGXBT394"
  }
}

POST /batch/validate

Validate multiple LEI codes in a single request. Returns validation status for each LEI.

POST /batch/validate
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "leis": [
    "5493001KJTIIGC8Y1R12",
    "HWUPKR0MPOU8FGXBT394",
    "INVALID_LEI_CODE"
  ]
}

HTTP 200 OK
{
  "results": [
    {"lei": "5493001KJTIIGC8Y1R12", "valid": true, "status": "ACTIVE"},
    {"lei": "HWUPKR0MPOU8FGXBT394", "valid": true, "status": "ACTIVE"},
    {"lei": "INVALID_LEI_CODE", "valid": false, "error": "INVALID_FORMAT"}
  ]
}

POST /batch/enrich

Enrich a list of LEIs with full entity data. Useful for bulk compliance checks.

Webhooks

Configure webhooks to receive real-time notifications for registration status changes. Webhook endpoints can be configured via the API Dashboard.

Supported Events

• lei.registration.completed - LEI registration approved
• lei.registration.failed - Registration rejected
• lei.renewal.completed - Renewal processed
• lei.status.changed - Entity status changed (e.g., LAPSED)

POST https://your-server.com/webhook
Content-Type: application/json
X-Webhook-Signature: sha256=...

{
  "event": "lei.registration.completed",
  "timestamp": "2025-02-05T14:30:00Z",
  "data": {
    "applicationId": "APP-2025-001234",
    "lei": "5493001KJTIIGC8Y1R12",
    "legalName": "Acme Corporation Ltd"
  }
}

Error Handling

The API uses standard HTTP status codes. Error responses include a machine-readable code and description.

HTTP 400 Bad Request
{
  "error": {
    "code": "INVALID_LEI_FORMAT",
    "message": "LEI must be exactly 20 alphanumeric characters"
  }
}

Common Error Codes

• 401 - Invalid or missing API key
• 403 - Insufficient permissions for endpoint
• 404 - LEI not found
• 409 - Duplicate registration attempt
• 429 - Rate limit exceeded

Rate Limits

Rate limits are applied per API key. Limits reset at the start of each minute. When exceeded, requests return 429 Too Many Requests with a Retry-After header.

API Tiers

Additional Endpoints

The API also supports:

• GET /lei/search - Full-text search across 2.7M+ entities
• GET /lei/{lei}/relationships - Level 2 parent/child data
• GET /isin/{isin}/lei - ISIN to LEI cross-reference
• POST /lei/transfer - Transfer LEI from another Registration Agent