> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tilta.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Search businesses
> Search Tilta's business registry by name, country, tax ID, or registration number to look up a business before onboarding them as a buyer or merchant.
Before onboarding a company as a buyer or merchant, use this endpoint to look them up in Tilta's business registry. A successful search lets you verify that the business exists, retrieve its official registration details, and pre-fill your onboarding form – reducing manual data entry errors and improving conversion. You can search by business name and country, or by unique identifiers such as a tax ID or commercial registration number. Providing identifiers typically yields more precise results than a name-only search.
Use the data returned by this endpoint to pre-populate the business registration fields in your buyer or merchant onboarding
form. This reduces friction for your users and lowers the chance of data-entry errors that could delay underwriting.
An empty `items` array means no matching businesses were found in Tilta's registry for the given country. The business may
still be onboardable – ask the buyer to enter their details manually. Not all registries are available in all countries.
## OpenAPI
````yaml GET /v1/businesses/search
openapi: 3.0.0
info:
version: 0.0.1
title: Tilta API
description: Tilta API documentation
servers:
- url: https://api.tilta.io
description: Tilta Production API
- url: https://api.tilta-sandbox.io
description: Tilta Sandbox API
security: []
paths:
/v1/businesses/search:
get:
tags:
- Businesses
summary: Search businesses
description: >-
Search for businesses using either business identifiers or name and
address.
parameters:
- schema:
type: integer
description: The number of records to be returned.
example: 10
default: 10
required: false
name: limit
in: query
- schema:
type: string
enum:
- identifier
- name_address
description: Type of search to perform
required: true
name: search_type
in: query
- schema:
type: string
minLength: 2
maxLength: 2
description: Two-letter country code
example: DE
required: true
name: country
in: query
- schema:
type: string
enum:
- VAT_ID
- REGISTER_ID
description: Type of business identifier (required for identifier search)
required: false
name: identifier_type
in: query
- schema:
type: string
description: Value of business identifier (required for identifier search)
required: false
name: identifier_value
in: query
- schema:
type: string
description: Business name (required for name_address search)
required: false
name: name
in: query
- schema:
type: string
description: Street address (optional for name_address search)
required: false
name: street
in: query
- schema:
type: string
description: City (optional for name_address search)
required: false
name: city
in: query
- schema:
type: string
description: Postal code (optional for name_address search)
required: false
name: postcode
in: query
responses:
'200':
description: ''
content:
application/json:
schema:
type: object
properties:
items:
type: array
items:
type: object
properties:
id:
type: string
legal_name:
type: string
trading_name:
type: string
nullable: true
legal_form:
type: string
business_address:
type: object
properties:
street:
type: string
nullable: true
house:
type: string
nullable: true
city:
type: string
nullable: true
postcode:
type: string
nullable: true
country:
type: string
minLength: 2
maxLength: 2
required:
- street
- house
- city
- postcode
- country
business_identifiers:
type: array
items:
type: object
properties:
type:
type: string
enum:
- VAT_ID
- TAX_ID
- REGISTER_ID
- CREFO_ID
- ALLIANZ_TRADE_ID
- SCHUFA_ID
- CREDITSAFE_ID
- CRIF_ID
- ELLISPHERE_ID
value:
type: string
country:
type: string
minLength: 2
maxLength: 2
required:
- type
- value
- country
incorporated_at:
type: number
nullable: true
website:
type: string
nullable: true
required:
- id
- legal_name
- trading_name
- legal_form
- business_address
- business_identifiers
- incorporated_at
- website
limit:
type: number
total:
type: number
required:
- items
- limit
- total
'400':
description: ''
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/badRequestSchema'
'401':
description: ''
content:
application/json:
schema:
$ref: '#/components/schemas/unauthorizedRequestSchema'
security:
- bearerAuth: []
components:
schemas:
badRequestSchema:
type: object
properties:
code:
type: string
description: Error code
example: BAD_REQUEST
error:
type: string
description: Error message for debugging purposes
example: Request validation failed. 1 issue found.
issues:
type: array
items:
type: object
properties:
code:
type: string
description: Issue code
example: INVALID_TYPE
path:
type: string
description: Issue path starting with body, params, querystring, or headers
example: body.registered_at
message:
type: string
description: Issue message for debugging purposes
example: Invalid type
required:
- code
- path
- message
description: List of issues
example:
- code: INVALID_TYPE
path: body.registered_at
message: Invalid type
required:
- code
- error
- issues
description: Bad Request, see error message for details.
example:
code: BAD_REQUEST
error: Request validation failed. 1 issue found.
issues:
- code: INVALID_TYPE
path: body.registered_at
message: Invalid type
unauthorizedRequestSchema:
type: object
properties:
error:
type: string
description: Error details.
example: Unauthorized
code:
type: string
description: Error code.
example: UNAUTHORIZED
required:
- error
- code
description: Unauthorized Request.
example:
error: Unauthorized
code: UNAUTHORIZED
securitySchemes:
bearerAuth:
type: http
scheme: bearer
description: Your Tilta API key, sent as `Bearer `.
````