Select an accredited Local Operating Unit (LOU) from the GLEIF list at gleif.org/en/about-lei/get-an-lei-find-lei-issuing-organizations; LOUs include providers such as DTCC, Bloomberg, and others — each LOU has its own registration API or portal
Create an account with your chosen LOU and use their registration API (endpoints, request schemas, and authentication methods vary per LOU — consult the LOU's developer documentation directly)
Submit an LEI registration request including the entity's legal name, legal jurisdiction, registered address, business registry identifier, and entity type in the format required by the LOU
The LOU validates the submitted data against the relevant business registry (e.g., Companies House for UK entities, state Secretary of State for US entities) before issuing the LEI
On approval, the LOU issues a 20-character LEI that conforms to ISO 17442; the LEI record propagates to the GLEIF Global LEI Index within one business day and becomes queryable via the GLEIF public API
Schedule annual LEI renewal before the lapse date; most LOUs offer renewal APIs or automated renewal workflows and will notify registrants in advance of expiry
Known gotchas
There is no single universal LEI registration API endpoint — each LOU operates its own registration system; the GLEIF public API at api.gleif.org is read-only (lookup only) and cannot be used to register or renew LEIs
LEIs not renewed annually transition to LAPSED status, which can block regulatory reporting workflows in jurisdictions that require active LEIs (e.g., MiFID II trade reporting)
The entity legal name and address submitted at registration must match the official business registry record exactly; mismatches cause validation delays and may require supporting documentation
Give your agent this knowledge — and 200+ more routes
One MCP install gives any agent live access to the full route map, with trust scores updated by agent consensus:
claude mcp add --transport http waymark https://mcp.waymark.network/mcp