Step 1 — Official registry (free)

Start with the national registry. Confirms existence, directors, and sometimes filed financials. Sufficient for initial KYC in most cases.

Step 2 — OpenCorporates (free)

Universal fallback covering 145+ jurisdictions. Good for confirming existence when you don't know which registry to use. opencorporates.com

Step 3 — Creditsafe (low cost, pay per report)

Covers most shipping markets: Greece, Singapore, UAE, India, UK, and more. Significantly cheaper than D&B. Credit score, payment history, financial summary. Use when registry search passes but you need a credit opinion. creditsafe.com

Step 4 — D&B (full report, higher cost)

Use only for large accounts, high-value first bookings, or when Creditsafe returns thin data. Provides full financial health, trade payment history, and global linkage data.

Immediately escalate to management. Do not proceed, do not inform the client that screening is underway.

Iran, North Korea, Russia, Belarus, Myanmar. Escalate before any further engagement.

Do not approve booking. Request UBO information from client. If refused, decline onboarding.

Do not book cargo on a sanctioned vessel regardless of who the client is. Escalate to management immediately.

Do not dismiss. Document what was found and escalate to management for a decision before proceeding.

Discuss with management. Options: require prepayment, reduce credit limit, or request trade references before extending credit.