Supplier Verification Checklist: How to Check a New Supplier

Supplier verification means checking that a new supplier is a real, registered company, that the person you deal with represents it, that its certificates are genuine and that payments go to the right account. For most B2B purchases in Europe you can do the core checks yourself in under an hour using free public registers. This checklist walks through them in the order that catches problems earliest.

Why supplier verification matters

A new supplier can fail you in several ways: it may not exist, it may not be able to deliver what it promised, or a criminal may pose as it to divert your payment. The first two cost time and money, while the third can cost the full order value. A short, repeatable process protects against all three, and it gives your suppliers a clear picture of what you expect from them.

Scale supplier verification to the risk, since a one-off order of roll-ups needs less than a framework agreement for all your packaging. But the identity and bank checks below apply to every new supplier.

Supplier verification checklist: identity and registration

1. VAT number

For EU suppliers, check the VAT number in the EU VIES system and compare the registered name and address with the company you are dealing with. Our guide on how to check an EU VAT number explains the steps and what a "valid" result does and does not prove.

2. Company register

Look the company up in the national business register of its country. The European e-Justice Portal's Find a company service searches the business registers of EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the Business Registers Interconnection System. Check legal name, registration number, registered office, status and, where available, legal representatives. See our guide to looking up a company in European business registers.

3. Contact details and domain

• Does the email domain match the company's website?
• Does the phone number on the website match the one in the register or on official documents?
• Is the delivery or production address plausible for the products offered?

4. Business identifiers used by your systems

Some buyers also use a D-U-N-S Number to link a supplier to a credit file. Dun & Bradstreet notes that the number itself does not contain any information about stability or credit; its value comes from the linked file. Treat it as an identifier, not as proof of reliability.

Supplier verification for certificates and capability

5. Management system certificates

For ISO 9001, ISO 14001 or ISO 45001, ask for the certificate and check it in IAF CertSearch, which lists accredited management system certificates with status, scope and sites. The European co-operation for Accreditation recommends checking that a certificate carries an accreditation mark and that the accreditation body is a recognised signatory for that activity.

6. Product and chain of custody certificates

For FSC, use the FSC Public Certificate Search to confirm a certificate is valid and covers the right scope. Do the same in the PEFC database or the EU Ecolabel catalogue where relevant. Check that the certificate covers the site and product type in your order.

7. Capability and references

• Ask for one or two references with similar orders, and call them.
• Ask for samples or photos of comparable work.
• Check machine capacity and lead times against your volumes.
• For larger contracts, consider a visit or a video tour of the production site.

Financial and payment checks

8. Financial health

For larger or recurring orders, look at the latest annual accounts filed in the business register, or use a credit report. Ask about payment terms early; unusually strict prepayment demands from a new supplier deserve a question.

9. Bank account verification

This step of supplier verification is where most money is lost. Europol advises businesses to verify every request to change bank details using contact details from earlier correspondence, never those in the request. Since 9 October 2025, payment providers in the euro area must offer Verification of Payee, which matches the payee's IBAN against the name before a euro credit transfer is sent. Use it, and do not override a "no match" warning without calling the supplier on a known number. Our post on supplier bank details fraud lists the red flags.

Red flags that should pause supplier verification

Most suppliers pass these checks without trouble, but when something does not add up, stop and ask before you sign or pay. Typical warning signs to look out for include the following:

• The name in VIES or the business register differs from the name on the quote or invoice.
• The company was registered very recently but claims many years of experience or large references.
• The register shows a status such as liquidation or striking off.
• Certificates cannot be found in the official database, or the scope covers a different site or product.
• The bank account is in a different country from the company, or in the name of a different entity.
• The contact person avoids video calls, site visits or calls to the main switchboard.
• Prices are far below every other quote without a clear explanation.

None of these proves fraud on its own. Each one is a reason to verify a supplier more closely and to document the answer you received.

A one-page supplier verification record

Keep the results in one place for each supplier. A simple record avoids repeating work and helps colleagues who take over the supplier later.

• Legal name, registration number, VAT number and date checked
• Register extract or screenshot, with status
• Certificates, with numbers, expiry dates and where they were checked
• Bank account details, how they were confirmed and by whom
• References contacted and notes
• Date of next review, for example yearly or when certificates expire

Repeat the identity and bank checks whenever something changes: a new address, a new contact person or, above all, new bank details.

How Flobid helps with supplier verification

On Flobid, supplier profiles carry two kinds of badges. "VAT-checked" means the VAT number is valid in VIES and the name matches. "Verified" means the company has also been checked in the national company register and documents have been reviewed by Flobid. Only certificates that have been checked are shown on supplier profiles. These checks save time, but they do not replace your own bank detail confirmation before the first payment. You can read more about the badges on our verification page.

Sources

1. General information on find a company, European e-Justice Portal
2. General FAQ, European co-operation for Accreditation
3. IAF CertSearch FAQ: General, IAF CertSearch
4. Looking for an FSC Certified Supplier?, Forest Stewardship Council
5. #CyberScams: invoice fraud, Europol
6. Instant Payments Regulation, Bird & Bird (2024)
7. Find Any Company's D-U-N-S Number, Dun & Bradstreet