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identity-canon/research/commercial-identity/registry-identifier-subtypes.md
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Registry Identifier Subtypes — ISO 6523, ALEI, LEI, DUNS, UEI

Source Type

Standards and registry synthesis. ISO/IEC 6523, ISO 17442 (LEI), ISO 8000-116 (ALEI), GLEIF, D&B DUNS, SAM.gov UEI, EITI/Open Ownership identifier guidance.

Domain

Authoritative and proxy organization identifiers used in commerce, procurement, financial markets, beneficial ownership transparency, and master data management.

Why This Source Matters

Legal entities accumulate multiple identifiers from different registries — company registration numbers, LEI, DUNS, UEI, VAT — each with different issuing authority, renewal rules, and trust basis. Collapsing them into generic Identifier loses lifecycle, authority, and cross-registry linking semantics needed for commercial binding and BO transparency.

Key Concepts

ISO/IEC 6523 structure

ISO/IEC 6523 defines organization identification as:

  • International Code Designator (ICD): up to 4 digits identifying the issuing scheme authority (registered with ISO/IEC 6523-2).
  • Organization identifier: up to 35 characters within that scheme.
  • Optional organization part identifier (OPI): sub-entity within organization.

Combined form enables global interchange (PEPPOL, EDIFACT, Schema.org iso6523Code).

Example ICD allocations relevant to commercial identity:

ICD Scheme Authority type
0060 D-U-N-S (DUNS) Commercial proxy (D&B)
0088 EAN Location Code (GLN) GS1 location
0151 Singapore UEN Government registry
0199 Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) GLEIF / ISO 17442
0209 GS1 identification keys GS1

(Full list maintained at iso6523.info and PEPPOL ICD codelists.)

Authoritative vs. proxy identifiers (ISO 8000-116 / ALEI)

Authoritative Legal Entity Identifier (ALEI): identifier assigned by a government jurisdiction authorized by statute to create legal entities and maintain authoritative registries. Format: jurisdiction prefix + register + local number (e.g., US-DE.BER:3031657).

Proxy identifiers: issued by institutions that do not create legal entities — DUNS (D&B), NCAGE (CAGE), and arguably LEI (GLEIF issues to existing legal entities but does not incorporate them).

LEI nuance: ISO 17442 / GLEIF is regulatory-mandated for financial transactions but is a cross-jurisdiction overlay on existing legal entities, not the incorporating register. Canon treats LEI as Registry Identifier with authority_class: regulatory_global.

Renewal and lifecycle

Identifier Renewal / validity Lifecycle driver
LEI Annual renewal required GLEIF / LOU reaffirmation
DUNS No annual renewal; record updates D&B data maintenance
UEI Persistent in SAM.gov Entity registration status
Company reg number Jurisdiction-specific Annual report / dissolution
ALEI / IBRN Tied to registry filing status Government register
VAT / tax ID Jurisdiction-specific Tax authority

Renewal semantics belong on Registry Identifier lifecycle state, not on the Organization actor.

Cross-registry linking

Same legal entity may hold LEI + DUNS + UEI + national company number. Synonymity Assertion (same_as, strong or authoritative) links Registry Identifiers when evidenced by registry crosswalk, LOU verification, or operator confirmation. Do not silently merge Commercial Records.

EITI and Open Ownership recommend reliable organizational identifiers (especially authoritative registration numbers) in beneficial ownership datasets to disambiguate corporate vehicles.

Relevant Terminology

Term Source meaning
Registry Identifier Identifier issued under a registered scheme with known authority.
ICD ISO 6523 International Code Designator for a scheme.
ALEI Authoritative Legal Entity Identifier (government register).
Proxy identifier Commercial or overlay ID not from incorporating authority.
LOU Local Operating Unit issuing LEIs.
Renewal Periodic reaffirmation of identifier validity (esp. LEI).
Crosswalk Mapping between identifiers for same entity.

Modeling Assumptions

  • Registry Identifier is an Identifier subtype, not a Record layer entity. The registry record (GLEIF entry, D&B profile, SAM registration) maps to Commercial Record or Identity Record.
  • Authority class matters more than brand name (LEI vs. DUNS vs. company reg).
  • Renewal is optional metadata — present for LEI, absent for DUNS.
  • ICD code is the preferred scheme key for ISO 6523-aligned identifiers.
  • Proxy Commercial Identifier is a Registry Identifier with authority_class: commercial_proxy for DUNS-like schemes.

Identity-Canon Implications

Resolved: Registry Identifier subtype

Add Registry Identifier as an Identifier specialization in the Reference layer.

Recommended fields:

  • scheme: ICD code or well-known scheme URI (e.g., 0199 for LEI, 0060 for DUNS)
  • authority: issuing body (GLEIF LOU, D&B, SAM.gov, Companies House, etc.)
  • authority_class: government_registry | regulatory_global | commercial_proxy | tax
  • jurisdiction: ISO country/subdivision when applicable
  • value: the identifier string
  • renewal_required: boolean
  • lifecycle_state: active, lapsed, revoked, expired, superseded
  • last_renewed_at / expires_at: when renewal applies
  • evidence_source: registry lookup, LOU issuance, API verification

Proxy Commercial Identifier

Proxy Commercial Identifier is a Registry Identifier with authority_class: commercial_proxy — vendor-operated business keys (DUNS) used for credit and procurement but not legal incorporation. Keeps DUNS mapping explicit without conflating with ALEI or company registration numbers.

Mapping table

Source identifier Canonical mapping
LEI code Registry Identifier (scheme: 0199, authority_class: regulatory_global)
DUNS Proxy Commercial Identifier (scheme: 0060)
UEI (SAM.gov) Registry Identifier (authority_class: government_registry, US federal)
Company registration number Registry Identifier (authority_class: government_registry, jurisdiction-local)
ALEI / IBRN Registry Identifier (authority_class: government_registry, ISO 8000-116 format)
VAT / EIN / tax ID Registry Identifier (authority_class: tax)
GLEIF registry entry Commercial Record or Identity Record + Evidence Source
D&B business profile Commercial Record + PAYDEX as Evidence Source
Same entity, multiple IDs Synonymity Assertion between Registry Identifiers

Relationship to Beneficial Ownership

BO datasets should reference Organization/Legal Entity via Registry Identifier (authoritative company reg preferred; LEI as strong cross-border key). Beneficial Ownership Relationships attach to the entity actor, not to the identifier — but identifier quality affects Evidence strength on BO filings.

Terminology Conflicts

  • Legal entity (LEI) vs. Organization (canon): LEI subset ⊂ organizations with financial/regulatory participation.
  • DUNS business entity vs. Legal Entity: D&B may assign DUNS to locations or branches not identical to juridical persons.
  • Identifier vs. Commercial Record: Stripe customer_id is scoped system Identifier; LEI is registry Identifier — different authority classes.

Open Questions

(none — settled in commercial-identity-nuance-settlement.md)

Settled

  • authority_class includes industry_association (NCAGE, GS1 GLN).
  • LEI↔DUNS medium; LEI↔company reg/ALEI/UEI strong; crosswalk table in settlement note.
  • OPI → Organization Unit / branch Registry Identifier with organization_part_id.

References

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