To look up a Taiwan company, use the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) business registration search, known as findbiz. It is free, needs no account, and has an English version: findbiz.nat.gov.tw (English). You can search by the company’s 8-digit Unified Business Number (UBN, 統一編號) or by its Chinese name.
The Company Act requires the MOEA to publish a company’s core registration details online, so anyone can see who runs a company, its capital, its address and what it is registered to do. What findbiz does not tell you is whether the business is registered for business tax and issues uniform invoices. For that, use the Ministry of Finance eTax Portal, covered below.
What information is public
A company record on findbiz shows:
| Item | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Unified Business Number (UBN) | The 8-digit ID used on invoices, tax filings and contracts |
| Company status | For example 核准設立 (approved and active) |
| Company name in Chinese | The legal name. It always ends with the company type, such as 有限公司 or 股份有限公司 |
| English name | Only if the company wrote an English name into its articles of incorporation |
| Capital | Total capital and, for a company limited by shares, paid-in capital |
| Representative (負責人) | The person who legally represents the company |
| Directors and supervisors | Names and their shareholdings or capital contributions |
| Managers | Names of registered managers |
| Registered address | The company’s location, and branch locations |
| Registration authority | The government office that holds the registration |
| Dates | Date of incorporation and date of the last approved change |
| Business scope | Registered business items, each with a code (for example CC01080) and a Chinese description |
Shareholders who are not directors or supervisors are not listed. The articles of incorporation are published online only if the company consents.
How to search on findbiz, step by step
- Open the English search page. A short security check page may appear first. The 【正體中文】 link at the top switches to Chinese.
- Under Information to Search, choose Name of Company/Business, Unified Business No. or Factory Registration No. To search by a registered English name, choose Foreign Company Name as specified in the Charter instead.
- Under Category, tick company. Tick branch office, business or limited partnership as well if you are not sure what kind of entity it is.
- Under Registration Status, choose all if you also want to see records that are no longer approved, or approved for active ones only.
- Type the UBN or the Chinese name in the search box (at least two characters) and click Search.
- Open the matching result to see the full record.
Other search options on the same page: Address, Name of Company Representative, Name of Director/Supervisor/Managerial Officer, Former Company Name or Former Unified Business No. (data from 2011 onwards), and Multiple Unified Business No. Search (up to 10 UBNs separated by commas).
Searching by name: use Chinese
The site’s own instructions say search terms should be in Chinese, except for numbers and registered English names. Most Taiwan companies have no registered English name, so an English search often finds nothing even when the company exists. The fastest route is the UBN, which you can find on the company’s invoice, quotation or contract.
Companies, sole proprietorships and foreign branches
Companies. The Company Act has four company types; in practice you will almost always see two. A limited company (有限公司) is owned by one or more shareholders, has one to three directors, and its capital must be fully paid in. A company limited by shares (股份有限公司) has its capital divided into shares. The type is always in the Chinese name.
Sole proprietorships and partnerships (商業, often called 行號). These are not companies. They are registered under the Business Registration Act and appear in findbiz under the business category. Their public record shows the name, form of organization, business items, capital, location, the person in charge and their capital contribution, and for a partnership each partner’s name and contribution. Small businesses such as street vendors, B&B operators and those with monthly sales below the business tax threshold do not have to register, so not every seller will be in findbiz.
Taiwan branch of a foreign company. A foreign company may not do business in Taiwan in its own name without registering a branch. The Chinese name starts with the home jurisdiction followed by 商, for example 香港商 (Hong Kong) or 日商 (Japan). On findbiz, choose the company and branch office categories, or search by the foreign company’s English name using Foreign Company Name as specified in the Charter.
Checking tax registration and invoice status
The MOF eTax Portal keeps the business tax (稅籍) registration record. Two searches are useful:
- 稅籍登記資料公示查詢 (public tax registration record): www.etax.nat.gov.tw/etwmain/etw113w1/ban/query
- 是否使用統一發票行號查詢 (whether a business uses uniform invoices): www.etax.nat.gov.tw/etwmain/etw113w3/ban/query
Both pages are in Chinese only. Enter the UBN in 統一編號, type the characters from the image into 圖形驗證碼, and click 確認送出. You can also search by business name (依營業人名稱查詢) or by registered address (依營業人稅籍登記地址查詢) from the left-hand menu.
Songjer CPA’s view
Start from the UBN, not the name. A Chinese name can be similar to dozens of others, and an English name on a website or business card may not be registered at all. Ask the counterparty for its UBN and check that the name on findbiz matches the name on your contract and invoices exactly.
Look at the status and dates, not just whether the company exists. A record can still be found after a company has been suspended, dissolved or revoked. Select all under Registration Status and read the status line. A very recent date of incorporation, or a recent change of representative or address, is worth a question before you pay a large deposit.
Match the business scope to the deal. If a supplier sells you something that needs a special license, check that the related business item appears in its registered scope.
Check the invoice side separately. When a Taiwan supplier issues you a uniform invoice, the eTax search confirms the UBN is registered for business tax and uses uniform invoices. A company record on findbiz alone does not show this.
Keep a dated copy for your files. For customer onboarding or audit support, print or save the findbiz record and the eTax result as PDF on the day you check. Registration data changes, and the record you relied on is what matters later.
FAQ
Is there an official English version of the Taiwan company search?
Yes. The MOEA findbiz site has an English interface, but search terms still need to be in Chinese unless you are searching by number or by an English name the company registered in its articles of incorporation.
Can I see a Taiwan company's shareholders?
Only partly. The public record shows directors and supervisors with their shareholdings or capital contributions. Shareholders who hold no director or supervisor position are not listed.
Does findbiz show a company's financial statements?
No. It shows registration information such as capital, directors, address and business scope, not revenue, profit or financial statements.
What is a UBN and where do I find it?
The Unified Business Number (統一編號) is an 8-digit number that identifies a Taiwan company or business. It appears on the company’s invoices and is usually on its quotations, contracts and website.
Can I get an official copy of a company's registration details?
Under the Company Act, anyone may apply to the registration authority to inspect or copy the public registration items. Other registration documents are available only to the company’s responsible persons or interested parties who give a reason.
This article is general information based on Taiwan law and official websites as of November 2026, not advice on any specific case.