A MeritVeri verification confirms specific facts about a company, checked by a person, at a specific moment. This page explains what we check, who checks it, how we decide and what a verification does not mean.
What a verification means
When a company is verified, its public verification record shows:
- the company name and a unique verification reference, for example
VRF-BE-2026-000123; - the date of the verification and the date until which it is valid;
- the current status;
- exactly which facts were verified, each one individually, with the date or period they relate to.
On the company profile, anything without a verified mark was not independently checked. We never suggest that everything about a company has been checked when only some facts were.
What a verification does not mean
A verification is not a certification, an accreditation, an audit, a recommendation, a quality label, a credit rating or a guarantee about the company's future behaviour. It confirms that the listed facts matched our checks on the date of verification.
Who carries out the checks
Every application is checked by hand by MeritVeri itself. MeritVeri compares each fact with official public sources — such as the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE) in Belgium, the KvK in the Netherlands and the RCS in Luxembourg, the Belgian Official Gazette and the annual accounts filed with the National Bank of Belgium — and with documents the company submits.
The work is not outsourced and not automated. Software keeps the file, the history and the deadlines; a person at MeritVeri makes every decision. MeritVeri is a private service: it is not a public authority and is not affiliated with the registers it consults.
Who can apply
Companies registered in Belgium, the Netherlands or Luxembourg can apply. The application is submitted by a person with a MeritVeri account and a confirmed email address who represents the company. Companies that are not listed yet can also apply; if the application is approved, the company is added to the directory.
What we check
A verification covers four chapters. Each fact is checked against a source that we record internally, and is marked as verified one by one.
Identity
- Company identity: legal name and legal form, compared with the official register of the country.
- Enterprise number and VAT number: format, checksum where one exists, and a match with the official register.
- Registered address: compared with the official register.
- Website: that the website belongs to the company, for example through the contact details or legal information published on it.
Workforce
The number of employees, as an exact figure in full-time equivalents (FTE) with the date it refers to — for example 47 FTE · as of 31 Dec 2025. No ranges. We check it against the social balance sheet filed with the annual accounts or, where there is none, against documents the company submits, such as a statement from its social secretariat or payroll provider.
People
By name: the CEO or managing director, the owners and shareholders, and the board of directors.
- Each shareholder is shown with their percentage of the shares.
- Shareholders holding less than 5% are never named: several of them are grouped as "Other shareholders" with their combined percentage; a single one is shown as "below 5%", without the exact share.
Sources: directors and managing directors are checked against the Belgian Official Gazette and the business register (in the Netherlands and Luxembourg, the KvK and the RCS). Shareholdings are checked against documents the company submits, such as its share register, compared with public filings where these exist. Since the judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU of 22 November 2022 (C-37/20), the register of beneficial owners is not open to the public, so we do not use it as a public source. Each group shows the source and the date of our check.
Names are hidden by default. They are published only when a manager of the company switches them on after confirming that the people listed have been informed. Anyone listed can ask us to hide their name through the contact page; see the privacy policy.
Financials
Financial information is always included. We verify the last five financial years, each figure separately:
| Figure | Shown on the record | Can the company hide it? |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | Amount, marked as verified | The exact amount |
| Net result | Amount, marked as verified | The exact amount |
| Equity | Amount, marked as verified | The exact amount |
| Gross margin | Amount, marked as verified | The exact amount |
| EBITDA | Amount, marked as verified | The exact amount |
| Result label | Profit, Loss or Break-even, per year | No — always public |
Each year gets a public label: Profit, Loss or Break-even. A year is shown as break-even when the absolute net result is at most 1% of revenue.
Abbreviated annual accounts do not always show revenue, gross margin or EBITDA. In that case we check the figure against documents the company submits — such as its full accounts, a trial balance or a statement from its accountant — and their consistency with the filed accounts. EBITDA is derived from the operating result plus depreciation, amortisation and write-downs. A figure that cannot be checked this way is not marked as verified.
What a company can choose to hide
The names of the people listed above are hidden unless the company chooses to publish them, and a company can choose to hide the exact amounts of the financial figures. The record then shows that these facts were verified, but displays them blurred. Hidden names and amounts are not shown on the public record.
Some information always stays public: the shareholders' percentages and the Profit, Loss or Break-even label of each financial year.
How we decide
- Application — the applicant submits the company details and supporting documents.
- Review — MeritVeri compares them with official public sources and the documents provided.
- More information — if something is missing or unclear, we ask for it in the application thread. The applicant can reply and add documents there.
- Decision — the application is approved or refused. A refusal always includes the reason.
No verification is issued automatically. Software supports the work, but a person makes every decision.
Administration fee
An annual administration fee of €3,000 excluding VAT covers the verification work. It pays for the work, not the outcome: a company that does not pass the checks is not verified.
- Billing: you receive an invoice from MeritVeri. There is no payment step on the website.
- If the checks are not passed: the fee covers the work done. You can apply again once the issue is resolved.
- Claiming a company is free. Claiming a listing is separate from verification.
Payment never influences a verification outcome, and award placements and rankings can never be bought. Invoicing, payment terms and late payment are set out in the terms of use.
Validity and renewal
A verification is valid for 12 months; the record shows the exact "Valid until" date. A renewal completed before expiry continues from the end of the current period, so no validity is lost. Company members receive reminders 60, 30, 7 days before the end of the validity period.
The renewal creates a new verification cycle with its own reference. Earlier cycles stay in the history and show which reference replaced them.
Each cycle in the history shows its own status — "Verified" for as long as it is valid — with a separate label saying whether it was the first verification, a renewal or an update. A renewal is never shown as a different status.
Status of a verification
The status shown on the record, the company profile, the badge and the certificate is always the current one:
- The verification is valid.
- The validity period has ended. This is calculated every time the record is shown, so an expired verification never appears as valid.
- Temporarily not valid, for example while we investigate new information.
- Withdrawn permanently. The record stays online and says so.
When a company changes a verified fact on its profile, that fact is marked as awaiting re-verification until MeritVeri has checked it again. Other facts are not affected.
Badges and certificates
Each active verification comes with an embeddable badge and a printable certificate. Both are generated by MeritVeri and always show the current status: if a verification expires or is suspended, the badge says so.
A badge cannot prevent screenshots, copies or misuse on other websites. That is why every badge links to the record page on MeritVeri, which shows the authoritative status.
Independence
Verification decisions are made by MeritVeri according to this methodology. Payment never influences the outcome of a verification. If you believe a verification record is incorrect, please contact us.
Version history
| Version | Date | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| Draft 3 | Checks by MeritVeri; sources for workforce, people and financials; names hidden by default; a single small shareholder shown as below 5%; cycle labels; payment terms in the terms of use. | |
| Draft 2 | Checks by MeritVeri; workforce, people and five financial years added to the scope; hiding names and exact amounts; administration fee. | |
| Draft 1 | First version. |
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