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The key terms of registry lookup, identity, anti-fraud and compliance in Brazil — explained plainly, from those who consume the data at the official source.
A unique registry kept by Brazil’s Federal Revenue that identifies every individual in the country. It has 11 digits, the last two being check digits computed with a modulo-11 algorithm. Beyond format validation, you can query the registration status (regular, suspended, cancelled, pending, deceased holder or void) to confirm the document is active.
A 14-digit identifier assigned by Brazil’s Federal Revenue to companies and other legal entities. It carries data such as legal name, trade name, legal nature, CNAE (economic activity), address, registration status and ownership structure. It is the foundation for business verification (KYB) and corporate onboarding.
The current standing of a CPF or CNPJ before the Federal Revenue. For CPF it may be regular, suspended, cancelled, pending, deceased holder or void; for CNPJ, active, suspended, unfit, closed or void. Checking status prevents doing business with invalid documents or unfit companies.
The Brazilian government agency responsible for administering federal taxes and maintaining the CPF and CNPJ registries. It is the official source of the registration data used in validation, onboarding and fraud-prevention workflows.
The list of a company’s partners and administrators, with name, role and ownership share. Querying the QSA is essential in KYB to identify the ultimate beneficial owner (UBO), assess risk and meet compliance requirements.
Enhancing an existing record with additional, up-to-date information from a key such as CPF or CNPJ — address, phone, registration status, corporate links. It improves data quality, segmentation and risk decisions.
The process of cleaning, standardising and updating a database: removing invalid or duplicate records, fixing formats and re-validating CPFs/CNPJs against the official source. It cuts costs, improves deliverability and keeps LGPD compliance.
A lookup that returns information at the same instant, straight from the official source, without relying on pre-stored bases (which would be “D+1”, “D+30” or more outdated). Essential for credit, onboarding and anti-fraud decisions, where stale data becomes risk.
The set of processes used to identify and verify a customer’s identity before and during the relationship. It combines document validation, registration-data checks and risk assessment. It is a regulatory requirement in sectors such as finance, fintech and betting.
The KYC equivalent applied to legal entities: verifying the existence, status and ownership structure of a company before contracting or onboarding it as a partner. It involves CNPJ, QSA, ultimate beneficial owner and risk-list checks.
Practices and controls to prevent funds of illicit origin from entering the financial system. They include customer identification, transaction monitoring, PEP and sanctions-list screening, and reporting suspicious activity to the authorities (COAF in Brazil).
Law No. 13,709/2018 that regulates the processing of personal data in Brazil. It defines legal bases (such as consent, legal obligation and legitimate interest), data-subject rights and security duties. Registry lookups must rely on an adequate legal basis and the data-minimisation principle.
The fully online process of registering and activating a new customer with real-time identity validation. It combines CPF/CNPJ lookups, document verification and anti-fraud rules to reduce friction and block fraudulent accounts.
The set of techniques and signals used to detect and prevent identity and payment fraud. It cross-references registration data, behaviour, device and risk lists to estimate fraud probability and decide whether to approve, review or decline an operation.
A score that estimates the probability of a consumer meeting their financial obligations, typically from 0 to 1000. It is used in credit granting and risk policies, combined with registration data and history.
A person who holds or held a prominent public position, plus their family and close associates. In AML, PEPs require enhanced due diligence because they carry a higher risk of corruption and money laundering.
A company that gathers and provides credit information on consumers and businesses, such as payment history, debts and score. SPC and Serasa are the main bureaus in Brazil, queried in risk analysis and credit granting.
An architectural style for system-to-system integration over HTTP, using methods like GET and POST and exchanging data in JSON. A query REST API lets you validate CPF/CNPJ and fetch registration data programmatically, inside your own workflow.
A mechanism where a system automatically sends an HTTP notification to your URL when an event happens — instead of you polling repeatedly. Useful to receive the result of asynchronous or batch queries as soon as they are ready.
Submitting many CPFs or CNPJs at once for processing, instead of one by one. Ideal for cleansing, enrichment and periodic re-validation of large databases, with better cost and throughput.