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LEI for a holding or investment company
Why a holding or investment company needs an LEI for its brokerage account, what to know about parent company data and how to apply online.
If you invest through a company – a personal holding company, an investment company or a family company – your bank or broker will ask for its LEI before the first trade. In the EU and the UK, a broker may not buy or sell shares, funds or bonds for a company that has no valid LEI.
Why does the broker ask for an LEI?
Under MiFIR in the EU and UK MiFIR in the United Kingdom, banks and brokers report every securities trade to the regulator and identify a company client by its LEI. Without a valid LEI the trade cannot be reported, so it cannot be executed – “no LEI, no trade”. Outside Europe, LEIs are required mainly for derivatives reporting, but many brokers ask for one anyway. Individuals investing in their own name do not need an LEI.
Typical cases
- Personal holding company that owns shares in operating companies and invests its profits through a brokerage account.
- Investment company set up to hold a portfolio of shares, ETFs or bonds.
- Family investment company managing assets for several family members.
- Newly incorporated company: you can apply as soon as the company is registered.
Parent company data
An LEI record includes information about the company's parent (“Level 2”). If your company is consolidated in another company's financial statements, that company is reported as the parent. If it is owned by individuals, the application simply states this – the owners' names are not published in the GLEIF database. Our form asks for these details step by step.
If both the holding company and a subsidiary have their own brokerage accounts, each needs its own LEI. For several companies you can use a bulk order.
Keep the LEI valid
An LEI must be renewed every year. If it lapses (status LAPSED), the broker may stop executing trades until it is renewed. With a multi-year plan the LEI is renewed automatically each year. See also: Lapsed LEI.
LEI prices
| Term | New LEI | Renewal / transfer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year | €52.55 €52.55 per year |
€62.55 €62.55 per year |
| 3 years | €145.65 €48.55 per year |
€160.65 €53.55 per year |
| 5 years | €212.75 €42.55 per year |
€242.75 €48.55 per year |
Prices exclude VAT. No setup fee, no charge for parent company data, transfers included and a free LEI certificate (PDF) with every order. VAT and any country surcharge are shown before you pay.
In Ireland the LEI Issuer charges a country surcharge. It is included in the prices above: €3.55 per year.
How it works
- Find your company – Search by name or registry code — we prefill the data from official registers.
- Choose a plan and pay – Pick 1, 3 or 5 years and pay by card, a local payment method or invoice.
- Receive your LEI – We send your application to our partner LEI Issuer, which validates the data and issues the LEI. You receive the LEI by e-mail.
Frequently asked questions
Does a holding company need an LEI if it does not trade itself?
Only if it has a brokerage account or other financial transactions the bank must report. Simply holding shares in subsidiaries does not require an LEI.
Can a subsidiary use the holding company's LEI?
No. Each company with its own brokerage account needs its own LEI.
What documents do I need?
A power of attorney signed by a legal representative of the company. We prepare it pre-filled: a board member can sign it online on the order page in a few seconds; otherwise a legal representative signs it digitally or by hand and you upload it. The LEI Issuer checks the entity data against the official business register.
What happens when my LEI expires?
An LEI must be renewed every year. Once it lapses, banks and brokers may refuse trades until it is renewed. We remind you 60, 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before expiry – or choose a multi-year plan and the LEI is renewed automatically every year.
Which data is public?
The LEI record in the GLEIF database is public: legal name, legal and headquarters address, registry code, legal form, status, renewal date and parent companies. The contact person's name, e-mail and phone are not published.
Guides
Updated 3 November 2026 · Joel Mitt, LEImint OÜ