To look up a company, start with its complete CNPJ and check the legal name, establishment and reference publication. CNPJ stands for Cadastro Nacional da Pessoa Jurídica, Brazil's national register of legal entities, administered by the Receita Federal. The record helps identify who you are dealing with. When assessing a business relationship, each additional question needs supporting evidence: registration status, tax standing and the ability to deliver a service are separate checks.
How to search dembli and the Receita Federal
- Open company search and enter the complete CNPJ or at least three characters of the name. Looking up a company on dembli is free and requires no account.
- When searching by name, compare the legal name, municipality and CNPJ before selecting a record. When the CNPJ entered is valid and available, the search opens its page, including when it identifies a branch.
- Check whether the record identifies a head office or branch, and note the source month. Read the available fields and consult the history when the page provides it.
- For an official registration certificate, use the Receita Federal's Consultar CNPJ service [1] and choose the certificate channel. Follow the access requirements of your chosen channel.
dembli's filters narrow a search by state, city, main activity and status. They do not replace checking the identifier. A list of similar names remains a list of candidates: you still need to establish which record belongs to the company you are seeking. The official services linked in this guide are in Portuguese.
Check letters, numbers and the complete identifier
The Receita announced that it issued the first alphanumeric CNPJ on 31 July 2026. Previously issued numeric registrations remain valid, and both formats coexist. A letter therefore does not, by itself, make a CNPJ invalid. Receita Federal [2].
The identifier has 14 positions: the first 12 can contain letters or numbers; the final two are check digits. Preserve leading zeros and check the whole sequence. dembli accepts the usual punctuation, but a correctly formatted sequence must still correspond to a registration. Receita's questions and answers [3].
A fictional record, step by step
Teaching example: Empresa Exemplo de Consultoria Ltda. The details assigned to this company are invented. The mask **.***.***/****-** does not identify a registration and should not be used in a search.
- Establishment: a branch in Campinas, SP.
- Status: active; activity start date: 10 March 2022.
- Main activity: CNAE 6204-0/00, information technology consultancy.
- The company's registered capital: R$80,000; record reference: September 2026.
A supported reading: the example represents a branch with these registration details in the stated publication. Its revenue, team size and ability to deliver a project remain unknown. The activity description was checked against the IBGE classification [4]; the company is fictional.
What to check in each field
The Receita's open-data layout [5] distinguishes information about a company from information about its establishments. This table turns that structure into practical questions; the last column explains limits on interpretation.
| Field | What to check | What still needs evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Legal name and trading name | Whether the document received identifies the same company. | A similar name does not establish identity. |
| Head office or branch | Which establishment the queried CNPJ identifies. | Another unit's address does not describe the unit being checked. |
| Registration status | The stated status and its date, where available. | Quality, creditworthiness and tax standing need their own checks. |
| Activity start date | The date associated with this establishment. | Registration age does not demonstrate experience in a particular service. |
| CNAE activities | The stated main and secondary classifications. | The register does not observe the delivery of every advertised service. |
| Registered capital | The amount recorded for the company. | This is not revenue, a bank balance or an available budget. |
| Address | Whether the municipality and establishment match your purpose. | Presence at that address today needs current confirmation. |
| Owners and administrators | The names and roles available through the separate lookup. | Do not assume ownership percentages or resolve identical names by name alone. |
Distinguish the establishment, company and ownership record
In the example, you are looking at a branch. If a business proposal gives the head office's CNPJ, look up that identifier as well and record which unit you are considering. Use the explicit head-office or branch indicator; avoid deciding solely from the CNPJ suffix. The alphanumeric documentation explains the shared root and establishment identifiers. Receita Federal [3].
On dembli, use the link on the company record to open its list of owners and administrators, known as the QSA. A branch links to the company's list. Read the role attached to each name and leave any unstated ownership share unknown. See also the guide to partner and administrator records (QSA).
The lookup date is not the data date
Imagine opening the fictional record on 19 October and finding a September reference. The access date records when you read it; the source month identifies the publication used. An activity start date or a status date instead describes an event in the register. Record these references separately.
dembli reads periodic publications; opening a page does not make a real-time query to the Receita. The available history should not be treated as a complete reconstruction since registration. For current official confirmation, use the official channel and record when its document was issued. Read how dembli presents sources and references.
Three situations to work through
The company is active: can I skip the other checks?
Active is a registration status. If the question concerns federal tax standing, the relevant document is the Fazenda Nacional certificate issued by RFB and PGFN [6]. If it concerns delivery, ask for evidence about the service and agreed terms. The guide to active CNPJ status distinguishes these questions.
The CNAE looks relevant, but the offer is very specific
In the fictional record, “information technology consultancy” provides context for the activity. To commission a systems migration, you still need a defined scope, evidence of experience and acceptance criteria. Read the IBGE explanatory notes to understand the code, then check the actual operation using appropriate documentation.
I cannot find the registration, or a field is blank
Check your entry, remove unnecessary filters and try the complete identifier. Absence from dembli, temporary unavailability, a missing field and absence from the official register are different situations. Do not conclude that a company does not exist or fill a gap with an assumption. If uncertainty remains, check the official source.
A checklist for a useful lookup record
- Complete CNPJ, legal name and establishment checked.
- Source, reference publication and access date recorded.
- Missing fields and discrepancies noted without assumptions.
- Every conclusion linked to its supporting field or document.
- The next check chosen according to the question still unanswered.
Sources and references
Portuguese-language sources consulted on 19 October 2026. The data layout describes the fields; the more recent alphanumeric CNPJ references explain the identifier's format. The sample record and teaching scenarios were created for this guide.
- Receita Federal — Look up a CNPJ and obtain its registration certificate.
- Receita Federal — First alphanumeric CNPJ, announcement of 31 July 2026.
- Receita Federal — Alphanumeric CNPJ: questions and answers (PDF).
- IBGE/CONCLA — Class 62.04-0 and subclass 6204-0/00.
- Receita Federal — CNPJ open-data layout (PDF).
- RFB/PGFN — Federal tax-standing certificate.
Editorial review
Official sources, fictional examples and navigation steps checked in this update.
Spotted a wrong figure? Write to contact@dembli.com: we correct it and record the correction at the end of the post.
