Short answer
Before you visit a supplier in Latin America, check four things on the public record: that the company is on the registry and active, its tax ID, whether an official list names it, and what it publishes about itself. No registry shows quality or capacity, so the visit still matters.
The check, step by step
- Find the record and read its sourceSearch for the company by name. Open the record. The first lines say which registry it came from, who publishes it and the edition date. If the edition is old, the record is old.
- Read the status as the registry wrote itActive means something different in every country. In some it is a legal status. In one it only means the plant was counted. The table below gives the meaning for each.
- Take the tax IDThe tax ID is the one key that ties a company to other public lists. Every country here publishes it except Mexico. Its format tells you whether you are looking at a company or a natural person.
- Look for entries on official listsA record shows entries from programme and sanction lists where the publisher's list could be tied to the company. An empty section means no entry was found in the editions read. It does not mean the company is clean.
- Read what the plant publishes about itselfWhere a plant publishes a website or an email, Testigo shows whether the site responded, whether the email domain accepts mail, and which certificates the site names. A named certificate is the plant's claim. Ask for the document.
- Check where it isAn exact position comes from the registry. An approximate one is the centre of the municipality or city the registry names. Do not plan a route on an approximate position.
- Write down what the record cannot showCapacity, quality, financial health and certificates are not on any registry here. Put them on the list of questions for the plant and for the visit.
Registry by registry: what you can check, and its limit
Status and tax ID by country
| Country | What "active" means there | Tax ID | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | The establishment is in the current edition of the statistical directory. There is no status column. | RFC: 12 characters for a company, 13 for a natural person. Not in the plant registry. | No tax ID, so tax lists cannot be tied to a plant. |
| Brazil | The registration status is ATIVA. Other statuses are null, suspended, unfit and closed. | CNPJ: 14 digits. A base number for the company, an order number for the establishment, and check digits. | No coordinates and no website in the register. The email is often an outside accountant's. |
| Argentina | The manufacturing activity is in state AC, active, and it is the company's main one. | CUIT: 11 digits. Companies start with 30, 33 or 34. | The address is the fiscal one. No size and no contacts. |
| Colombia | The registration is ACTIVA and was renewed in 2025 or 2026. | NIT: 9 digits plus a check digit. | No address in the registry. The only place is the chamber of commerce. |
| Peru | The taxpayer is ACTIVO and the tax office found it at its address: HABIDO. | RUC: 11 digits. Companies start with 20. | The address is the fiscal one. No contacts. |
| Chile | No end of business is recorded: Sin término de giro. Testigo also asks for at least one worker. | RUT: a number and a check digit, which can be the letter K. | The company file describes the commercial year 2024. |
| Ecuador | The legal situation is ACTIVA. | RUC: 13 digits. | Companies only. No email, website or size. |
| Paraguay | The industrial registration is ACTIVO. Expired ones, REGISTRO VENCIDO, are also shown. | RUC: a number and a check digit. | No activity code and no street address. |
| Uruguay | The entry in the industrial directory is Vigente. Expired ones, Vencido, are also shown. | RUT: 12 digits. | A small directory. Most entries are expired. |
Official lists: what an entry means
Four countries publish lists that Testigo attaches to a record. Each list has its own publisher, its own edition and its own meaning.
| List | Country | What an entry means | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMMEX and PROSEC | Mexico | The company holds an export manufacturing programme or a sector programme, with its status. | Tied by exact company name. A plant under another company's programme shows nothing. |
| RETC for 2024 | Mexico | The establishment reported regulated substances that year. Independent evidence that it operated. | Tied by exact name, state and municipality. |
| CEIS and CNEP | Brazil | A public body sanctioned the company. CNEP holds sanctions under the anti-corruption law. | Tied by CNPJ. An entry has start and end dates: read them. |
| Register of employers, labour in conditions like slavery | Brazil | The labour ministry lists the employer after an inspection and an administrative decision, with the number of workers involved. | Tied by CNPJ. Most rows on the list are natural persons and are not loaded. |
| Proveedores ficticios | Colombia | The tax office DIAN declared the supplier fictitious, with the date of the resolution. | Read from a PDF. About ten wrapped rows may have been lost in reading, and the file states no total to check against. |
| APOC | Argentina | The tax office ARCA classed the tax ID as an issuer of apocryphal invoices. | ARCA says the data is informative and preventive. The list gives no name, only the tax ID and dates. |
The Mexican tax lists (SAT Article 69, 69-B and 69-B Bis) are different. They are keyed by RFC and the plant registry has none, so they are not on a plant record. Ask for the RFC and read the 69-B guide.
In Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay no sanction list is loaded. Ecuador's tax office publishes a list of ghost companies, but the file could not be downloaded when it was tried, so it is not on Testigo.
What no public record shows
- Certificates. No registry holds them. Ask for the certificate and confirm it with the body that issued it.
- Capacity. Machines, tonnage, shifts and open capacity come from the plant or from a visit.
- Quality. Only an audit or your own incoming inspection data can tell.
- Financial health. It is not in these registries.
- Who runs the plant. Testigo does not load the names of partners or legal representatives.
Testigo has not visited any plant. A record is a starting point for your own qualification, not a substitute for it. See what we check for the full list.
A short list to finish before the trip
- The record's source and edition are noted in your file.
- The status is read in the registry's own words.
- You have the tax ID, from the record or from the plant.
- List entries, if any, are read on the publisher's current list.
- The plant has sent the certificates it names, and you have checked them with the issuer.
- You know whether the position is exact or approximate, and the plant has confirmed its address.
- Capacity, quality and financials are on the agenda for the visit.
Frequently asked questions
How do I confirm a Latin American supplier is a real company?
Find it on the official registry of its country. A record on Testigo shows the registry, the publisher, the edition date, the status as written and, outside Mexico, the tax ID. That confirms the company is registered. It does not confirm that it makes what it says or that it makes it well.
What does it mean if a supplier is on a sanctions list?
It means a public body wrote that entry on the edition date shown: a sanction in Brazil, a fictitious supplier resolution in Colombia, an apocryphal invoice flag in Argentina. Read the entry on the publisher's current list, check its dates, and ask the company about it before you decide anything.
Can I rely on a certificate shown on a record?
No. Testigo shows certificate names found on the plant's own website. It is a claim by the plant and nothing more. Ask the plant for a copy of the certificate, then check the number, the scope and the dates with the body that issued it.
Why is the tax ID missing for Mexican plants?
Because Mexico's plant directory, DENUE, does not publish it, and neither do the IMMEX and PROSEC directories. The Mexican tax ID, the RFC, appears only in the tax authority's own lists. Ask the plant for its RFC. With it you can check the tax lists yourself.
Does an active status mean the plant is operating?
Not always. In most countries it is a tax or legal status of the company, which can stay active after production stops. In Mexico it means the establishment was counted in the last yearly edition. Use it as a first filter, then confirm with the plant.
Sources
- Coverage: every registry and list, with publisher and editionTestigo · edition 2026-10-05
- CEIS and CNEPCGU, Portal da Transparência, Brazil · edition 2026-10-02
- Cadastro de EmpregadoresMTE, Brazil · edition 2026-09-28
- Proveedores ficticiosDIAN, Colombia · edition 2026-08-13
- Base de facturas apócrifas (APOC)ARCA, Argentina · edition 2026-10-03
- Contribuyentes publicados: artículos 69, 69-B and 69-B BisSAT, Mexico · edition 2026-08-31