Everything you might ask.

It is recognition from basic, a private family trust, that a company has its fundamentals in order: sound books, fair and correct pay, compliance, safe systems and grounded decisions. Recognised companies get a certificate number and a live seal they can show customers, staff and partners.

Five pillars, in order: bookkeeping and financial control, payroll and people operations, compliance and governance, technology and automation, and strategy and advisory. Each rests on the one before it. See the Basic Standard.

Neither. We don't rank companies or rate their products, prices or size, and recognition isn't a guarantee of financial strength or future performance. It confirms that the essentials were in order when we checked, and that they keep being checked every year.

You apply with a short form and a self-assessment. If it looks right at first sight, we accept it prima facie and open the detailed application, with questions and supporting documents for each pillar. We verify your evidence and then decide. You can follow every step in your account.

It depends mostly on how quickly you complete the detailed application and send the documents. You can save it and come back as often as you need. Your account shows where you are at any time.

Evidence for each pillar, such as your last filed accounts and a recent bank reconciliation, a sample employment contract and payroll reconciliation, a recent register extract and certificates of good standing, a short note on access and backups, and your current budget and insurance certificates. The detailed application lists exactly what to upload, and accepts PDF, Word, Excel and image files.

Yes: use check application status with your reference and email. An account gives you more: the full tracker, the detailed application, your seal and certificate.

For Other countries: a one-time recognition fee of $299, then annual surveillance of $199 a year to stay recognised. See prices for your country.

Yes. Fees are set in your local currency for each country we list. Other countries are quoted in US dollars.

Copy the embed code from your account and paste it into your site. The seal is a live image, so it always shows your current status and links to your public record. How the seal works.

For one of three reasons, shown on the seal itself: annual surveillance wasn't completed in time (Recognition expired), we found that a pillar is no longer met (Non-compliant), or recognition was withdrawn (Revoked). Your account explains what to do next.

Yes. While recognition is valid, sign in and choose Download certificate. It includes your certificate number, dates and a QR code that opens your live record, so anyone can check it's still current.

Yes. Earlier certificates were moved to a shorter 9-character number, and the old numbers still verify. Update the seal on your website with the code from your account when convenient.

12 months from the date you're recognised. Annual surveillance renews it for another 12 months.

A yearly check that you still meet all five pillars. We email you 60, 30 and 7 days before it's due, so there's plenty of time.

Recognition expires on the due date and your seal turns red, showing Recognition expired. Complete annual surveillance and it turns green again.

Yes. If your application isn't approved, or your company is marked non-compliant or has its recognition revoked, you can appeal within 30 days from your account. Someone who wasn't involved in the original decision reviews it. How decisions and appeals work.

Raise a complaint. You'll get a reference to track it, and we ask the company for its side before deciding. If a pillar is no longer met, recognition can be suspended.

Click it: a genuine seal opens the company's record on basic.lu. Or enter the certificate number on the verify page. If the company isn't listed, the seal isn't genuine.