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Company and Industry Information: Finding Information on Overseas Companies

Country Index of Company Abbreviations

The first step in seeking information about a business enterprise can be to identify its country of origin. The following table lists the principal abbreviations used in company designations worldwide, and, denotes the countries in which they may be registered. Additional information can be found at http://www.corporateinformation.com/home.aspx.
AS Czech Republic
A/S Denmark, Estonia, Norway, Slovakia, Turkey
ASA Norway
Bhd Brunei, Malaysia
Bt Hungary
BV Belgium, Netherlands
BVBA Belgium
CA Ecuador
Co Taiwan, USA
Co LtdChina, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand
Corp Japan (occasional), Taiwan, USA
CV Belgium, Netherlands
CVA Belgium
DD,ddSlovenia
DOO, doo Serbia, Slovenia
EPE Greece
EURL France
eV Germany
GCV Belgium
GesmbH Austria
GIE France
GmbHGermany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland
HAB Sweden
HB Sweden
HF, hf Iceland
Inc Canada, Japan, Philippines, USA
I/S Denmark
Kb Finland, Swede
KD, KDA, kdd Bulgaria, Slovenia
Kft Hungary
KG Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland
KGaA Germany
KK Japan
Ks Czech Republic
K/S Denmark, Norway
KV Hungary
KY, kyFinland
Lda Portugal
LLC USA
LLP USA
Ltd Canada, China, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Ireland, Malta, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, USA (occasional)
Ltda Brazil, Portugal
Mij Netherlands
NV Belgium, Netherlands
Ocd Bulgaria
OE Greece
OHG, oHG Austria, Germany
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Finding Information on Overseas Companies Resources Guide
OÜ Estonia
OY, oy Finland
PC Ltd Australia
PLC, Plc, plc Cyprus, Ireland, UK
PT Indonesia
PTe LtdSingapore
Pty Ltd Australia, Hong Kong, South Africa
RAS Estonia
Rt Hungary
SA Andorra, Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Latin America, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland
SAICA Venezuela
Sarl France
SAS Italy
SC Belgium, Spain
SCA Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Romania
SCS Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Romania
SENC Luxembourg
SF, sf Iceland
SK Poland
SL Andorra, Spain
SNC Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Romania, Switzerland
Sp France
SpA Italy, San Marino
SPRL Belgium
Sp zoo Poland
Spol Czech Republic
SRC Spain
SRL Chile, Italy, Mexico, Romania, Spain, Switzerland
TLS Turkey
VOF Netherlands
VOS Czech Republic

Sources

  • Company Reports - Use Capital IQ, (accounting and investment data on companies worldwide, additional to its UK coverage. It includes share price history, news highlights, key performance ratios) or other databases on the the Library's Company & Industry Information Subject Resources page to locate downloadable copies. US company annual and quarterly reports can also be viewed via Edgar, the US Securities & Exchange Commission Internet site.
  • BVD Search Suite - Free directory to companies in Europe (incl UK), USA and rest of the world as covered by Bureau van Dijk databases, including AMADEUS - a financial database covering over 500,000 companies in EU. You can search by company name and industry.
  • SEDAR - Searchable archive of disclosure documents (including annual and interim reports) and profiles of public companies and mutual funds across Canada.
  • Zack’s Investment Research - 5 years' historical data including annual income statements and balance sheets, plus consensus future earnings forecast, for US-quoted companies.
  • Thomas Register - Searchable database of 155,000 US and Canadian manufacturers classified under more than 57,000 product and service headings.
  • Passport  Database of Euromonitor´s portfolio of statistical and full text analysis and other company and product data sources.
  • International Directory of Company Histories - Potted histories of international companies which are “leading influences in their industries or geographic locations.”