# How to Verify an MSB Registration Last verified: July 29, 2026 ## How do I verify that a business is a registered MSB? Use FinCEN's free public MSB Registrant Search at fincen.gov to verify an MSB registration: search by the company's legal name, state, or MSB activity, and the results show registered money services businesses with their registration number and the services they registered for. The registry is updated regularly from accepted Form 107 filings. Remember what the listing proves: federal registration is a notice filing, not a license, so a company can appear in the FinCEN registry and still lack the state money transmitter licenses it needs. Check the state layer separately through NMLS Consumer Access, which lists each state license a company holds. Banks, partners, and customers all end up asking the same question: is this money services business actually registered? FinCEN publishes a free public search that answers it in seconds, and NMLS Consumer Access covers the state license side. Here is how to run both checks and read the results. ## Two Public Databases, One Complete Answer A monetary service business in the United States sits under two layers of oversight, and each layer has its own public lookup. FinCEN's MSB Registrant Search shows whether a company holds a current federal MSB registration. NMLS Consumer Access shows which state money transmitter licenses the company holds. A business that checks out in both places is registered and licensed; a business that appears in neither is a red flag. This guide walks through both searches, what each result actually proves, and what to do with a gap. ## Using the FinCEN MSB Registration Search FinCEN publishes the MSB Registrant Search on fincen.gov as a free public database of every money services business with an accepted registration. No account is needed. ## What an MSB Registration Listing Does and Does Not Prove The registry answers one narrow question: did this company file a Form 107 that FinCEN accepted. That matters, but it is routinely over-read. What it proves: the company identified itself to the Treasury Department as a money services business, which brings it under Bank Secrecy Act obligations. What it does not prove: that the company holds any state money transmitter license, that its AML program works, that a regulator has examined it, or that customer funds are safeguarded. FinCEN registration is a notice filing with no review-and-approval step, so appearing in the registry is a floor, not an endorsement, and FinCEN itself says inclusion is not a recommendation of any listed business. That is why serious counterparties check both layers. The state license is where bonds, net worth, and examinations live, and it is verified separately. ## Verifying State Money Transmitter Licenses on NMLS Consumer Access NMLS Consumer Access is the free public counterpart for the state layer. Search the company name and the listing shows each state license the company holds through the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, its license numbers, and its status. Because nearly every state processes money transmitter licensing through NMLS, this one search covers most of the map. Reading the result takes the same care as the federal registry: a company can hold licenses in five states and serve customers in forty, so the question is not whether any license appears but whether a license appears for the state where the customer or contract sits. Our state-by-state hub at /mtl-state-laws lists each state's regulator and statute, and /who-needs-a-money-transmitter-license covers which business models need the license in the first place. If you run diligence on partners regularly, the two lookups pair naturally: FinCEN registry for the federal registration, NMLS for the state licenses, and a follow-up question for any gap between the states served and the states licensed. ## What to Do When a Business Does Not Check Out A verification gap has different meanings depending on which side of it you sit on. ## How to get licensed 1. **Good Standing Assessment**, We analyze your business model and, in coordination with our attorney partners, help identify which licenses may apply in every state where you want to operate. 2. **Application Preparation**, We prepare all applications, gather required documentation, and coordinate background checks, financial statements, and surety bonds. 3. **Filing & Follow-Up**, We submit applications to each state and actively follow up with regulators to keep the process moving. 4. **Ongoing Filings**, After licensing, we manage your renewals, regulatory filings, and filing calendar so you never miss a deadline. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is There a Public List of Registered Money Services Businesses? Yes. FinCEN's MSB Registrant Search on fincen.gov is a free public database of all money services businesses with accepted registrations. It is searchable by name, state, and MSB activity, and each listing shows the registration number and registered services. ### Does Appearing in the FinCEN Registry Mean a Company Is Licensed? No. The registry only shows that the company filed its federal MSB registration, which is a notice filing with no approval step. State money transmitter licenses are separate operating authority and are verified through NMLS Consumer Access. A company can be federally registered and still be transmitting without required state licenses. ### How Do I Find a Company's MSB Registration Number? Search the company's legal name in FinCEN's MSB Registrant Search; the listing displays the registration number. If nothing comes up, try the parent entity's legal name, since many brands register under a different corporate name, or ask the company directly. Any legitimate MSB can produce its registration number on request. ### Why Would a Legitimate Money Transfer Location Not Appear in the Registry? The most common reason is agent status: a location that transmits solely as an agent of a registered MSB, the model most retail money transfer counters use, does not file its own registration. Its principal appears in the registry instead. Recent registrations can also lag the registry's periodic refresh. ### How Do I Verify My Own Registration Went Through? Search your legal entity name in the MSB Registrant Search after FinCEN accepts the Form 107 filing, and keep the acknowledgment from BSA E-Filing with your registration records. If the registration should appear and does not after the registry's next refresh, follow up through BSA E-Filing support before a bank or examiner notices the gap. --- ## How to cite this page Cite as: "How to Verify an MSB Registration." 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