How to look up a company's full registry certificate at the Commercial Registry

The Commercial Registry (Junta Comercial) is the companies' registry office: it holds the articles of association, amendments, mergers and changes of directors. The full registry certificate ("certidão de inteiro teor") gathers all of these acts and is one of the most useful documents in disputes about a company's identity, capacity and purpose. Anyone can request it. This guide shows how to obtain it, how to read it and how to use it.

1. Direct answer

Law 8.934/1994 (the Public Registry of Companies Law), art. 29, allows anyone, without proving an interest, to consult the records of the commercial registries and obtain certificates. The full certificate shows all filed acts, in chronological order. In São Paulo, the request is made to JUCESP, through its website, with payment of a fee.

2. Legal basis

• Law 8.934/1994, art. 29: anyone, without proving interest, may consult the records held by commercial registries and obtain certificates, on payment of the fee.
• Law 8.934/1994, art. 32: registration comprises enrollment and its cancellation, filing (of founding acts, amendments, dissolutions) and authentication.
• Civil Code, art. 997: the articles of association must state the company's purpose (item II).
• Civil Code, art. 1,150: the entrepreneur and the business company are bound to the Public Registry of Commercial Companies.
• Law 6.404/1976, art. 227: merger of companies and succession to rights and obligations.
• Law 6.019/1974, art. 4: a temporary-work agency must be a legal entity registered with the Ministry of Labor and Employment.

3. What the certificate shows

1. Company data: corporate name, CNPJ (tax ID), NIRE (Companies Registry Identification Number), headquarters, date of incorporation.
2. Corporate purpose: the activities the company could carry out, in each amendment.
3. Partners and managers: who had power of representation, and since when.
4. Share capital and its changes.
5. Mergers, consolidations and spin-offs, with dates and the companies involved.
6. Branches and changes of address.
7. Status events: suspension, dissolution, extinction.

The acts appear in the order of filing, with dates. The filing date, not the date the act was signed, is the one that has effect toward third parties.

4. Types of certificate

• Simplified: Content = the company's current status; Typical use = quick proof of existence
• Full (inteiro teor): Content = all filed acts; Typical use = disputes about history, capacity, representation
• Specific act (copy): Content = a copy of one act (minutes, amendment); Typical use = proof of a resolution

For disputes, the full certificate is the most complete.

5. How to request it, step by step

1. Identify the Commercial Registry of the state where the company is headquartered.
2. Have the CNPJ or NIRE at hand.
3. Request the full certificate on the Registry's portal and pay the fee.
4. Download the document and keep the verification code, which lets you check authenticity.
5. If you need specific acts, ask for copies of the filed documents (minutes, contract amendment).
6. If the company has branches or moved to another state, also consult the registries of the other states.

6. How to read the certificate

• Start with the date of incorporation and follow the acts in order.
• Read the corporate purpose in each amendment. Compare the wording before and after.
• Check the managers and the term of management.
• Watch for mergers: the merged company ceases to exist, and the acquiring company succeeds it.
• Pay attention to the CNPJ in each act. Companies in the same group have different CNPJs and NIREs.

7. Why it matters in a dispute

• Corporate purpose and capacity: a company should only carry out activities compatible with its corporate purpose. For temporary labor supply, the purpose must include that activity, and Law 6.019/1974 (art. 4) requires specific registration with the Ministry of Labor and Employment.
• Who signed: the certificate shows who had power of representation on the date of the contract. A contract signed by someone without authority is open to challenge.
• Mergers: in case of a merger, the succession of obligations follows corporate law.
• Dates: filing with the Registry fixes the dates of the acts. This matters for checking whether a given activity was in the corporate purpose on the date of a contract.

8. Common mistakes

• Requesting only the simplified certificate.
• Confusing companies in the same group with similar names.
• Ignoring the filing date.
• Assuming a wrong CNPJ in a contract is always a clerical error.
• Not checking authenticity with the verification code.

9. In the Pernod Ricard, Michael Page and Page Interim case

The claimant obtained full certificates for Pernod Ricard Brasil (07/07 and 07/10/2026). In the dossier documents, the contracted party in instrument ID c28562b only added "temporary labor supply" to its corporate purpose on 02/10/2025 (JUCESP), a date after the claimant's contract, and only obtained SIRETT registration on 20/05/2026. The instrument identifies Michael Page International with CNPJ 01.791.490/0001-80, while the company's CNPJ is 03.791.490/0001-80.

That is why the cross-check between the Commercial Registry and SIRETT is part of the analysis of the validity of the regime. The claimant's contract, with Page Interim, ran from 19/02 to 03/04/2025. See also the post on ETT and SIRETT.

10. Verification checklist

1. Obtain the full certificate of the contracted company.
2. Locate the date on which the corporate purpose came to include the contracted activity.
3. Compare that date with the contract date.
4. Check the contract's CNPJ against the certificate's.
5. Identify who represented the company on the signing date.
6. Check the SIRETT registration.
7. Attach the documents in chronological order.

11. Frequently asked questions

Do I need to justify the request? No. Access is public.

How much does it cost? It varies by Registry and type of certificate.

Does the certificate prove the facts occurred? It proves what was filed, not the reality of the facts.

Can I request the certificate of a company in another state? Yes, from the Registry of the state of its headquarters.

Practical cases and advanced questions

Hypothetical example 1: corporate purpose without the activity. The certificate shows that, on the contract date, the company's purpose was "management consulting". The contract provides for "temporary labor supply". The mismatch deserves checking: the company may have changed its purpose later, which is confirmed by the filing date.

Hypothetical example 2: signature by someone without authority. The contract was signed by a director whose term ended before the date. The certificate shows the end date of the term and the appointment of the successor. The lack of authority can be discussed.

Hypothetical example 3: merger. Company A was merged into company B before the contract. Contracts in A's name after the merger are irregular. In earlier contracts, B answers for A's obligations.

Question: are the NIRE and the CNPJ the same thing? No. The NIRE identifies the registration at the Registry, and the CNPJ the registration with the Federal Revenue Service.

Question: does the Registry keep old documents? Filed acts remain available, with copies of documents. For digitized records, availability may vary by year.

Question: how can I confirm the certificate is authentic? By the verification code, on the Registry's portal.

Question: can I use the certificate in a lawsuit? Yes, as a public document. It helps to attach the full certificate and the relevant specific acts.

Know your rights: Labor rights guide