How do I check if a company is registered with FinCEN?

Search FinCEN's free MSB Registration Search at fincen.gov/resources/msb-state-selector by legal name, trade name and state. It shows what the business filed: name, address, activities, states, branches and filing dates. FinCEN updates it weekly.

Does FinCEN registration mean a business is licensed or legitimate?

No. FinCEN says listing is not a recommendation, certification of legitimacy or endorsement, and that it does not license or vet the information registrants provide. FinCEN warns that fraudsters falsely claim to be FinCEN approved or endorsed.

How often do money services businesses renew FinCEN registration?

Every two calendar years, with the renewal due by 31 December of the year before the renewal period. A new business registers within 180 days of being established, and re-registers within 180 days after certain changes in ownership or agents.

Is FinCEN registration the same as a state money transmitter licence?

No. FinCEN registration is federal and applies whether or not a state licenses the business. State licences are checked with the state regulator or on NMLS Consumer Access.

How to check if a money services or crypto business is registered with FinCEN

How to check

Search FinCENUse the MSB Registration Search. Try the legal name, the trade name and the state.
Compare the filing with the businessDoes the address match? Do the listed activities (for example, money transmitter) match what the business does for you? Does it list the states where it serves you? Is the filing recent?
Check the state licenceRegistration with FinCEN applies whether or not a state licenses the business. Most money transmission also needs a state licence. Check NMLS Consumer Access, the free lookup run for state regulators, or the state regulator directly.
Check the sanctions listsSearch the company, and any crypto addresses it gives you, in OFAC’s Sanctions List Search. See checking a company and checking a wallet.
Keep the recordWhat you searched, what you found and the date.

Who has to register

Money services businesses register with FinCEN under 31 CFR 1022.380. The categories (31 CFR 1010.100(ff)) are dealers in foreign exchange, check cashers, issuers and sellers of traveller’s cheques or money orders, providers and sellers of prepaid access, and money transmitters. Banks and SEC- or CFTC-regulated firms are excluded.

For crypto, FinCEN’s guidance (FIN-2013-G001, consolidated in FIN-2019-G001 of 9 May 2019) is that exchangers and administrators of convertible virtual currency generally qualify as money transmitters, while people who simply use it to buy goods do not.

When. Within 180 days of the business being established.
Renewal. Every two calendar years, by 31 December of the year before the renewal period.
Changes. Re-register within 180 days after certain changes, such as a transfer of more than 10 percent of voting power or equity, or a more than 50 percent increase in agents.
Agents. A business that is a money services business only because it acts as an agent of another does not register separately.

What registration does not mean

Not a licence. FinCEN does not license money services businesses.
Not vetted. FinCEN does not vet what registrants file. The search shows the business’s own filing.
Not an endorsement. FinCEN warns that fraudsters falsely claim to be FinCEN “approved” or “endorsed”. A business that says so is a warning sign.
Not complete. FinCEN says the list does not include every current registrant, drops lapsed registrations, and can remove entries.

Questions people ask

How do I check if a company is registered with FinCEN?: Search FinCEN's free MSB Registration Search at fincen.gov/resources/msb-state-selector by legal name, trade name and state. It shows what the business filed: name, address, activities, states, branches and filing dates. FinCEN updates it weekly.
Does FinCEN registration mean a business is licensed or legitimate?: No. FinCEN says listing is not a recommendation, certification of legitimacy or endorsement, and that it does not license or vet the information registrants provide. FinCEN warns that fraudsters falsely claim to be FinCEN approved or endorsed.
Do crypto exchanges have to register with FinCEN?: FinCEN's guidance, FIN-2013-G001 and FIN-2019-G001, is that exchangers and administrators of convertible virtual currency generally qualify as money transmitters, which must register as money services businesses under 31 CFR 1022.380. Users who simply pay for goods with crypto do not.
How often do money services businesses renew FinCEN registration?: Every two calendar years, with the renewal due by 31 December of the year before the renewal period. A new business registers within 180 days of being established, and re-registers within 180 days after certain changes in ownership or agents.
Is FinCEN registration the same as a state money transmitter licence?: No. FinCEN registration is federal and applies whether or not a state licenses the business. State licences are checked with the state regulator or on NMLS Consumer Access.

Primary sources

FinCEN, MSB Registration Search, last updated 5 October 2026.
31 CFR 1022.380, Registration of money services businesses, eCFR current as of 12 October 2026.
31 CFR 1010.100(ff), money services business, eCFR current as of 12 October 2026.
FinCEN FIN-2019-G001, Application of FinCEN’s Regulations to Certain Business Models Involving Convertible Virtual Currencies, 9 May 2019.
NMLS Consumer Access, read 12 October 2026.

General information, not legal advice. BSJ Ventures publishes methods; it never publishes clients, cases or verdicts, and it claims no relationship with any agency or maker named here.

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