Streamlining statistical information about business entities greatly simplifies the accounting and control of business activities. One of these indicators is the OKPO code.
What is OKPO and its purpose
At the end of 1993, the State Standard of Russia adopted Resolution No. 297, which put into effect the All-Russian Classifier of Enterprises and Organizations on July 1, 1994. This step was necessary to ensure that statistics were kept in accordance with the requirements of the market economy that replaced the planned system of the former USSR.
On the other hand, this innovation made it possible to simplify the procedure for identifying economic entities on the territory of Russia, speed up the transfer of information about such an object, and make the information itself more reliable.
The rules for maintaining this classifier are currently reflected in Rosstat Order No. 107 dated 04/06/2012, which approved the Regulations on maintaining the classifier OK 007-93 (OKPO). This document sets out the main points regarding the structure of OKPO, its purpose and the rules for maintaining the classifier .
Purpose of OKPO
The following purposes for which OKPO was created can be distinguished:
- Combine state information resources with other information resources containing information about business entities;
- Ensure simple and at the same time complete exchange of information between departments;
- Ensure convenient and unambiguous identification of business entities;
- Contribute to the formation of a unified information space on the territory of Russia;
- To facilitate the simplification of the procedure for comparing economic and statistical data, analyzing these indicators, and, as a result, forecasting the social and economic development of the country.
- Ensure the implementation and widespread use of automated data processing methods;
To achieve all the goals, the classifier was structured.
Classifier structure
The entire classifier is divided into two sections:
- The first section is devoted to legal entities, their branches and representative offices, as well as organizations that operate without forming a legal entity;
- The second section is dedicated to individual entrepreneurs;
Both the first and second sections consist of three blocks
- The first block is an identification block, i.e. an OKPO number consisting of 10 (for legal entities) or 8 (for individual entrepreneurs) digits, where the last digit is a control digit, and all previous digits are a serial number.
- The second block is the name block. For a legal entity, the full and abbreviated name is indicated here, and if there is one, then the name in a foreign language. For individual entrepreneurs, the full name of the entrepreneur is indicated in the nominative case.
- The third block is a block of classification features. The codes of other mandatory all-Russian classifiers are mentioned here, where the following information is encrypted:
- OKOGU (state authorities);
- OKATO (objects of administrative-territorial division);
- OKTMO (territories of municipalities);
- OKVED (types of economic activity);
- OKFS (forms of ownership);
- OKOPF (organizational and legal forms);
An enterprise or individual entrepreneur receives OKPO at the beginning of its activities. This code remains unchanged throughout the existence of the business entity, even if it has undergone reorganization.
Figure: OKPO structure
But if an enterprise has expanded the scope of its activities, then it needs to go through a repeated procedure for assigning a code. And only after the liquidation of an enterprise is its OKPO removed from the classifier. Subsequent use of the code is possible only after 5 years have passed from the date of liquidation of the previous enterprise.
Is it possible to find out the OKPO code of an organization?
A business entity is assigned an OKPO code during state registration. Naturally, to the question: “where to find out the OKPO code,” the first answer that comes to mind is: “from registration documents, as well as other permits issued by the relevant government agencies. This may include licenses, permits for a certain type of activity, or product certificates.”
Often the OKPO code is included in the subscription details, then it becomes visible on the seal.
Finding the OKPO code is not a problem if at least some other information is known about the enterprise: address, name, details.
Where can I find information?
If for some reason there is no access to the registration documents of the object of interest, then you need to turn to other sources of information. There are two main ways to find the OKPO code, both free and for a fee.
Request to a departmental organization, i.e. to Rosstat
By contacting the territorial office of Rosstat, you need to fill out a specially established application form to receive an information letter with the OKPO code.
In order for your application to be accepted, you must have your passport, state registration certificate and know your TIN number. After five days, you can pick up the letter in person or wait for it to arrive by mail.
Video “How to get an OKPO code for a Moscow organization”
Search on various Internet resources
There are several services on the network that provide such information, both official and unofficial.
- Federal Tax Service website. It refers to the services of government agencies, where you can find the details of an organization of interest using the TIN.
- Service egrul.com provides similar services. Here, many data can only be obtained on a paid basis.
- By visiting the site screen.ru, and by entering the name of the enterprise, you can see a map of the enterprise, which contains the OKPO code.
- Website okpo.ru. One of the most popular sites that specializes in providing data from registries such as the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs and the Unified State Register of Pools. The information in the response to the request is taken from the official databases of the Federal Tax Service and Rosstat. The request itself can be made if you know the additional details of the company.
- Search by TIN. Enter the taxpayer identification number in the appropriate field of the request. This is the most convenient and fastest way.
- At the legal address of the company. It is necessary to indicate exactly the address that was assigned to the enterprise during its state registration, and information about it must be in the state register.
- According to OGRN. The main state registration number is assigned to the enterprise upon creation and consists of 13 digits; individual entrepreneurs are assigned upon registration the OGRNIP, consisting of 15 numbers.
- By name. The name of a legal entity consists of its organizational and legal form and the name itself. The same rule applies to the abbreviated name.
Reverse process: find an organization using OKPO
The OKPO code can be used to search for information about a legal entity or individual entrepreneur, although this is somewhat problematic: two enterprises engaged in identical activities may have the same code. Therefore, for an accurate result, it is necessary to know additional information about the business entity.
On the same website okpo.ru, in the “search by OKPO” section, by entering the OKPO code in the request field, you can obtain the information contained on the site. You can find other services online that provide this service for a fee or free of charge.
Photo: search for company name using OKPO
The all-Russian OKPO classifier is updated with new information every day. Based on this, there is no point in publishing it, and it is advisable to look for all the information contained in it exactly at the moment when you need it.
According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, the Federal Tax Service is responsible for the registration of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs; it redirects all information to Rosstat, where OKPO codes are assigned and changes are made to them. Thanks to the well-functioning mechanism of interaction between government agencies, all information very quickly enters the system and is displayed in it.