> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.kyckr.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Normalised values

> Standard values used in the Kyckr Company API for legal form, capital type, and legal status — the full list and what each value means.

Several fields in the Kyckr Company API are returned both as the raw value from the registry (`*.original`) and as a standard Kyckr value (`*.normalized`). The standard values are a smaller, consistent set so you can route entities through the right path in your KYC workflow without parsing every variation a registry might use.

The values describe the **legal structure** of an entity. They are intended to support triage in your KYC workflow — for example, routing a Trust to a different sub-workflow than a Public Limited Company. Kyckr does not prescribe what each path should do; the regulatory treatment of an entity depends on your jurisdiction, the rules that apply to your firm, and your internal policy.

For finer detail than the standard value provides — for example distinguishing 株式会社 (KK) from 合同会社 (GK) within `Private Limited Company` — read the `*.original` field, which keeps the exact registry-source string.

## `legalForm.normalized`

<Info>**Beta.** `legalForm.normalized` will first be populated for **Hong Kong**, **China**, and **Japan** in an upcoming release. Other jurisdictions will follow.</Info>

The `legalForm` field on Lite Profile and Enhanced Profile responses includes both `original` (the registry label) and `normalized` (one of the 15 values below).

| Value                           | What it describes                                                                                                                                                              |
| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `Private Limited Company`       | Company with limited shareholder liability that is not publicly tradable. The dominant corporate form in most jurisdictions.                                                   |
| `Public Limited Company`        | Company with limited shareholder liability whose shares may be publicly traded (whether or not the entity is currently listed on an exchange).                                 |
| `Limited Partnership`           | Partnership with at least one general partner (unlimited liability) and one or more limited partners (liability limited to their contribution).                                |
| `Limited Liability Partnership` | Partnership in which every partner's liability is limited. Member-managed rather than shareholder-managed.                                                                     |
| `General Partnership`           | Partnership in which every partner carries unlimited liability. No limited partners.                                                                                           |
| `Cooperative`                   | Member-owned entity, typically with one-member-one-vote governance. Includes mutual societies, mutual insurance, and savings cooperatives.                                     |
| `Collective Investment Vehicle` | Pooled investment vehicle — UCITS, AIF, mutual fund, MISM, and similar fund structures.                                                                                        |
| `Association`                   | Member-based entity, not shareholder-based.                                                                                                                                    |
| `Sole Proprietor`               | A single natural person operating as a business. No separate legal entity from the individual.                                                                                 |
| `Branch`                        | A registered place of business of another legal entity. Has no independent legal personality of its own — the entity that carries the obligations of the branch is the parent. |
| `Foreign Registered Body`       | A foreign-incorporated legal entity that has registered locally. Has its own legal personality (incorporated elsewhere).                                                       |
| `Government or Public Body`     | An entity owned or controlled by a government or public authority.                                                                                                             |
| `Foundation`                    | Civil-law foundation. An entity without members or shareholders, governed by a board against its founding charter.                                                             |
| `Trust`                         | Legal arrangement in which property is held by trustees for beneficiaries.                                                                                                     |
| `Other`                         | No specific value fits. The registry label is in `legalForm.original`.                                                                                                         |

### Branch vs Foreign Registered Body

`Branch` and `Foreign Registered Body` look similar but describe different things:

* **`Branch`** — no independent legal personality. The branch is an operating arm of a parent entity. The legal entity carrying the obligations of the branch is the parent. The parent may be domestic or foreign — whether the parent is foreign is captured separately on `registrationType`, not in this field.
* **`Foreign Registered Body`** — has its own legal personality, incorporated elsewhere. The locally-registered entity is the same legal entity as the foreign-incorporated parent.

<Warning>Some registry data uses the English word "subsidiary" for what is structurally a branch. The Chinese 分公司 (branch) is sometimes rendered upstream as `"Subsidiary"` — a mistranslation, because 子公司 (separate legal entity owned by the parent) is the actual Chinese term for "subsidiary". In the Kyckr response both the string `"Subsidiary"` and the Chinese suffix 分公司 are mapped to `Branch`. See the [China country guide](/country-guides/china) for the full mapping.</Warning>

### Good to know

* **Charity, religious, and similar regulatory designations are an overlay, not a legal form.** A "Company limited by guarantee" registered as a charity is `Private Limited Company` (its legal form); the charity status will be carried separately in a future `regulatoryDesignations[]` field.
* **The three partnership values describe different legal structures.** General Partnership, Limited Partnership, and Limited Liability Partnership differ in which partners carry unlimited liability and which carry limited liability. They are not interchangeable.
* **Sector labels like "Bank" or "Insurance Company" are not legal forms.** A bank registered as a public company is `Public Limited Company`. The sector aspect is downstream classification.

## `totalCapital.type`

The `totalCapital` summary on Enhanced Profile responses includes a `type` field with three possible values.

| Value        | What it describes                                                                                                             |
| ------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Fixed`      | Share capital cannot vary without amendment.                                                                                  |
| `Variable`   | Share capital can vary (open-ended fund / SICAV / mutual structure).                                                          |
| `Registered` | The registry reports registered-capital amount (rather than authorized or paid-in). Used primarily for CN / JP / VN entities. |

## `legalStatus.normalized`

The `legalStatus` field on Lite Profile and Enhanced Profile responses includes both `original` (the registry string) and `normalized` (one of the values below).

| Value        | What it describes                                                                     |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Active`     | In good standing at the registry.                                                     |
| `Inactive`   | Dissolved, struck off, or otherwise no longer active.                                 |
| `Distressed` | In administration, liquidation, insolvency, or similar non-terminal distressed state. |
| `Other`      | No specific value fits. The registry string is in `legalStatus.original`.             |

## How the mapping works

Each upstream data source has a lookup table that maps its terms to these standard values. As an integrator you only see the result — both the original registry string and the standard value are returned on every response.

## Future normalised fields

Additional fields will be normalised over time and documented here. Likely next: activity / industry classifications, and regulatory-designation overlays (charity, religious, etc.).

## Related references

* [Company V2 API Reference](/company-v2/api-reference/overview)
* [Company V2 FAQs](/company-v2/guides/faqs)
* [Company V1 FAQ](/company-v1/guides/faq)