# Check the official register

Lesson 1 of [Check an opioid treatment provider before you decide](https://opioidtreatment.fyi/academy/check-an-opioid-treatment-provider.md), 14 minutes.

A listing helps you find a service. An official register is the place to check what a regulator or government body says about it. This lesson shows how.

## Start with the source note

Open the listing and read the source note. It names the register or page each fact came from. Most US rows come from the SAMHSA Opioid Treatment Program directory. Most English rows come from the Care Quality Commission directory. Open the source that the note names and find the same service.

## Match the name and the address

Check the name and the street address. If the register names the organisation that runs the service, check that too. A trading name and a company name can differ. If they do not match, ask the provider why.

## Check the date

A copy of a register is a point in time. The site records when it read each source. The register can change after that. Open the live register to see the current entry.

## Other countries

The site also lists services in Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. Those rows were checked by hand against the provider's own site or a government directory. For these, check the official register in your state or country. If you do not know which body keeps it, ask the provider. Then look for that body's own website. Do not use an advert as a register.

## What a match shows

A match shows that the register has an entry with that name and address. It does not show how good the care is. It does not show that the service has a place for you.

## Sources

- SAMHSA, Opioid Treatment Program directory
- Care Quality Commission, using CQC data
- Opioid Treatment Directory, guide: How to use this directory well (updated 2026-10-07)

This course is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice.

Also on the [web page](https://opioidtreatment.fyi/academy/check-an-opioid-treatment-provider/check-the-official-register).

> Talk to a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified clinician before you start, stop or change treatment. In an emergency call your local emergency number: 911 in the US and Canada (or call or text 988), 999 in the UK and Ireland (or call 111 in the UK, 112 in Ireland), 000 in Australia, 111 in New Zealand. For overdose, call emergency services first.