University of Tehran Law Quarterly 2588-5618 55 1 2025 04 09 A New Perspective on the Concept of a Legal Person with Emphasis on Assigning National Identifiers to Legal Persons A New Perspective on the Concept of a Legal Person with Emphasis on Assigning National Identifiers to Legal Persons 25 55 101999 10.22059/jlq.2025.374061.1007883 FA Saeed Habiba Professor, Department of Private and Islamic Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Nasrin Tabatabai Hesari Associate Professor, Department of Private and Islamic Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Amirabbas Askari PhD in Private Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, Mohammad Nasiri PhD in Private Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, Journal Article 2024 04 23 The concept of a legal person lacks a clear definition in Iranian law and many other legal systems. While certain regulations related to national identifiers provide definitions, these are often incomplete or overly restrictive. Scholarly discourse also reflects a lack of consensus on the concept. This ambiguity creates uncertainty in fulfilling legal obligations. For instance, legal entities are required to obtain a unique identifier known as the "National ID." The institution responsible for issuing the National ID must verify the applicant’s legal personality before assignment, and the absence of a clear definition of a legal person has led to confusion in the allocation process for many applicants. This necessitates the development of a comprehensive definition of a legal person. The purpose of this article is to elucidate the concept of a legal person to address practical challenges, particularly in the assignment of national identifiers to legal entities. The central question of the study is: What constitutes a legal person? Using an analytical-descriptive method with a comparative approach, this research identifies six elements of a legal person. Based on these elements, a definition of a legal person is proposed, and it is recommended that the guidelines for assigning National IDs be revised accordingly. The concept of a legal person lacks a clear definition in Iranian law and many other legal systems. While certain regulations related to national identifiers provide definitions, these are often incomplete or overly restrictive. Scholarly discourse also reflects a lack of consensus on the concept. This ambiguity creates uncertainty in fulfilling legal obligations. For instance, legal entities are required to obtain a unique identifier known as the "National ID." The institution responsible for issuing the National ID must verify the applicant’s legal personality before assignment, and the absence of a clear definition of a legal person has led to confusion in the allocation process for many applicants. This necessitates the development of a comprehensive definition of a legal person. The purpose of this article is to elucidate the concept of a legal person to address practical challenges, particularly in the assignment of national identifiers to legal entities. The central question of the study is: What constitutes a legal person? Using an analytical-descriptive method with a comparative approach, this research identifies six elements of a legal person. Based on these elements, a definition of a legal person is proposed, and it is recommended that the guidelines for assigning National IDs be revised accordingly. https://jlq.ut.ac.ir/article_101999_28549ae17c4531dd39acb208e620d521.pdf