How To Do A Florida Secretary of State Business Name

Last Updated on January 30, 2024

florida state map

The Corporations Division of the Florida Secretary of State of Florida keeps a database of the records of Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, Limited Partnerships and Limited Liability Partnerships. Any type of domestic or foreign entity registered in the state will have its information stored in the database.

To access the search tool of the Corporations Division, you need to know at least one of the following:

  • Company Name
  • Registered Agent Name
  • Trademark Name or trademark owner name
  • Partnership Name

Also see: How to start an LLC in Florida

How to do a Florida SOS Business Entity Search

Follow the guidelines below to continue with your search of the business entities registered under the Secretary of State of Florida:

Florida Division of Corporations

Step 1 – Click to go to the Florida Division of Corporation’s website to visit the Search Page (it will look something like the screenshot below).

Florida Business and Corporation Search

Step 2 – Type in the entity name in the given field. For example, let us key in “Arrow Air” in the blank space provided (see the screenshot below for reference).

Florida Business Entity Search

Step 3 – Click on the “Search Now” button. The next page will show a list of entities named “Arrow Air” along with their Document Number and Status.

Florida Business Record List

Step 4 – When you click on one of the entities, you will get advanced details like Filing Information, EIN Number, Date of Filing, Status (Active or Inactive), Principal Office and Mailing Address Details, Registered Agent, etc. You can also access the Annual Reports and the Articles of Organization (Limited Liability Company) Articles of Incorporation (Corporation) of the entities if you scroll down the page. In this case, the results are for “Arrow Air Inc.“

Florida Business Entity Information

There are also files of the entity that you can download for more information.

Apart from giving information regarding the registered entities, the official website of the Secretary of State provides easy filing options to form businesses or file reports (you can download the forms or complete them online).

It should be noted that while most of the services and downloads are free of charge on Florida’s SOS website, there are some downloads that may have a filing fee.

Registered Agent

In Florida, a Registered Agent is a legal requirement to be named for a registered entity.  This is a single point of contact in case the business needs to be served with legal papers or contacted by the state.  One of the business owners often files as the entity’s registered agent.  When they file, their home address is often used (PO Boxes aren’t allowed), and their name and address is now a public record that can be looked up by anyone.  If that is a concern, consider looking into a Registered Agent service.

Florida Business License

Business name registration is different from business licensing in Florida.  The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has more information regarding Florida business licenses.

Also see: How to do a UCC search in Florida

Information on the SOS of Florida (FL)

florida state sealThe Office:

The Secretary of State of Florida, Cord Byrd, is the keeper of the Great Seal of the state and is responsible for all the prime governmental duties of the state. He is Chief of Elections, Chief Cultural Officer, the State Protocol Officer, and the head of the Department of State.

Functions:

As the head of the Department of State, the Secretary of State of Florida is essentially in charge of the following under the former:

  • Office of the Secretary
  • Division of Administrative Services
  • Division of Corporations
  • Division of Cultural Affairs
  • Division of Elections
  • Division of Historical Resources
  • Library and Information Services

Contact Information:

To contact the Florida Department of State, see the list of departments, phone numbers, and email addresses to file documents – Sunbiz Contact

R.A. Gray Building
500 South Bronough Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399

850.245.6500
850.245.6125 (fax)
850.245.6096 (TDD line)
800.955.8771 (Florida Relay Service (TDD))
SecretaryofState@DOS.MyFlorida.com

State Business Name Search Instructions

 

How much does it cost to do a business search in Florida?

There is no cost to search for businesses using the Florida business search database.