Last Updated on January 30, 2024

The Georgia Corporations Division of the Georgia Secretary of State maintains records of all individuals and business entities registered and licensed in the state. The business entity database contains information regarding the following type of entities and companies:

• Limited Partnerships
• Limited Liability Companies
• Limited Liability Partnerships
• Corporations

To search for a business entity, you need to have one of the following information with you:

• Business Name
• Control Number
• Officer Name
• Registered Agent Name

If you want to search by Business Name, Officer Name, or Registered Agent, you can narrow down your search by using radio buttons. On the other hand, the search by Control Number or Officer Name is straightforward and will give you results directly.

Also see: How to start an LLC in Georgia

How to do a Georgia Business Entity Search

Doing a Georgia Corporation lookup or business entity name search is easy with our simple step-by-step process to make your search easier.

Step 1 – Click to go to the Georgia Secretary of State’s website to go to the Search Page (it will look similar to the screenshot below).

Step 2 – Choose your business search type. For this example, let’s search by Business Name. Type in the name “Exide” in the “Business Name” field, toggle one of the radio buttons to either widen or narrow your search, then click “Search” (see the screenshot below for reference).

Step 3 – Click the “Search” button; the Results Page will then appear with a list of entities containing the given name and their respective details. To access more information on an entity, you can click its name.

Step 4 – Here, you can see the details of the corporate record for the Georgia business entity.

The screenshot for the results of the Business Entity Name “Exide” shows as follows:

• Business Name
• Business Type (Limited Liability Company, Corporation, Etc.)
• Business Purpose (optional to fill out)
• Principal Office Address
• Registration Date
• Registered Agent information

Copies of the Business Formation (Articles of Organization or Articles of Incorporation) and the State of Georgia Annual Report are available to download.

Registered Agent

In Georgia, 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.

Business Licenses

The business name registration is different from a business license in Georgia.  The Georgia Department of Revenue has more information regarding Georgia business licenses.

Also see: How to do a UCC search in Georgia

Information on the SOS of Georgia (GA)

The Office:

The Georgia Secretary of State is one of the highest government offices in the state and performs several duties. Apart from being the keeper of the State Seal, the Secretary of State of Georgia is also a custodian of the state flag, signs, and symbols.

The current Georgia Secretary of State is Brad Raffensperger.

Functions:

The Georgia Secretary of State is responsible for a wide range of state duties. The Divisions that the Secretary of State of Georgia handles include the following:

• Elections
• Corporations
• Licensing
• Securities
• Charities

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State Business Name Search Instructions