Last Updated on March 14, 2023
How To Do a Hawaii SOS Business Search
The Business Registration Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs of the State of Hawaii maintains a record of commercial enterprises and business entities registered in the state of Hawaii. The record stores information on the following type of entities:
- Corporations
- Limited Liability Companies
- Limited Partnerships
- Limited Liability Partnerships
See: How to start an LLC in Hawaii
Hawaii Business Name Search
To access information on business entities registered in the state of Hawaii, you need to know the business entity name.
To narrow down your search further, you can also make use of the radio buttons (you can choose “Begins With” or “Contains” from the drop-down menu).
Assuming you have the business entity name handy, read our step-by-step procedure on using the state’s Division’s online search tool.
Step 1 – Visit the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs website. The business entity search page will look like the screenshot below.
Step 2 – Type in the business name in the required field. For this example, let’s choose “Begins With” as our search criteria and type in the sample name “Pacific Wings.”
Step 3 – Click on “Search.” The business entities with the names “Pacific Wings” will appear along with their Record Type, File Number. and Status.
Step 4 – You can also narrow down the business search in the Results Page by applying filters like Status, Record Type, and Entity Type (see the screenshot below for reference).
Step 5 – If you want to access more details on a business entity, then click on its name.
On this page, information can be found about the company, such as;
- Business Name
- Business Type (Limited Liability Company, Corporation, etc.)
- File Number
- Status (Active, Expired, Dissolved, etc.)
- State of formation (domestic entity, foreign entity)
- Registration Date
- Mailing Address
- Management
- Registered Agent info
Additionally, several documents can be purchased for a small fee, including; a certificate of good standing, annual filing, articles of incorporation / articles of organization, and more.
Registered Agent
In Hawaii, one of the requirements for registered businesses is that a Registered Agent has to be named. This person 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 are now a public record that can be looked up by anyone. If that is a concern, consider looking into a Registered Agent service.
You can also download annual reports by scrolling down the page.
Business Licenses
The business name registration is different from business licensing in Hawaii. The Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs has more information regarding Hawaii business licenses.
Also see: How to do a UCC search in Hawaii
Information on the Hawaii (HI) SOS
The Office:
As Hawaii does not have a Secretary of State, the services of registering and recording business entities in the state belong to the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. More specifically, the Department’s Business Registration Division oversees business filings and records in the state.
Functions:
Aside from maintaining the records of business entities in the state, the Business Registration Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs also registers and stores information on trade names, trademarks, service marks, and publicity name rights.
Secretary of State Contact Information
201 Merchant St, Suite 1805
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: 808-695-4620
Fax: 808-695-4618
E-Fax: 808-441-3100
Email: info@ehawaii.gov