Last Updated on January 8, 2022
How to do a Michigan Business Entity Search:
The Corporations Division of the Corporations, Securities, & Commercial Licensing Bureau under the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs deals with the filing and authorizing of entities in the state. The registry maintained by the Division records every filings and incorporations of business entities in the state. The registry has records and information of the following entities:
- Corporations
- Limited Liability Companies
- Limited Partnerships
- Limited Companies
- Limited Liability Partnerships
Quick Links
Search by Name
The online search tool for finding registered business entities in Michigan has proved to be very helpful indeed for collecting information on any business entity in the state. For your search to continue, you need to have the entity name or the corporate ID handy.
Furthermore, you can choose from the following to narrow down your search:
- Name in the Database
- Keyword in the database
- Identification number
Here, we present a detailed guideline on how to search the database for a business entity.
Step 1. Visit the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs website to begin a search (it will look like the screenshot below).
Step 2. Type in the entity name in the “Search by entity name” field. For this example, we will type “Ford” in the field (see the screenshot below for reference).
Step 3. Click on “Search” and the Results Page with a list of business entities containing the name “Ford” will appear. We will look at Ford Accounting Service for this example to see more information
Step 4. Clicking on the business name will provide information such as:
- ID Number
- Entity Name
- Date of formation
- Business Purpose
- Resident Agent Information
- Articles of Incorporation (Corporation) or Articles of Organization (Limited Liability Company)
- Annual Report / Annual Statement
- Assumed Names
From this page you can also request a Certificate of Good Standing for a small fee.
Search by Keyword
If you don’t know the name of the business, you can also search by keyword. Similar to searching by name, click on the entity of your choice to get more information.
Search by Identification Number
If you know the identification number the entity was registered under, you can enter that number in this field.
Search by Filing Number
If you knew the filing number of the entity, you can also search by this number.
Business Licenses
The business name registration is different from business licensing in Michigan. The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs has more information regarding Michigan business licenses.
Also see: How to do a Michigan UCC search
Information on SOS Michigan (MI) Corporations Division
Corporations Division Contact Information
Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau
2501 Woodlake Circle
Okemos MI 48864-5955
517-241-6470
corpsmail@michigan.gov
Office:
The Corporations Division is the branch of the Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau in charge of business filings and records. The Bureau itself is under the responsibility of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
Functions:
The Corporations Division registers and records entities desiring to do business in the state. It also maintains an archive containing the details of such corporate and business entities.
