Last Updated on March 22, 2023
How To Do A Mississippi SOS Business Search
The business corporation registry is taken care of by the Business Services Division of the Secretary of State of Mississippi. The registry is the storehouse of all the chartered companies and businesses filed with the Mississippi Secretary of State. Entities like the Corporation, Limited Liability Company, Limited Company, Limited Partnership, and Limited Liability Partnership have their records stored in the business corporation registry of the Mississippi SOS.
How to do a Mississippi Secretary of State Business Search
If you are searching for a business entity based in Mississippi and registered under the Mississippi Secretary of State, then you are at the perfect place. Here we will give you a detailed outline of how to continue with your search for a business entity incorporated in the US state. The credentials required to continue with the Search are as follows:
- Business Name
- Business ID – the MS SOS Number is a number provided by the Secretary of State and not that of the Employer Identification Number from the IRS)
- Office Name
- Registered Agent
You can make your search by using any of the fields mentioned above.
Further, to narrow down your search, you can select one of the following:
- Starting with
- All words
- Any words
- Exact Match
- Soundex
Read on to follow the steps for the search:
Quick Links
Search by Business Name
Step 1. Visit the Mississippi Secretary of State’s website to go to the search page. It looks similar to the screenshot below.
Step 2. Select the menu button by which you want to search the corporate entities. Here it is assumed to be the Business name. Refer to the screenshot below.
Step 3. Now to narrow down the search, select the search criteria by clicking on any of the radio buttons. Here it is Starting with.
Step 4. Key in the Business name in the field. Let us type in Mossy Oak. The screenshot is as follows.
Step 5. Click on the Search button. The result page carrying the summarized details of the entity looks similar to the screenshot below.
Step 6. Click on the Details button on the result page below each entity to get further details about them, including:
- Business Name
- Business Type (Corporation, Limited Liability Company)
- Status (Good Standing, Active, Cancelled, etc.)
- Effective Date
- State of Incorporation (If the result is the state of Mississippi, it is a domestic entity, and if it is any other state, it will be a foreign entity)
- Principal Office Address
- Registered Agent
- Officers / Board of Directors Information
You are also able to look at a copy of the Annual Report, Articles of Incorporation (Corporation), Articles of Organization (Limited Liability Company (LLC)), Name Reservation, etc.
Also see: How to start an LLC in Mississippi
Search by Business ID
Another way to search for a business in Mississippi is to search by the ID assigned by the Secretary of State. Just enter the number in the field and search as you would in the above example.
Search by Officer Name
If you want to search by an individual’s name, you can search that way as well. Especially handy if you want to see all of the businesses they have an ownership or officer position.
Search by Registered Agent
In Mississippi, one of the requirements for a corporation or LLC is that a Registered Agent has to be named. This agent 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 the owner's name and address are now a public record that can be looked up by anyone. This can be a big concern, especially for home-based businesses. Using a commercial Registered Agent service like Northwest Registered Agent will keep their personal address from being public record.
Business Licenses
The business name registration is different from a Mississippi business license. The Mississippi Secretary of State’s Business Services Division has more information regarding Mississippi business licenses.
Uniform Commercial Code
To search for liens on an individual or entity, check out How to do a Mississippi UCC search
Information on SOS Mississippi (MS)

The Constitutional office of the Secretary of State of Mississippi is one of the elected governmental offices in the US state. The position originated under the Constitution of Mississippi and continues to be the guardian of the public of the state today.
The current office holder of the Secretary of State of Mississippi is Michael Watson.
MS SOS Contact Information
401 Mississippi Street
Jackson, MS 39201
(601) 359-1633
Functionalities :
Apart from being the custodian of the Great Seal of Mississippi and the keeper of public records and archives, the Secretary of State of Mississippi serves the following six divisions in the state:
- Business Service Division
- Public Land Division
- Elections Division
- Regulation and Enforcement Division
- Education and Publication Division
- Policy and Research Division