Last Updated on January 30, 2024
The Business Services Division of the Rhode Island Department of State has records of every detail that you would want of a corporate entity. Every other corporate or business entity that has been registered with the Rhode Island SOS has every minute details of it recorded in the registry. Beginning with the filing to the present status, you can have them all in one registry. The entities in the registry include:
- Corporations
- Limited Liability Companies
- Limited Liability Partnership
- Limited Companies
- Limited Partnership
How To Do A Rhode Island Business Entity Search
A proper search method is required to get access to every minute detail in the corporation registry of the Secretary of State of Rhode Island. The online business search, properly combined with our easy-to-follow, step-by-step process, will bring you results within no time.
Related: How to start an LLC in Rhode Island
With access to extensive search options, keeping handy at least one of the following would help you in your search:
- Entity Name
- Filing number
- Identification Number
- Individual
- Purpose
- Business Address
- Agent
Read on to understand the process better:
Quick Links
Search by Business Name
Step 1 – Visit the Rhode Island Department of State website to go to the search page which looks similar to the screenshot below.
Step 2 – Consider you want to search by entity name. Key in the entity name, say Clock Tower in the field. The screenshot illustrates the step with clarity.
Step 3 – Specify the search type, Begins With, Exact Match, Soundex or Full Text. We will use “Begins with” for this example.
Step 4 – Click on the search button, and the result page will appear with a list of entities and details, as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 5 – Click on the entity name to view detailed information about the same. In this example, we will look up Clock Tower LLC.
Available information includes:
- Business Name
- ID Number
- Entity Type (Corporation, Limited Liability Company, etc)
- Date of Organization
- Effective Date
- Principal Office Address
- Mailing Address
- Registered Agent Information
- Business Purpose
- Board of Directors / Members
- NAICS Code
Additionally, you can download copies of the Annual Report, Articles of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation (Corporation), Reservation of Entity Name, and more.
For a small fee, the Certificate of Good Standing, Certificate of Status, or Certificate of Name Change can be ordered.
Search by Identification Number
If you know the 9-digit Identification Number assigned by the Department of State to the business entity (not the Employer Identification Number from the IRS), enter that number in the field.
Search by Filing Number
If you have the 12-digit Filing Number, enter to search by this number.
Search by Individual
You can also search by an individual’s name. This can be especially handy when trying to see all the companies an individual has ties to.
Search by Agent
A search can be done by a Rhode Island Registered Agent. As Registered Agents can file for several companies, this list can be long.
Search by Business Address
Another search is by entering the physical street address of the business you are looking for.
Search by Purpose
There is also a unique search where you can look up businesses by their purpose statement. This is a user-generated statement, so keyword selection is important if you are looking for a particular business with this search.
Business Licenses
The business name registration is different from a business license in Rhode Island. The Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation has more information regarding Rhode Island business licenses.
Also see: How to do a Rhode Island UCC search
Information on SOS Rhode Island (RI)
The Office:
The Department of State of Rhode Island is one of the constitutional offices in the US state of Rhode Island that is involved with a number of public affairs of the state. It is an elected office for a term of 4 years. The current office holder is Nellie Gorbea.
Functionalities:
The Rhode Island Department of State of Rhode Island is the custodian of the seal of the state and has the power to authorize different governmental documents by using the seal. He looks after the state’s public affairs and is also responsible for guarding public records and archives. The following are the five divisions which the Secretary of the State is in charge of:
- Elections and Civics Division
- Corporations Division
- Public Information Division
- Rhode Island State Archives
- Rhode Island State Library
Department of State Contact Information
148 West River Street
Providence, RI 02904-2615
401-222-3040
corporations@sos.ri.gov
State Business Name Search Instructions
How much does it cost to do a business search in Rhode Island?
There is no cost to search for businesses using the Rhode Island business search database.