What is a Delaware corporation search?
How can you look up a Delaware corporation?
What are the steps to search for a Delaware business entity?
We will look at how you can do a Delaware business search, LLC lookup, corporations search, registered agent search, limited partnership search or find out information about any business entity registered in Delaware.
Be sure to read this entire post as we have amazing content, links and resources for you!
We are so excited to show you the Delaware business lookup process.
Are you ready?
Let’s get started!
What is Delaware Corporation Search
The State of Delaware’s Department of State Division of Corporations maintains a business registry allowing individuals and organizations to search and look up business entities such as corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships or other types of business entities.
With the Delaware company registry company search, you can answer the following questions:
- How do I look up a Delaware corporation?
- How do I find out if a company is in goods standing in Delaware?
- How do I find out who owns an LLC in Delaware?
- What is the named registered agent for a Delaware business entity?
- What type of business entity is registered in Delaware?
- What was the business entity formed or incorporated?
The State of Delaware offers a convenient online tool allowing you to perform a corporation search as needed.
Here is the link to the Delaware Corporation Search tool.
There are many ways people refer to the process of searching for a business entity in Delaware, such as:
- Delaware secretary of state business search
- Delaware company search
- Delaware corporation search
- Delaware business name search
- State of Delaware entity search
- Delaware company name search
- Delaware LLC name search
- Delaware corporation name search
- Delaware corporation search online
- Delaware articles of incorporation search
- DE SOS business search
All these phrases mean the same thing and refer to the process of searching, finding or looking up information about a registered business in the State of Delaware.
In addition to looking up business entities registered in Delaware, you can use the company search tool to find out if a business name is available for use.
For instance, if you want to do business in Delaware as a sole proprietor using a DBA or using a business entity, you must make sure that you do not operate under the same business name as another.
As a result, the Delaware Division of Corporations search allows you to:
- Verify the Delaware entity name availability
- Ensure that no other entity or individual has registered the same business name or one similar to the one that you are intending to use
- If the Delaware business name is available, you can then proceed to Delaware’s online business formation services to register the business name or business entity
What types of business entities are registered in Delaware
A business entity that is located in the State of Delaware or does business in Delaware must be registered with the Delaware Division of Corporations.
Delaware business entities could be:
- Corporation (domestic stock corporation, domestic non-stock corporation, close corporation)
- Doing business as or DBA (sole proprietorships and partnerships)
- Partnerships
- Exempt corporation (non-profit corporation)
- Foreign corporation (Foreign corporation qualification)
- Limited liability company or LLC (domestic LLC, foreign qualification, LLC registered series)
- Limited liability partnership or LLP (domestic LLP, Foreign LLP qualification)
- Limited liability limited partnership or LLLP
- Limited partnerships or LP (domestic LP, foreign LP qualification, LP registered series)
- Statutory trusts
As such, by using the DE entity search tool, you can look up the following in Delaware:
- Corporation search
- DBA search
- LLC search
- LLP search
- LLLP search
- LP search
- Trust search
- Partnership search
What information is registered in Delaware
The information that you will be able to find on the Delaware business registry for free is the following:
- Business entity name
- Business entity file number
- Incorporation date (formation date)
- Registered agent name
- Registered agent address and contact details
If you are looking to get additional information about a business entity, it can be made available to you for a nominal fee.
You can consult the Corporate Fee Schedule for more information.
How to do a Delaware business entity search
There are two ways you can search for a business entity in Delaware:
- With the entity name
- With the entity file number
Let’s look at how each of these search methods work.
Search with entity name
To do a search by business name, you will need to know the exact business name or some keywords or phrases used in the business name.
Step 1: Access the DE Division of Corporation website
The first step is to access the State of Delaware Department of State (Division of Corporations) business entity search tool to retrieve information about a business, corporation, entity or organization registered in Delaware.
Step 2: Search for the business entity name
To search for a business entity or corporation, you should enter the actual company name or a word or phrase included in the company name.
In our example, we typed the word “Apple” and here are the results that we get:
Step 3: Select the business entity matching your search
The search results will provide you with a list of matching company names along with their associated file number.
Select the company that you were looking for by clicking on the company name appearing with a hyperlink.
Step 4: Business entity details
When you click on the company name, you will be brought to the “Entity Details” page where you will have access to free information made available by the State of Delaware.
On the Entity Details page, you will see the following information:
- File number (business entity file number)
- Entity name (business entity name)
- Entity kind (Corporation, limited partnership, Limited liability partnership, Statutory trust, Partnership or unincorporated non-profit association)
- Incorporation date/ Formation date
- Entity type (General, bank, closed corp, DISC corp, professional association, general partnership, regulated investment corp, LLP, LLLP, non-profit, religious, stock, non-taxable)
- Residency (domestic or foreign)
- State
- Registered agent name
- Registered agent address and contact details
Search with file number
You can also do a search with a business entity’s file number.
If you have a business entity’s file number, you can accelerate your search by targeting the specific company that you are looking for.
Considering that each registered corporation or business entity will have its own unique file number, when you do a file number search, you will get one result on the search results page.
Step 1: Access the DE Division of Corporation website
To do a file number search, the first step is identical to a business entity name search.
Access the Delaware business search tool.
Step 2: Enter a business entity file number
Enter the business file number in the “File Number” field.
Step 3: Select the business entity matching your search
Click on the company available on the search results page.
There should only be one entity matching your file number search.
Step 4: Consult the Entity Details page
Then click on the company’s name appearing on the search result that is presented in a hyperlink format.
This will lead you to the “Entity Details” page.
State of Delaware online services
The State of Delaware provides online services to individuals and companies dealing with business entities, partnerships, LLCs, corporations or any other type of legal entity.
Delaware offers:
- Annual report filing services
- Entity status checks
- Business entity search
- Document upload services
- Entity name availability
- Corporate forms
Delaware business search service providers
There are different ways you can manage your company.
Some prefer to handle their own business entity search while others may want to hire the services of an online service provider or attorney.
The choice comes down to what you prefer and how comfortable you are in managing your company’s affairs.
There are law firms, lawyers and attorneys who can provide you with legal services.
They can get the job done the right way.
The downside is that they may be pricey.
When you select a lawyer or attorney, you are paying for the quality of the job, the strategic advice and proper legal compliance.
You can also select a service provider that may not necessarily be a law firm but a company specialized in business name searches, company filings, company registration and incorporations.
There are many business service providers that provide business search services and other business services at a reasonable cost.
You can have service providers that offer any of the following services:
- Business incorporation services
- LLC formation services
- Annual report filing services
- Name search services
- DBA filing services (fictitious name)
- Company dissolution services
- Starting a business guide
- Business name search
- Business consultation services
- Business name reservation
- LLC formation
- Business incorporation
- Sole proprietor registration
- Partnership registration
- Professional corporation registration
- Nonprofit company incorporation
- Tax ID Number requests
- Registered agent services
- Business licenses
- Register for Sales and Use Tax
- Trademark search services
- Secretary of State filings
At the end of the day, you need to select a service provider who has a good track record, has worked with many businesses and can offer quality services at an affordable price.
Delaware links and Resources
To help you in your Delaware business entity search process, we’ve compiled a short list of links to information and resources to help you quickly navigate to what you need.
Delaware Division of Corporations Contact Details
- Contact page: https://corp.delaware.gov/contact/
- Website: https://corp.delaware.gov/
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: General Information – 302-739-3073 option 2
Useful links (Search Delaware Corporation)
- Delaware business entity search (to search for a DE LLC, corporation or other entities)
- Delaware business entity status check (an online validation of good standing)
- Delaware business entity name reservation (to search in the active and inactive entities name database)
- Delaware corporate certificate validation (to validate certificates generated by the Delaware Division of Corporations)
- Delaware annual report (to file ongoing annual reports)
- Delaware corporate document upload (to communicate documents to the State)
- Delaware corporate forms (to access the PDF form available)
- Delaware Division of Corporation fees (to know what are the applicable fees)
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