New York Business Search (Guide: All You Need To Know)

Looking for New York Business Search?

How do you do a search for a NY business entity?

What is essential to know?

Keep reading as I have gathered exactly the information that you need!

Let me explain to you the New York State Business Search in simple terms!

Are you ready?

Let’s get started!

New York Business Search Overview

Anyone looking to find information on a corporation or business entity in New York can do so by performing a search on the New York Department of State, Division of Corporations, website.

In New York, the Department of State offers an online tool called Corporation And Business Entity Database allowing you to search for corporations and business entities registered in the New York state.

In the New York Corporation and Business Entity Database, you can find information on for-profit corporations, not-for-profit corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, limited liability partnerships, and other miscellaneous businesses.

Although it’s the NY Department of State that offers the online NY business search tools, some refer to the NY state business search as New York Secretary of State business search.

No matter what you call it, keep reading as I will now break down the NY business search.

New York Business Search Registry

You can access business search New York by going to the New York Department of State’s Corporation and Business Entity Database.

In this database, you can find information on any business entity registered in the state of New York.

You can do the following types of searches:

• Search by entity name
• Search by entity type

You can also use search functionalities to further specify your search like search terms that “begins with”, “contains”, or “base word”.

New York Department of State Contact Information

Here is the main contact information that you will need:

• Address: One Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12231-0001
• Telephone: (518) 473-2492
• Corporation And Business Entity Database: https://apps.dos.ny.gov/publicInquiry/ 
• Department of State: https://dos.ny.gov/form/contact-us 
• Department of State FAQ: https://dos.ny.gov/faqs-corporations-business-entities 

Here are some other relevant links that you may need:

• IRS – Starting a Business
• Small Business Administration
• IRS – Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center
• New York business licenses 

How To Do A New York Busines Search

Performing a business search in New York, or as some will say a NY Secretary of State business search, is quite simple.

Here is how it’s done in a step-by-step fashion!

Step 1: Go To Business Search NY

The first step is to access the Corporation And Business Entity Database at the New York Department of State’s website.

Step 2: Perform A Search

The next step is to perform a search on the New York SOS business search tool.

The only method that you have is to perform a search using the business entity’s name.

As a result, you’ll want to use the filters offered by the online tool to refine your search such as “begins with”, “contains”, or “base word”.

Once you have entered your search terms, click on the “Search The Database” button.

Step 3: Select Business Entity

Once you have clicked on the Search The Database button, you will be presented with the business entities that are the most relevant to your search.

If there are many business entities that are located, you’ll need to skim through the search results page to find the business entity that corresponds to your search.

Once you have found the business entity you were looking for or think is the right one, click on the business entity blue hyperlink so you can access the Information Page.

Step 4: Retrieve Business Entity Information

Once you have clicked on the business entity of your choice, you will then be directed to the business entity Information Page providing you with more information about the entity in question.

On the Entity Information page, you will have the following information:

• Entity name
• Foreign legal name, if any
• Entity type
• Section of law
• Date of initial DOS filing
• Effective date of initial filing
• Foreign formation date, if any
• County 
• Jurisdiction 
• DOS ID
• Fictitious name, if any
• Duration date or Latest date of dissolution, if any
• Entity status
• Reasons for status
• Inactive date, if any
• Statement status
• Next statement due date
• NFP category
• Service of process name and address
• Chief executive officer’s name and address
• Principal executive office and address
• Registered agent name and address
• Entity primary location name and address 
• Formcorpflag if the entity is a farm corporation
• Stock information 
• Share value
• Number of shares
• Value per share 

Steps To Starting A New Business Entity

In case you’re interested, here is a quick overview of the steps you need to take to form a new business entity in New York.

Here it goes!

Step 1: Start by doing a business name availability search to ensure the company name you’re looking for is available (this article provides you with all the information you need to use the New York business entity search tool online).

Step 2: Once you have found the name you want to register, do a domain name search to see if you can also purchase the domain name that matches your business entity name.

Step 3: It’s good to search on social media platforms to see if other people are using the same company name that you have in mind to make sure that your business entity name will be accepted by the NY DOS.

Step 4: Once you have validated that your business entity name can be used, you should then choose the right business entity type suitable for you (such as C-Corp, S-Corp, LLC, Partnership, Non-Profit Organization, or other).

Step 5: Start preparing your business entity formation papers like articles of incorporation for corporations or LLC articles of organizations, identify your registered agent, company officers, and directors, and consider other requirements required when forming a business entity in New York.

Step 6: Register your business entity with the state of New York by filing the proper paperwork required by the state of New York and paying the applicable fees.

Step 7: Once your company is registered, you should then apply for your Employer Identification Number with the IRS.

Step 8: Determine if you need to apply for federal, state, or local business licenses.

Step 9: Determine what are your federal, state, and local tax filing requirements.

Step 10: Get your business operations going by creating a logo, writing a business plan, opening a business bank account, establishing a business website, creating your email addresses, setting your physical or mailing address, and so on.

Search For Business Entity In Another State

NY SOS Business Search Takeaways 

So there you have it folks!

Business Search New York 

In the state of New York, you can perform an online New York SOS business entity search to find more information about a business entity registered with the New York Department of State.

You can find a lot of information about a business entity such as Name, DOS ID Number, Initial Filing Date, State of Jurisdiction, Status, Principal Office Address, Officers, Share Value, Number of Shares, Par Value, Name History including Fictitious Names, and more.

Keep in mind that the DOS does not keep information regarding the names and addresses of officers, shareholders, or directors of nonprofessional corporations except the chief executive officer, if provided.

Now that you know how the New York Department of State business search works, how to do a business entity search, and the type of information that you can find, good luck with your investigation!

My Investing, Business, and Law Blog

By the way, on this blog, I focus on topics related to starting a business, business contracts, and investing, making money geared to beginners, entrepreneurs, business owners, or anyone eager to learn. 

I started this blog out of my passion to share my knowledge with you in the areas of finance, investing, business, and law, topics that I truly love and have spent decades perfecting.

You may find useful nuggets of wisdom to help you in your entrepreneurship journey and as an investor.

I’d love to share the insider knowledge that I’ve acquired over the years to help you achieve your business and financial goals.

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