Verify Your Business Name With a Delaware Business Name Search

If you’ve been kicking around a business idea for a while and want to make it a reality in Delaware, there are some essential first steps. The key to establishing your new business in Delaware is figuring out its structure and creating a business name.

You can choose between a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, or limited partnership in Delaware. Once you’ve settled on a specific business structure, you can move on to creating a catchy business name. 

However, you shouldn’t simply think of a name and file for its registration because you could accidentally file for a name already used by an existing business in Delaware and incur hefty fines.

To ensure your name is unique and avoid future problems, conduct a Delaware business entity search. Big and small businesses alike can make use of this free service and check for available business names in Delaware.

1. Fill out the online form by providing your desired Delaware business name, your name as the owner, and your email, and indicate Delaware as your primary location.

2. In about an hour, you’ll receive an email letting you know whether your Delaware business name is available.

3. You can reserve the business name and continue forming your company if it’s available, or try checking another name if it isn't.

Key Takeaways

• Delaware law prescribes business naming conventions you must follow if you desire seamless company name registration.

• With a successful Delaware entity search, you’ll ensure a bright future for your business and help it thrive.

• A business name availability check is only one part of the process. You can continue forming your business by reserving the name, creating a website with a catchy domain name, securing a DBA, and filing for an LLC.

Delaware’s Business Name Conventions

Like many other states, Delaware has business naming conventions to follow before reserving and registering your business name.[1] Most depend on the type of entity you’re trying to establish.

If you want to start a Delaware corporation, your business name must:

• Be different from all the business names in the state, regardless of entity type

• Feature a corporation business identifier or its abbreviation (corporation, company, incorporated, association, fund, union, syndicate, foundation, club, institute, society, or limited)

• Not contain words like “bank” and “trust” unless directly affiliated with such institutions

For an LLC in Delaware, you’ll have to watch out for these rules when choosing a business name:

• Be distinguishable from any other entity type name registered or reserved in Delaware.

• Contain “limited liability company,” “LLC,” or “L.L.C.” in its name

• If relevant, can be named after the company’s member or manager

• If relevant, can contain the word or abbreviation of company, association, fund, foundation, union, institute, society, syndicate, club, or limited

In addition to the previous rules, no entity name can contain abusive, obscene, or misleading language or include language that would pose a difficulty for the Delaware administration.[2]

Benefits of a Delaware Entity Search

Registering an existing entity name can lead to serious problems for your Delaware business. Thankfully, a Delaware entity search can prevent these situations. Here's some of the benefits that a tool like this can provide for you and your business:

• Find companies that are registered with the Delaware Secretary of State and learn more about their status, owner, registered agent, and residence

• Reduce the time you’d otherwise spend on checking whether a company name is available

• Avoid the additional cost and unnecessary expenses from registering a taken business name already in use

• Begin business operations and obtain business licenses and other critical documents easier and faster by ensuring the name registration process goes smoothly

Next Steps

Once you’ve decided on the name you want your Delaware company to carry, you can move on to the next steps. These include submitting a name reservation, creating a website, applying for a DBA, and filing for your Delaware LLC.

Complete Your Name Reservation

If you want more time before officially registering your business but still want your Delaware business name to be yours, you’ll have to reserve it. 

For $75, you can reserve a name for your Delaware corporation, LLC, limited partnership, statutory trust, registered series, general partnership, or limited liability partnership. The name has to be distinguishable from any name registered or reserved with the state.

To reserve a name for your business in Delaware online, follow these steps:

1. Go to the name reservation section on the Delaware Divisions of Corporations website

2. Read the disclaimer to confirm the naming rules and tick the box next to “I have read and understood the disclaimer”

3. Select your entity type and chosen business identifier from the drop-down menus

4. Enter your entity name

5. Press “Search”

If the entity name is available, you can pay the necessary fee to reserve it.

You can also send your Delaware business name reservation application by mail. The reservation application will depend on the type of entity you’re reserving the name for, so be careful to choose the correct one before downloading.[3] Once you fill it out, you can send it to this address:

Delaware Division of Corporations

401 Federal Street – Suite 4

Dover, DE 19901

Phone: 302-739-3073

The reservation will last 120 days, during which time you can file other necessary paperwork.

Choose a Domain Name

Creating a website is always a good choice regardless of what products or services your Delaware business provides. You can reach far beyond the borders of Delaware and allow consumers to find you with only a few clicks. However, to ensure your consumers know that a website belongs to your Delaware business, you must consider its domain name.

Matching your domain name to the business name registered with the Delaware Secretary of State is best. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible, especially if your business name is lengthy. 

Consider a DBA

A DBA (“doing business as”), also known as a trade name, is a name you can utilize if you wish to operate under a name different from the one stated in your legal documents.

Business owners with their name as the entity name, a long business name, or a name that doesn’t suit their current products might choose to register a DBA. In other words, a DBA prevents you from having to re-register your business name.

In Delaware, you can register your DBA in the Prothonotary’s office of your county or online through the Registration of Trade, Business & Fictitious Name Certificate. The fee for registering a DBA in Delaware is $25 per trade name.

File Your LLC Online

The last step when registering your Delaware business is filing your LLC. That’s where we come in, Our straightforward and reliable document filing service starts at $0 + state filing fees, and only takes three steps:

1. Tell us about your future Delaware business with our simple, online form

2. Let us file all the paperwork with the Delaware Secretary of State 

3. Receive your approved documents by mail in a complete LLC package

If you need additional help with your business later, you can always turn to Swyft Filings. We’ll guide you through the business name-changing process, annual reports filing, obtaining a federal tax ID, and more.

FAQs

How do I find out if a business name is available in Delaware?

You can use a business name search tool to check business name availability in Delaware.

How do you check if a company is registered in Delaware?

You can check if a company is registered by conducting a business name search or using the business name entity search on the Delaware Secretary of State website.

What is the Delaware Secretary of State Business Entity Search?

The Delaware Secretary of State Business Entity Search is a database available on the Delaware.gov website. You can find Delaware companies by entity kind, entity name, or file number.

How do I find a business entity in Delaware?

You can find a business entity in Delaware using the Delaware Secretary of State Business Entity Search under the Division of Corporations.

How much does a Delaware business entity search cost?

A general name search for Delaware businesses is free and can ensure a registered Delaware business doesn’t already have the name. A detailed Delaware entity search can also provide an existing entity’s name, file number, registered agent, incorporation or formation date, address, residency, and phone number. If you wish to obtain additional information about a company in Delaware, such as the Certificate of Status, you’ll need to pay a fee.

What are some of the benefits of a business entity search?

A business entity search can help determine whether your business name is available in Delaware, saving the costs of registering your LLC or corporate name again. It is also essential to avoid potential legal conflicts with an existing business in Delaware with the same name. 

How can I find a person’s address for a business in Delaware?

You can find the address of a business in Delaware by conducting a business entity search. A detailed search result will provide the address and residency of a company alongside its name, registered agent, file number, formation date, and phone number.

Bibliography

1. Delaware.gov. “Division of Corporations: Disclaimer for Corporate Names Reservation.“ Accessed May 23, 2023.

2. Delaware.gov. “Delaware Administrative Code.” Accessed May 23, 2023.

3. Delaware.gov. “Name Reservations Application.“ Accessed May 23, 2023.