Reserve Your Business Name in Any State
SunDoc Filings is able to perform a corporation or LLC name search by checking corporate name availability with the Secretary of State on an expedited basis. Most states allow for name reservations.
- Choose a corporate name*** Select a first, a second and a third name choice. You are not required to provide a second or third name choice; just keep in mind that many times, the first name choice will already be taken by another company or the first name choice is considered by the Secretary of State name reservation unit as "deceptively similar to an existing company" and the Secretary of State will not file your Articles of Incorporation if they attempt to use the name. Secondly, we charge a service fee per phone call to the state’s name reservation department. If you only provide us with one corporate name choice and it is not available, you will be charged another name availability service fee for the second phone call to the Secretary of State.
- Complete the corporate/LLC name reservation online order. We will email your completed Name Reservation to you. See your state for specific turnaround times.
- Form a corporation or LLC. When you are ready to form your company, please click here to form a Corporation with the Secretary of State in any state. We offer routine and rush services.
Our Fees
To check corporate name availability and/or reserve a corporate name, our fee is $39 per entity. Our fee includes checking up to 3 name choices per order, per entity.
Once we check name availability or reserve the corporation name, we can incorporate your business in any state. To form a corporation, click here for more information.
***NOTE: The reservation of a name does not guarantee the name meets all federal and state requirements related to a specific entity type. Names are reviewed for compliance by the Secretary of State's office when the documents are submitted for filing.
The most common names include initials such as ABC Inc. or MLD Corporation. Changing the ending (Inc., Corp., Incorporated, Corporation) or adding punctuation or making the name plural will not make your name different. The Secretary of State considers ABC Inc., ABC Corp., A&BC Incorporated, A-B-C Corporation to each be the exact same name. After the reservation of the name has expired, the name can be reserved again.
SunDoc Advantages
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Same day processing
Only if received by 2 p.m. PST. Most companies mail in your requests delaying results.
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Experience
Since 1999. Over 100,000 filings. Located in Sacramento.
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Skilled Customer Service
Our skilled customer service staff is always ready to help.
Corporation/LLC Name Guidelines and Tips
Corporate/LLC Name Guidelines
The following is general information about name availability and name style requirements relating to corporations. In order to facilitate the filing of corporate documents, please ensure the name is consistent with the statutes related to the type of corporation being formed (i.e., close corporations, professional corporations, banks, etc.)
- Proposed names are checked only against currently reserved names and active entities of record in the Secretary of State's office. There is no legal requirement that corporate names be checked against other business entity names. For example, corporate names are not checked against general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company or limited liability partnership names, nor are names checked against trademarks, service marks or local fictitious business names filed at the county level.
- The Secretary of State's office cannot file a document which contains a name that is "likely to mislead the public or which is the same as, or resembles so closely as to tend to deceive," the name of a domestic or foreign (out of state or country) corporation that has been registered or a name which is under reservation for another corporation. Names are considered deceptive if the only difference is a corporate ending.
- A corporation or LLC may adopt a name that is similar to, but not the same as, the name of an existing domestic or foreign (out-of-state or country) corporation if the existing corporation consents in writing to the use of the name.
- The name may not falsely imply governmental affiliation.
- All names must use the English alphabet or Arabic numerals (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) or a combination thereof. Roman numerals are treated as letters and not translated into their numeric equivalent. Symbols are not allowed in an entity name, except, an ampersand (&) may be used in an entity name as a conjunction in place of the word "AND".
- There is no distinction between upper and lower case letters, typeface or font.
- The words "bank", "trust", "trustee" or related words may not be a part of the corporate name of a domestic corporation unless a Certificate of Approval from the Commissioner of Financial Institutions (Commissioner) is attached to the Articles of Incorporation. If the proposed corporation is subject to the Banking Law, the articles must include the endorsement of approval from the Commissioner.
- The words "credit union" or related words may not be a part of the corporate name of a domestic corporation unless a Certificate of Approval from the Commissioner of Financial Institutions (Commissioner) is attached to the Articles of Incorporation.
- If the business of the corporation is to be an insurer, a Certificate of the Insurance Commissioner approving the corporate name must be attached to the Articles of Incorporation (corporation) or to the Statement and Designation by Foreign Corporation form (out-of-state or country corporation) at the time of filing.
- The name of a corporation authorized to incorporate as a professional corporation must comply with the name style requirements of the regulatory agency which has jurisdiction over the particular profession.
- Fictitious business names filed with the county cannot include any word(s) indicating corporate or limited liability company status unless organized as such pursuant to the laws of the given state.
- The name of a limited liability company must end with the words "Limited Liability Company", "Ltd. Liability Co." or the abbreviation "LLC" or "L.L.C."