Louisiana LLC Name Search in 2023

Why Conduct a Louisiana LLC Name Search?

Before establishing a Louisiana LLC, every company should conduct a Louisiana business name search. By conducting a search on the Secretary of State website of the state or territory where the corporation is registered, you may access information about any corporation or commercial organization in Louisiana or another state.

To find the page for another state or to go directly to the Louisiana search page, use the supplied links. There is no fee to access this website, and it is not connected to any official body.

The Secretary of State Business Entity Database contains details about Louisiana-registered companies and LLCs. There is no unified list of names for sole proprietorships or general partnerships. The Parish Clerk of Court, where the company is located, is where they are registered.

With the use of the Louisiana Secretary of State Business Lookup instructions below, you may determine whether an LLC name is available.

Follow Louisiana Naming Guidelines

Before you finish your business name search, we advise checking sure your name complies with the rules.

The first and most crucial step in establishing a Louisiana LLC is selecting a desired business name. Make sure the name you select is both easy for potential customers to look for and conforms with Louisiana’s naming regulations.

The words “limited liability corporation” or one of its acronyms (LLC or L.L.C.) must be present in the name of the corporation for the business owner.

Furthermore, no terms in your name should suggest that your LLC is a government body (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.).

Corporations may require to hire licensed individuals such as a doctor or lawyer to be part of your LLC if restricted words such as “bank,” “attorney,” or “university” are used.

Do a Louisiana Business Name Search

You can verify the availability of your preferred name using Louisiana’s Business Filings Search before submitting your name reservation request. The best way to search is to enter the desired name, leaving off identifiers like “LLC,” and leaving all other boxes empty. All business entities with the same or similar names will be returned by this.

If your company name consists of many words, you may even limit your search to the first two words to guarantee that you find every name that might be similar.

Louisiana corporation search name status

Active status denotes that all required reports and filing costs have been paid on time, and the business entity is in good standing. Inactive refers to a business entity that is no longer technically active.

Search Available Domain Names

Whether or not your preferred web domain name is available should be taken into account while choosing a business name. It’s crucial to have a URL that accurately reflects the name of your company. This apparently insignificant action can have a significant impact on how potential clients discover your company.

Use your favourite domain registration, such as GoDaddy, to do an internet search to find out if your desired URL is accessible.

Search by Louisiana Business Entity

Go to the commercial search webpage to get started. Select the first field and type the name of the business you’re looking for to do a search by business entity name.

A list of names that fit the metrics of your search will be shown to you. Until you find the company you want to study, scroll through the selections. To obtain more detailed information, click on the Details option in the far right column.

You may view their filing history and choose to buy a Certificate of Good Standing after you get on the full business information page.

Search by Charter/Trade Registration/Name Reservation Number

Go to the commercial search page on the Louisiana Secretary of State website and fill out the middle section with either the charter number, the trade registration number, or the name reservation number. To proceed, use the Search button located just beneath this field.

You should be routed instantly to a detailed look at that firm’s filing history and account details because each of the aforementioned numbers will only be assigned to one particular business.

Search by Officer/Agent Name in Louisiana

Go to this page and fill out the third field with the name of the agent or the officer, as appropriate.

The given list must differ somewhat from the one produced by the business entity name. On the far left, you’ll see the name of the agent or officer, followed by the name of the company they represent and the location of their office. You may find out more about that person and the organization they represent by clicking on Details.

Reserve Your Louisiana Business Entity Name

All LLC name inquiries and requests are handled by the Commercial Division of the Louisiana Secretary of State. For 60 days, business entities can be reserved. If there is a valid reason, two 30-day extensions may be granted without further cost.

You must register for a GeauxBiz account in order to reserve a business name online. An application can also be sent through the mail. Before submitting your application, make careful to do a thorough search to prevent rejection.

There is a filing fee that you must pay in order to reserve your name. Make checks payable to the “Louisiana Secretary of State” alone.

Other Concerns

While reserving the name for your LLC is simple, there are several additional considerations you should make when deciding on the ideal name for your company. To check if your name may be used online, you could wish to do a trademark and social media search. By doing this, you may make sure that you can use your business name without limitations.

Trademark Search

Before registering, conducting a trademark search on your company name and any related slogans or emblems will help you avoid expensive future lawsuits. If you later learn that another company has trademarked your company name, you are not immediately forbidden from using it.

To ensure you do not unintentionally violate anyone’s intellectual property rights, it is crucial to be aware of who is using the name, what business they are in, and where they are situated.

To finish this stage, you should check Louisiana’s trademark records using the Business Filings Search to discover whether another company in your state is already utilizing your company name or any associated slogans, logos, or other items. Then lookup any federally registered trademarks connected to your company name in the electronic records of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Social Media Search

Making sure your company name is accessible for usage on social media platforms is just as crucial—if not more so—than choosing a domain name that matches your operation. You may accomplish this by just conducting a name-only search for your company on each major website, or you can use a tool like Namecheckr to simultaneously search across all platforms.

Register Louisiana Business Entity

Businesses can file their articles of incorporation with the Louisiana Corporation Commission after deciding on a company name.

Alternatively, you may register with businesses like Northwest Registered Agent, Incfile, or ZenBusiness, which can handle the filings for as cheap as $0 plus state filing costs.

Register TAX ID/EIN with the IRS

A firm is identified for tax purposes by its nine-digit EIN number. Consider it the social security number for companies. A limited liability company (LLC) can easily and quickly file for an EIN online. Swyft Filings charges Louisiana firms $79 to register for a Tax ID.

Logo creation

Businesses with outstanding logos impress clients, help them stand out from the competition, and help clients recall your distinctive services in a favorable way. This is similar to choosing a good business name.

Writing a business plan

Writing a business plan may assist in organizing the thoughts of business owners and provide a roadmap for companies to follow. A well-written company plan makes an excellent first impression on investors and promotes responsibility.

Companies that link together should think about using a formal operating agreement.

Open a business bank account

Businesses are obliged to have a company bank account because it helps keep personal and corporate funds separate. Additionally, it helps establish corporate credibility in the event that future business expansion loans are required.

Businesses cannot utilize a PO box as their principal mailing address and must have a business postal address in order to create a business bank account.

FAQ

How to Register a DBA in Louisiana

A DBA is a name used by a sole proprietorship or partnership that is distinct from the owner’s legal name. DBAs are sometimes referred to as “Doing Business As,” a trade, assumed or a fictitious name.

How Do Business Owners Reserves an LLC Name in Louisiana

If you locate a name you want to use but aren’t ready to create an LLC, you can reserve the name for up to 120 days by filing the Application for Reservation of Trade Name (Form 398). The state charges $25 to reserve a name.

How do I form an LLC in Louisiana?

Make sure the name is accessible to use by doing a business entity search prior to launching your company and creating an LLC. An Operating Agreement, or simply the guidelines for how the LLC functions, is a document worth thinking about, especially for multi-member LLCs, even if it is not necessary in Louisiana.

Make sure to apply for Louisiana business licenses after creating a Limited Liability Company and to get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) so that the company is able to conduct business legally.

Are registered agents required to file for an LLC in the state of Louisiana?

A registered agent is chosen to receive correspondence for your corporation, LLP, or LLC. As long as a physical address (a P.O. box cannot be utilized) is used in the state where your company organization is founded, individuals may serve as their registered agent.

Using a third-party registered agent company gives a degree of secrecy between the company and the general public, which is one of the key advantages. All papers are acquired by the registered agent company on behalf of the business, and they can be confidentially mailed to you.

Why should I file a trademark? How do I file?

Businesses that use trademarks have legal protection for their brands. As your Louisiana company expands, rivals often appear to try to outsell you in the marketplace.

A trademark makes it clear to rivals who could be investigating your niche that you mean business.

The value of your trademarks may increase over time as your firm expands. Having a strong trademark might increase your business’s value if you ever want to sell it.

Let’s say your company wants to sell a tangible item on online stores like Amazon. In that situation, firms can have access to specific characteristics through a registered trademark, aiding in the prevention of product infringement.

What are the requirements to name an LLC in Louisiana?

Make sure the name of your Louisiana LLC complies with all legal criteria before deciding on it, including the proper use of the business entity designator, using a name that stands out from other registered names, and the name cannot imply any connection to the government.

What are the restricted words for a Louisiana LLC name?

Words that suggest the firm is a banking or financial institution or that it is associated with a municipal, state, or federal government entity are typically prohibited from being used in business names.

Without previous state approval, Louisiana also forbids LLCs from using the terms engineer, engineering, surveyor, surveying, bank, banker, banking, savings, safe deposit, trust, trustee, building and lending, homestead, credit union, insurance, or DBA in their names.

Can business owners register a different LLC name from the business name in Louisiana?

Some businesses opt to conduct business under a moniker other than their official name. In Louisiana, this is known as a trade name or a “doing business as” (DBA) name.

LLC trade names must be registered with the Louisiana Secretary of State.