South Dakota LLC Name Search For 2023

Why is it Important to Conduct a South Dakota LLC Name Search?

Before establishing a South Dakota LLC, every company should do a South Dakota business search.

These tutorials will walk you through the process of conducting a database search for a business entity in the South Dakota Secretary of State. This search may be carried out in a variety of ways, making the procedure quick and simple. You may do a search using the company name, business ID, business entity information, or registered agent.

You may examine registered agent information, file yearly reports, check stock information, and much more using this search option. For potential business owners who want to check on the availability of a preferred business entity name, it is also a wonderful tool.

These courses will cover all you need to know, no matter why you are conducting a business entity search or choosing the right business structure. In the South Dakota Business Search tutorial below, we’ll explain how to determine whether an LLC name is available.

Follow South Dakota 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 forming a professional LLC is selecting a company name. Make sure the name you select is both easy for potential customers to look for and conforms with South Dakota’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 business owner’s corporation.

Additionally, no government agency-related phrases are permitted in your LLC’s name, such as FBI, Treasury, State Department, and others.

A licensed individual such as doctors or lawyers may be required to be part of the LLC if restricted words, such as “bank,” “attorney,” or “university” are used.

Do a South Dakota Business Name Search

You can verify the availability of your selected name before submitting your name reservation request via South Dakota’s Business Name Availability Search for an EXACT name search and the Business Information Search for name variants.

Enter the desired name, excluding off identifiers like “LLC,” for the most accurate search results. All business entities with the same or similar names will be returned by this. If your company name or business entity 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.

Before submitting your documentation, be sure to conduct a comprehensive search to prevent rejection.

South Dakota Corporation Search Name Status

Good Standing in regards to name search status denotes that all reports and filing costs have been paid on time. If the outcome is “Inactive,” the name can be open for registration.

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.

Searching through the South Dakota Business Entity by Business Name

Access this page to get started. After that, you may enter the name of your business entity in the business entity search field and press the Search button.

You will see all business entities that contain the word(s) from your previous search. You may see the entity’s status, type, formation state, and company ID number here. Click the business ID number on the left to get additional details about a certain firm.

You may examine the entity being searched for business information on this page.

Search South Dakota SOS by Business ID

Go to this page and type your business ID into the search field to get started. To proceed, click Search.

Your business entity search results need to be restricted to that particular entity. For additional information, click the business ID number on the left.

You may view all the information about your entity here.

Search South Dakota SOS by Entity Details

Launch this page to start your search, then enter the needed entity’s type, standing, and filing date. To proceed, click Search.

Similar to the image below, all the entities that match your search will be revealed. Click the company id number on the left to receive further details about the entity you have requested.

The information about your entity will be shown on the next page.

South Dakota Business Entity Search by Registered Agent

Access this website and type your LLC’s registered agent name into the search field to get started.

This page will give a list of all the organizations that have a registered agent whose name is similar to the one entered on the previous page. To learn more about your entity, click the business ID number on the left.

On this final page, you may review all the business information.

Reserve Your South Dakota Business Entity Name

The South Dakota Secretary of State’s Division of Corporations in South Dakota responds to all inquiries and requests about South Dakota LLC naming. For 120 days, company names can be held in reserve. When a business name reservation expires, if you haven’t already formed your company using the reserved name, you won’t be able to reserve the name once more for 60 days.

You must submit an application by mail if you want to reserve a company name. Name bookings cannot yet be made online. There is a filing fee that you must pay in order to reserve your name. Business owners who are interested in reserving a name must make the checks payable to the South Dakota Secretary of State.

Other concerns

While reserving the name for your South Dakota LLC is fairly easy, there are still several 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 company 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 must first check South Dakota’s trademark records by completing the Trademark Database Subscription form to discover whether another company in your state is already using 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 South Dakota business entity

Businesses can register their incorporation with the South Dakota 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. The owner of a limited liability corporation (LLC) can easily file for an EIN online without any hassle. Swyft Filings charges $79 for South Dakota firms 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.

Business plan write-up

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. When a firm needs a loan to expand in the future, it also aids in establishing commercial reputation.

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.

How Do Business Owners Reserve an LLC Name in South Dakota

You can submit the Application for Name Reservation if there is a name you choose but are not yet prepared to create the LLC. For a fee of $25, the name reserve will retain a name for up to 120 days.

FAQ

How do I form a South Dakota LLC?

Make sure the name is accessible to use by doing a business entity search prior to launching your company and creating a South Dakota LLC.

An Operating Agreement, which outlines the regulations for how the LLC functions, is a document worth examining even if it is not necessary in South Dakota, especially for multi-member LLCs.

Make sure to apply for South Dakota 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.

Can Business Owners conduct a DBA business name search for sole proprietors or partnerships in South Dakota?

The South Dakota Secretary of State Business Entity Database contains details about South Dakota-registered companies and LLCs. General partnerships and sole proprietorships do not have centralized names. The Register of Deeds office in the county where the business is located is where they are instead registered.

A fictitious business name, often called “doing business as,” “DBA,” “assumed name,” or “trade name,” is one that is registered by a sole proprietorship or partnership that does business under a name other than the owner’s legal identity.

What are the requirements for business owners to name an LLC in South Dakota?

The name of the LLC must be distinct, include a special designator like Limited Liability Company, LLC, L.L.C., etc., and not contain terms that are prohibited, such as bank or insurance, unless the business is authorized to do so.

Are registered agents required during the creation of a startup in the State of South Dakota?

A registered agent is a person chosen to receive correspondence on behalf of your corporation, LLP, or LLC. Individuals are permitted to serve as their registered agent so long as they establish a physical address (a PO Box is not permitted) inside the same State.

Adding a layer of anonymity between the organization and the general public is one of the key advantages of choosing a third-party registered agent service provider. All papers are acquired by the registered agent company on behalf of the business, and they can be confidentially mailed to you.

Why do I need to register a trademark? How do I submit it?

Businesses that use trademarks have legal protection for their brands. As your South Dakota company expands, rivals are likely to emerge in an effort to undercut you in the marketplace. A trademark makes it clear to rivals who could be investigating your niche that you mean business.

As your firm expands and your brand’s awareness rises, trademark value likewise rises. 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 such instances, having a registered trademark gives firms access to special features that assist guard against product infringement.