DBA means "Doing Business As".  If you are an individual Sole Proprietor and want to do business under a name which is different from your legal name then you have to Register a DBA Name in the location in which you want to use the name for business.  In most states you Register a DBA Name with the Secretary of State.  In other states you Register a DBA Name at the county or even the town level. 

If you are a Corporation or LLC and want to do business under a name which is different from the name which was registerd with the Secretary of State you will have to Register a DBA Name with either the Secretary of State or County Clerk's office. 

We can Register a DBA Name in any state or county for you as quickly as possible.  Fess and processing times vary from state to state and county to county.  Click on your state in the list of state links below to get specific information on how to Register a DBA Name in that state.

A DBA Name can be called something else depending on the state or county in which you want to Register a DBA Name.  Other names for DBA Name include:

• Alternate Name
• Assumed Business Name
• Assumed Name
• Business Name
• Fictitious Name
• Trade Name

In most states you can Register a DBA Name with the Secrertary of State or the state agency which is responsible for maintaining business information and records.  In some states the statutes do not require that you Register a DBA Name with the Secretary of State.  In these states you can Register a DBA Name with the County Clerk or, in some cases, the Town Clerk.  Choose any state from the list of states below for specific information about Registering a DBA Name in that state

Yes.  You can Register a DBA Name for a Corporation or LLC in any state.  Before the agency responsible for Registering DBA Names - usually the Secretary of State or County Clerk - will approve a DBA Name for a Corporation or LLC, that Corporation or LLC must be in Good Standing with the state. 

In most state you can Register a DBA Name even if you have not legally formed a Corporation or LLC.  In fact that's what most skilled craftsman and professionals do when they want to use a name other their own name.  DBA Names cannot be misleading or imply that you do something that you really don't do. 

For example, if Jane Smith is a dress maker then Jane could Register a DBA Name like JS Clothiers but it would be illegal if she Registered the DBA Name Jane's Bakery as that DBA Name implies she is doing business as a bakery and not as a dress maker.

You Register a DBA Name with the Secretary of State for an existing business.  You Reserve a Company Name with the Secretary of State for use with a business that will be formed and legally registered sometime in the future.

When you Register a Corporation or LLC with the Secretary of State there are certain tax and reporting obligations which must be met.  The requirements vary from state to state but failing to keep up with them can result in the administrative dissolution of your Registered company by the Secretary of State.

The state fees for Registering a DBA Name are less than the fees for Registering a Corporation or LLC and there are no tax or reporting obligation for a Registered DBA Name.

No.  The Secretary of State will not issue a good standing certificate (Certificate of Existence) for a Registered DBA Name. Good Standing Certificates are issued only for companies which have legally registered with the Secretary of State as a Corporation, LLC or LP.

Every DBA Name Registration comes with an expiration date.  Most states allow easy re-Registration of a DBA Name.  The valid time period in which a a DBA Name Registration is valid varies from state to state and county to county.  Choose any state from the list of states below for specific information about Registering a DBA Name in that state

A Foreign Corporation is a company that is registered with the Secretary of State in one state (Domestic State) and wants to legally do business in another (Foreign) state.  The company would have to register with the Secretary of State in the Foreign state. 

Most states require that the name of a Foreign Corporation or Foreign LLC be registered exactly as the name appears on the records in the Domestic state.  If the exact name of the Corporation or LLC is not available in the Foreign state then the company has to Register a DBA Name as part of the Foreign Registration process.

Click on any state in the list below to find out How to Register a DBA Name in that state