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 with the county clerks in the Delaware counties where you want to conduct business under the DBA Name.

If you are a Corporation or LLC and want to do business under a name which is different from the name which is registered with the Delaware Secretary of State then you have to Register a DBA Name with the county clerks in the Delaware counties where you want to conduct business under the DBA Name.

Other names for a Delaware DBA Name include:

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

No.  You CANNOT Register a DBA Name with the Delaware Secretary of State.  In Delaware you are required to register a DBA Name with the Delaware counties in which you want to conduct business under your DBA Name.

Yes. You can register a Delaware DBA Name with the DE Secretary of State for a Delaware Corporation or a Delaware LLC.

Before a Delaware Corporation or LLC can register a DBA Name, the DE Corporation or DE LLC must be in good standing with the Delaware Secretary of State.

Yes. You can register a Delaware DBA Name even if you have not formed a Delaware Corporation or LLC. In fact that's what most skilled craftsman and professionals do when they want to use a business name other their own name.

You Register a DBA Name with the Delaware Secretary of State for an existing Delaware business.

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


When you Register a Corporation or LLC with the Delaware Secretary of State there are certain tax and administrative obligations which must be met to keep the company in Good Standing.  Failing to keep up with those obligations can result in the administrative dissolution of your Delaware company by the Delaware Secretary of State.

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

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

You can renew the Delaware DBA Name before the expiration date if you want to retain ownership of the Delaware DBA Name.