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 Minnesota Secretary of State.

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 Minnesota Secretary of State then you have to Register a DBA Name with the Minnesota Secretary of State.

Other names for a Minnesota DBA Name include:

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

Yes. You can Register a DBA Name with the Minnesota Secretary of State.

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

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

Yes. You can register a Minnesota DBA Name even if you have not formed a Minnesota 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 Minnesota Secretary of State for an existing Minnesota business.

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


When you Register a Corporation or LLC with the Minnesota 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 Minnesota company by the Minnesota Secretary of State.

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

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

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