Washington (WA) Secretary of State (SOS) LLC & Business Search

The Washington Secretary of State offers a range of business search facilities which includes corporate searches, charity, fundraiser and trust searches, and trademark searches. You can find publicly available information about organizations that are registered in Washington through their database.

You can search the Washington database by:

• Business name
• UBI number
• Registered agent name
• Governor name

Search by business name

The Washington corporation search database can be searched by business name either through the basic search where you can filter by contains, begins with or exact match, or you can do an advanced search. The basic search is shown below:

The advanced search allows you to add further filters to your search which includes the business type, business status and key dates as shown below:

The results from a business name search will appear in a list which displays the business name, UBI number, business type, principal office address, registered agent, status and nonprofit EIN.

You can view more information about the businesses listed by clicking on the business name highlighted in blue. This opens up the business record which details:

• Business name
• UBI number
• Business type
• Business status
• Principal office street address
• Expiration date
• Jurisdiction
• Formation/registration date
• Period of duration
• Inactive date
• Nature of business
• Registered agent details
• Governor details
• Filing history
• Name history

Search by UBI number

You can also do a basic search on the UBI number if you know what this number is for the business.

The search result should be a single record as the UBI number is unique to the business. The results still show in a list which displays the business name, UBI number, business type, principal office address, registered agent, status and nonprofit EIN. More information about the business can be viewed by clicking on the business name which provides additional information such as key dates about the business, nature of the business, registered agent details and governor details. A full list of the information available is listed above in search by business name.

Search by registered agent name

The Washington business search database can be searched by registered agent name on the advanced search facility and you can use additional filters including the agent’s address.

The search results will list all businesses with registered agents that match your search criteria and the list will display the business name, UBI number, business type, principal office address, registered agent, status and nonprofit EIN.

Additional information can be viewed about the businesses by clicking on the business name. The business record displays publicly available information which includes address, filing history, jurisdiction and key dates for the business, and more as listed above in search by business name.

Search by governor name

The advanced search facility also offers searches by governor name which are the individuals that govern the business.

Results are displayed in a list which includes all businesses that have a governor with a matching name. The list includes information about the business including the business name, UBI number, business type, principal office address, registered agent, status and nonprofit EIN.

If you want to see more information about any of the businesses listed you can click on the business name to view the full record. The business record includes all publicly available information such as governor information, registered agent details, filing history, and more as detailed above in search by business name.

Contact details

Website: https://www.sos.wa.gov/

Phone: (360) 725-0377

Address: Corporations Division, 801 Capitol Way South, PO Box 40234, Olympia, WA 98504-0234

Email: corps@sos.wa.gov

How to register a business in Washington?

Setting up a business can be complex knowing exactly what you need to do so the below steps can help you with the process of registering your business:

1. Firstly you should determine what your business name should be and whether the name is available which you can do by searching the Washington corporation search.
2. Secondly, you should establish which business structure you will operate your business under as this affects how you set up the business and its legal standing.
3. You will also need to decide who is going to be your registered agent and receive and send information on behalf of your business.
4. Once you have completed these steps you can then register your business. The form you will need to complete will vary depending on your business structure and there is a filing fee of $180. The paper forms and links to online forms are available on the Washington Secretary of State website:
   • Limited liability companies need to complete a Certificate of Formation
   • Professional limited liability companies need to complete a Certificate of Formation
   • Corporations need to complete Articles of Incorporation
   • Limited partnerships need to complete a certificate of Limited Partnership
   • Limited liability partnerships need to complete a Certificate of Limited Liability Partnership
5. Most businesses will also need to apply for a Tax ID (EIN).

How much does a Washington business entity search cost?

Washington Secretary of State does not charge users for using their business search database.

How can I get a business license in Washington?

If you are setting up a business that is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or limited liability partnership then you will need to register with the Washington Secretary of State before you apply for a business license. Once you have registered and you are ready to start your business you can use their Business License Wizard to apply for licenses and to get a list of agencies that you will need to contact and additional endorsements you will need. There is a statewide business license and the filing fees for this start at $50. There are also local licenses and industry or profession based licenses or permits that might be needed too.