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Delaware · State Record Search Guide

Delaware business search, the registry the world uses.

More companies live on Delaware’s record than people live in Delaware, which makes this the most-searched registry in the country. The Division of Corporations keeps it simple and expensive: LLCs pay a flat $300 franchise tax every June 1 with no annual report at all, corporations file theirs March 1, and the statuses have teeth: Ceased Good Standing on the way down, Void at the bottom.

Reads the Delaware official record · free to start
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Delaware entity searchWe run it on the official state record, and tell you what it means
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Checking a name for your new company? We search the state record properly, with the near-misses that cause rejections.

Doors into the same record

Search the way that matches what you already know

1 · By entity name

Drop the designator: "Acme Holdings" returns more than "Acme Holdings LLC". The state search matches from the start of the name, so lead with the first word, and remember sound-alike spellings are separate records. Have us run the name check →

2 · By file number

Delaware assigns a permanent file number at formation. With a million-plus entities on the record and half of them named alike, the exact-match search is not a convenience here, it is the only reliable door. Verify an exact entity with us →

3 · Through the registered agent

Every Delaware entity names a registered agent on the public record, which is how process servers, and the curious, find companies. It is also why founders who value privacy put a professional agent there instead of themselves. See how agents appear on the record →

4 · What the record shows you

Status, principal address, registered agent, and the filing history, including the original formation documents. Public, free, and current, which is exactly why counterparties will read yours before they sign.

The June and March calendar

No report for LLCs, just the June 1 bill

GOOD STANDINGFranchise tax paid and current. For an LLC that means the flat $300 cleared by June 1; there is no annual report to check.
CEASED GOOD STANDINGThe tax went unpaid. A $200 penalty plus monthly interest is stacking, and the state will not issue standing certificates while this row reads.
VOIDThe end of the line: a charter voided for nonpayment, roughly three unpaid years for an LLC. Revival is possible, but the whole ledger comes due first.
VOL. DISSOLVED / CANCELLEDClosed on purpose, history preserved. On this registry, reading a company’s exit is often as telling as its start.
NAME ONLYReserved names and near-twins crowd the record here more than anywhere. A search hit is not a company until the filing history says so.

Delaware LLCs file no annual report: they pay a flat $300 franchise tax by June 1, with a $200 penalty plus 1.5 percent monthly interest when late. Corporations file an annual report and franchise tax by March 1. Let an LLC’s tax sit unpaid about three years and the certificate of formation is cancelled.

The search is step one

What you found decides what you do next

Your name is taken

On the world’s busiest registry, clear so far means little. Run a proper availability check against Delaware’s crowded index, then file the Delaware LLC while it is clean.

Your company shows Ceased Good Standing

Clear the franchise tax and penalty before Void enters the conversation, then put June 1 on a calendar that watches itself.

You are vetting a counterparty

Match the legal name on your contract to the record exactly, confirm standing the day you sign, and read the filing history. For anything with money on it, order a certificate of standing, the state-sealed version of "they are real."

Due diligence on the world’s registry

The startup was real, the standing was not

Charts and the standing report on the table before a Delaware financing closed
The pitch deck said Delaware C-corp, and it was, technically. The record said Ceased Good Standing: two missed March filings while they raised. Fixable, and they fixed it in a week, but we made the revival a closing condition, not a promise. On this registry, everyone checks. Assume they will.
Angel investor, first check into a Wilmington-registered startupReads standing before reading projections
Standing verifiedRevival pre-closingRound closed clean

Representative composite drawn from customer outcomes.

BosAI reads the record with you

Ask what the record means for you

BosAIYour workspace · Delaware records connected

Is "Bluehen Labs" taken in Delaware?

Six near-matches, two active, one reserved name that expires next month. Delaware’s index is the most crowded in the country, so distinguishable is a lower bar than you want for a brand. I can run a proper availability check with trademark screening before you commit.

Does my Delaware LLC really file no annual report?

Really none. Your entire state obligation is the flat $300 franchise tax by June 1, and Delaware sends the bill to your registered agent, not to you. Miss it and a $200 penalty plus monthly interest start immediately. It is on my calendar already.

The company I am vetting shows Void. Is it dead?

Effectively, yes: the charter was voided, usually after about three unpaid years, and it cannot conduct business as a Delaware entity. Revival is legally possible if they settle the full ledger, so if this counterparty matters, make revival their problem before signing. I can confirm the moment their record changes.
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Business Search hub

Every state's record, one guide per state

 Name Availability

Distinguishable is not the same as safe, check properly

 Registered Agent

A Delaware address that never misses a service of process

 Compliance Calendar

Your deadlines tracked, so the record stays boring

 CRM

The counterparties you vet become the clients you keep

 Business Banking

Open the account the day your filing comes back
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Go deeper

Delaware, from search to filed

Cornerstone

How to Start an LLC in Delaware

Name search to filed Articles, the Delaware playbook.

Read the guide → Costs

What a Delaware LLC Costs

State fees, the recurring bill, and the first-year total.

See the numbers → State hub

Form a Business in Delaware

Entity types, taxes, and the Delaware playbook.

Open the hub → File

Form an LLC in Delaware

From clean name to filed Articles, handled.

Start the filing →
Frequently asked

Delaware Business Search questions.

What is the Delaware Secretary of State business search?

It is the public lookup on the world’s busiest corporate registry, kept by Delaware’s Division of Corporations under the Secretary of State. The record shows an entity’s name, file number, status, and registered agent. We run Delaware searches for you and interpret what the results mean for your plans.

How do I search for a business in Delaware?

You search the Delaware record online by name or by the entity’s permanent file number. With over a million entities on the index, exact-match searches by file number beat name searches almost every time. We run the Delaware search and explain what it does and does not reveal.

Can I check if a business name is available in Delaware?

Yes, the search is the first step, and in Delaware it matters more than anywhere: the index is crowded with near-twins and reserved names. Availability finally depends on the state’s distinguishable-name standard, so a quick search is not a guarantee. We do a proper Delaware availability check before you commit to a name and branding.

How do I confirm a company is in good standing in Delaware?

The record shows the ladder, Good Standing, Ceased Good Standing, Void, but deals and lenders want the state-sealed Certificate of Good Standing, which Delaware will not issue while taxes are owed. We can pull the status and order the certificate the same day.

What does a Delaware company owe the state each year?

An LLC owes a flat $300 franchise tax by June 1 and files no annual report at all. A corporation files its annual report and franchise tax by March 1. Late LLC tax draws a $200 penalty plus 1.5 percent monthly interest, and roughly three unpaid years void the charter. We keep both calendars watched.

Why can’t I find my own business in the Delaware search?

Common reasons: it was just filed and not yet indexed, the name is slightly different, or unpaid franchise tax ended in cancellation and the entity dropped from default results. We check the Delaware record, confirm your status, and fix anything, like a lapse needing revival, that is keeping you from appearing correctly.

How do I find out who owns an LLC in Delaware?

Usually you cannot, which is half the reason the world files here. Delaware shows the entity, the file number, and the registered agent, not the members. You can still verify standing and history before a deal. If privacy matters for your own filing, that structure plus identity & privacy is how founders stay unlisted.

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