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A Delaware DBA is filed with the state, in one place, through the Delaware One Stop portal. The Division of Revenue took the job over from the county Prothonotary offices, so you no longer pay a fee in each county. Read the Division's own trade names FAQ before you file, because the process changed recently and older guides still describe the court system.
Where do I register a DBA in Delaware?
You register on Delaware One Stop, the state's registration and licensing portal. The application asks for the legal name and address of the entity, the DBA you want, the names and addresses of the owners, the date of formation and the nature of the business. Notarization is no longer required, because everything is handled online.
The state calls this the Delaware Tradename Registry. The Division of Revenue says the registry is the legal electronic record of every registered Delaware DBA, so third parties can check it instead of asking you for a certificate.
What does it cost and do I need a license first?
The fee is $25, and it covers the whole state. The part that catches people out is the license. The Division requires an active Delaware business license account alongside every DBA registration, so register for the license first. Our Delaware business license guide explains that step.
If your Delaware LLC or corporation does not do business in Delaware, you can take a Trade Name Only business license instead. It costs $25, skips the gross receipts filings, and has the same renewal rules as a standard license. The first application needs a recent certificate of good standing. The Division quotes $50 for a short form certificate of status.
If you later take a standard business license, it voids the Trade Name Only license. You can then move your DBAs across without a fee.
Do I have to renew a Delaware DBA?
No. Delaware DBAs do not expire and need no renewal. The business license behind them still has its own yearly or three year renewal, so keep that current.
Changes are free. You can update an address, a key person or the ownership through the Update Trade Name flow in One Stop, and you can cancel through the termination flow. A change of taxpayer ID needs a new registration.
How do I search Delaware DBAs?
The Division of Revenue runs a searchable registry of trade, business and fictitious names, and you can check availability there before you register. One Stop also checks active DBAs during your application and warns you about a match, but the warning does not stop you filing the same name.
A static list of DBAs filed with the courts before the change is kept separately as historic data. If you do not find a name in the new registry, check that list too. Our DBA search guide covers searching by owner when the name fails.
If you hold an older court DBA, you can add it to the new registry at no cost by giving the file number from the court record. The Division asks for the new registration before it will issue a trade name certificate for an old filing.
What a Delaware DBA does and does not do
A DBA is only a public notice that a person or company trades under a name. It does not make a company and it gives no liability protection, so read DBA vs LLC if you are weighing the two. If your business is an LLC, form it first, then register the DBA under the LLC's legal name. Our Delaware LLC guide has the formation steps, and how to file a DBA gives the general checklist. Check the LLC name search guide before you pick a name, since a DBA does not clear it for use.
This page does not cover county or city licenses, professional licenses, or tax filings after you register.