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The Nebraska Secretary of State's Business Services Division records corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, trade names and trademarks. Its Corporate and Business Search is free, needs no account, and finds an entity by name or by its Secretary of State entity account number. From a result you can also buy a certificate of good standing or images of filed documents.
Picking the right match type for a Nebraska LLC and corporation search
The search gives you five ways to match a name, and each needs at least three letters:
- Starts With returns names that begin with what you type.
- Keyword (Match All) returns names containing all your words, in any order.
- Keyword (Match Any) returns names containing any one of your words. A search for "Jody's Repair Shop" would also return every name with "Repair" or "Shop" in it.
- Sounds Like matches names that sound similar. It is very broad and can return a long list.
- Exact Match only works with the full name, including the corporate ending.
If you are not sure of the full legal name, the office suggests Keyword or Starts With. When you have the entity account number from a letter or filing, search on that instead. You must pass a reCAPTCHA check before results appear, and you can sort them by type of business or by status, with a second sort if you want both.
One change is coming. The Secretary of State is moving to a new online business filing system at business.nebraska.gov. The office says the new system will no longer need a Nebraska.gov subscription to search or get bulk data, and that registered agent searches will be easier to reach. Expect the search address in this guide to change once it goes live.
Records, images and what they show
Each result shows the type of business and its status. A company that missed its report deadline shows as administratively dissolved, or revoked if it is a foreign company. Once reinstated it shows as active again. Our business entity status guide explains these terms across states.
Copies of filings cost $0.45 per page online. Documents usually appear online within three business days of filing. Very old filings are generally not online, and documents over 40 pages cannot be bought online either, so ask the office for those.
Name checks and reservations in Nebraska
There is no online name check yet. You send a written request by email, fax or mail, and staff reply in writing. The office calls that reply a complimentary courtesy, not a promise. The real decision is made when your formation document is filed. Staff search the proposed name against existing records and judge similar names on "established criteria." A name cannot be the same as one already on record. Where it is too close, consent from the owner of the existing name may be an option, and there is no fee for the consent form.
Some words carry extra restrictions, including bank, trust, engineer, architect, geologist, land surveyor, cooperative, Olympic and barber. If your name is turned down, you can ask in writing for a review by the division's legal counsel.
To hold a name, file an Application for Reserved Name. The fee is $30 and the reservation gives you 120 days to file your entity documents. More on this in our name reservation guide and our guide on how to check LLC name availability.
Reports, good standing and registered agents
LLCs and nonprofits file a biennial report in odd-numbered years by April 1. It becomes delinquent after June 16. Business corporations file a biennial occupation tax report in even-numbered years by March 1, delinquent after April 15. Limited liability partnerships report every year. Miss the delinquency date and the company is administratively dissolved, or loses its authority if it is foreign. See the annual and biennial reporting page for the full list.
Every corporation and LLC must keep a registered agent and registered office in Nebraska at all times. The agent can be a member of the company, a third party who lives in Nebraska, or a corporation authorized to do business in the state.
A Certificate of Good Standing bought online costs $6.50 and is ready at once. A third party can check it for up to 12 months with the verification ID printed on it. A paper certificate is $10 and is mailed within two to three business days. Online certificates cannot be apostilled. Our certificate of good standing guide covers when you need one.
Formation costs $100 online or $110 in office for an LLC or a business corporation, and $25 online for a nonprofit, per the forms and fee page.
Bulk records from Nebraska
Batch data is sold through the Corporate Records Special Request service on Nebraska.gov. It costs $15 per 1,000 records, set by Nebraska Revised Statutes 33-101, and files download as CSV. You can filter by entity type, date registered, name keywords or location, and set up weekly, bi-weekly or monthly batches.
Registered agent in Nebraska
A Nebraska LLC needs a registered agent who lives in Nebraska, or a corporation authorized to do business in the state, plus a registered office that matches the agent's office. A member can act as agent, so an owner who lives in Nebraska can do it. The state's new business page says the agent and office go in the formation documents and must be kept in Nebraska at all times.
To change the agent or the office, file a Statement of Change. For a domestic LLC the fee list shows $25 online or $30 in office. An agent who stops serving files an Agent's Statement of Resignation for $30. An agent whose address moves files an Agent's Statement of Change of Address, also $30.
Keep the details current. The Secretary of State says to do so to make sure you receive the biennial report or notice to file, and failing to keep an agent or office can lead to administrative dissolution. For the owner's side of the choice, read be your own registered agent and service of process. Our Nebraska LLC page shows where the agent fits in the formation steps.
Starting a company here? Read our guide on how to start an LLC in Nebraska.
Business license in Nebraska
Nebraska has no general business license. The Secretary of State says so in its new business guide: formation papers go to that office, and there is not a general business license. Forming an LLC with a Certificate of Organization costs $100 online or $110 in the office, and it does not authorize you to run a particular trade.
The same guide warns that, depending on your business, you will need to contact other local, state and federal agencies. We did not read what those agencies require, so ask your city, your county and any board that covers your trade.
The Secretary of State does license a few activities itself. Its licensing menu lists athlete agents, collection agencies, debt management companies and home inspectors, among others. For taxes, the Department of Revenue lists a Register Your New Business Online option on its business page. We did not read the steps, so open the page and follow its instructions.
This guide does not cover local license fees or trade boards. For the LLC filing, see the Nebraska LLC guide. For numbers you will be asked for, read the EIN guide and the state tax ID lookup. For other states, use business license lookup.