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New Jersey runs its business register through the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, known as DORES, inside the Department of the Treasury. Its online Business Records Service holds the records for corporations, LLCs and other entities. Browsing names is free. The search works by business name, so you need the name, or a close guess, to start. Paid items such as status reports and standing certificates come from the same service. Many people look for a "New Jersey secretary of state business search", but DORES is the office that holds these records.
Running a New Jersey LLC and corporation search by name
Start on the Business Records Service and run a name search. If you only want to know whether a name is free for a new company, DORES also has a separate Name Availability Look-Up Service, described on its name availability page.
The state gives one firm tip: be exact. Its own words are that the spacing of letters and punctuation will alter the results of your search. DORES shows this with a Delaware company called A. B. C. North Boulevard. Only that exact form counts. "A B C N Boulevard", "A B C North Blvd." and "ABC N Blvd" are all treated as different names.
In practice that means a few passes for each company:
- the name with periods and spaces, as it appears on the company's letterhead
- the same name with no periods
- words spelled out ("Boulevard", "Incorporated") and then in short form
The same strict matching applies to filings. If you start forming a company under a name that is already in use, DORES denies the registration and the business bears the cost of fixing it. Run the search well before you file. Our guide on how to check LLC name availability covers the steps that work in most states.
What a New Jersey record tells you
When you need the record in writing, order a status report for $5 per report. If a bank, landlord or other state wants formal proof, buy a standing certificate instead.
The status words to watch for are revoked, voided and the inactive list. These usually point to a business that stopped filing its annual reports. A revoked or voided company can come back through the online reinstatement service, which begins with the annual report filing. For more on reading these labels, see business entity status.
Name rules and holding a name
New Jersey law requires a new business entity to have a name that is not the same as, or similar to, another active entity. Domestic businesses whose name is taken must pick another one. Out of state companies are treated differently. A foreign company whose exact home state name is taken in New Jersey can register a "doing business as" name for use in the state, as long as that name is also free. Only foreign businesses may do this, and a foreign business using one cannot file online.
A New Jersey company that wants to trade under a second name registers an alternate name after it has been formed.
You can reserve a name before filing for $50. Business.NJ.gov says reserved names are available for 6 months. It also calls the reservation optional and not recommended. A reserved name cannot be used to sign up in the online system, and cancelling a reservation takes time and a fee. If the name shows as available and you are ready, you can skip the hold and file the certificate of formation. Our name reservation guide explains when a hold is worth it.
Annual reports and standing certificates
Every LLC and corporation in New Jersey files an annual report. The fee is $75 for LLCs, for-profit corporations and limited partnerships, and $30 for nonprofit corporations, per the DORES fee schedule.
The fee schedule lists no late fee. The real risk is losing the charter. Per the DORES reinstatement page, businesses that fail to file annual reports for two consecutive years may have their charter voided or their authority revoked. Getting it back starts with the annual report filing in the online reinstatement service.
New Jersey's version of a certificate of good standing is the standing certificate. For an LLC the short form costs $50 and the long form $100. For a corporation or limited partnership it costs $25, short or long form.
Forming costs, for reference: a certificate of formation for an LLC is $100, a certificate of incorporation is $100 and a nonprofit certificate of incorporation is $50. A foreign LLC pays $100 for its certificate of registration. Expedited service is only for over-the-counter filings.
Bulk records
New Jersey sells bulk data. The fee schedule lists bulk access status reports at $0.0185 per record. These include the entity name, legal status, registered agent and office, annual report filing dates, business addresses and associated names. You can select records by filing date and entity type.
Starting a company here? Read our guide on how to start an LLC in New Jersey and the New Jersey registered agent rules.
Also see our guides to the New Jersey DBA and New Jersey business license.