Illinois Business Entity Search
Find a registered business through Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services. Use the official link below, then check the search options and name rules for Illinois.
Official website: apps.ilsos.gov · Opens in a new tab
Illinois search options and record coverage
Illinois maintains an official State Business Database for corporations, not-for-profit corporations, LLCs, and related entities. The public search is primarily name/entity-record based and returns status, registered-office and agent information, entity type, dates, and available filing data; use the exact or partial legal name and inspect the record rather than relying on an assumed spelling. Separate online workflows provide annual reports, certificates of good standing, copies, formations, and terminations. The Secretary's official business-services page is https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/business-services.html.
Checking a business name in Illinois
Illinois requires a proposed entity name to be distinguishable from names in the Department of Business Services record under the Business Corporation Act or Limited Liability Company Act. A corporation generally needs a permitted designator such as Corporation, Company, Incorporated, or Limited, or an abbreviation; an LLC must use the statutory LLC designator. Capitalization, punctuation, spacing, articles, and minor descriptive changes may not cure confusing similarity. Registry approval does not resolve trademark, assumed-name, professional-license, or common-law rights.
Illinois name reservations
Illinois corporation name reservation uses the applicable Secretary of State reservation form and the current corporation publication lists $25.00 regular with a $50.00 expedited amount shown for that service. The accessible LLC publication does not establish the same reservation period in the search extract; confirm the entity-specific form for duration and route. Reservation protects a filing priority only and does not clear trademarks, assumed names, professional restrictions, or marketplace rights.
DBA, trade names, and fictitious names
Illinois uses an assumed name for a corporation or LLC rather than a Secretary-of-State universal DBA registration. Corporate assumed-name adoption is filed with the Illinois Secretary of State and the fee changes by calendar-year ending: $150 when the current year ends in 0 or 5, $120 in 1 or 6, $90 in 2 or 7, $60 in 3 or 8, and $30 in 4 or 9. The 2026 schedule therefore lists $120.00 for a domestic corporation's assumed name. Use https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/business-services/business-not-for-profit.html and the applicable BCA form; sole-proprietor and partnership assumed names can be county matters.
What do you need after the search?
- Official proof of standing — find certificate fees and ordering instructions.
- A missed report or inactive registration — check deadlines and reinstatement rules.
- A new business registration — compare Illinois formation and filing fees.