Minnesota Business Entity Search
By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 5, 2026
The short answer. The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State (Business Services) keeps Minnesota's register of business entities. The official search is the state's “Business Filings Online” page, on mblsportal.sos.mn.gov. We have not confirmed whether the state charges to search, so check the search page itself.
Minnesota Business Entity Search at a Glance
| Register kept by | The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State (Business Services) |
| Official search | Business Filings Online |
| Cost to search | Not confirmed |
| Search by | Entity name; entity or filing number |
| Filed documents online | Yes, for a fee |
| Copy fee | See Documents |
| Certifying a copy | See Documents |
| Name reservation | Not confirmed |
| Name reservation fee | $35.00 (see Name availability) |
| Bulk data | Available |
Read from the government sources listed at the foot of this page, last checked October 5, 2026. See the sources.
How to Search Minnesota's Register
The official search is the state's “Business Filings Online” page, on mblsportal.sos.mn.gov. We have not confirmed whether the state charges to search, so check the search page itself. Open the official search.
On the main search page you can search by:
- Entity name
- Entity or filing number
What a Search Result Shows
A Minnesota result includes the items below, according to the state's own pages or a result page we read. It may show more.
- Entity type
- Status
- Formation or registration date
- Registered agent or registered office
- Officers or managers
- Principal office address
- When the next report is due
- Filing history
What Each Minnesota Status Means
The status is the label the register puts on each entity. Where the state defines a label, the meaning below restates that definition, with a link to the state page it comes from. Where it does not, we do not guess from the word, because the same word can mean different things in different states.
| Status label | What it means | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Active In the search tool | The state does not define this label on the page we reviewed. Check the search page for what it means. | All entities |
| Active / In Good Standing In the search tool | The state does not define this label on the page we reviewed. Check the search page for what it means. | All entities |
| Inactive In the search tool | The state does not define this label on the page we reviewed. Check the search page for what it means. | All entities |
This list is not complete. It holds the labels we found on search results we read, and the register may show others.
If the search shows that your own LLC was dissolved, see how to reinstate an LLC in Minnesota.
A search result is not a certificate of good standing. If a bank or another state asks for one, see how to get a Minnesota certificate of good standing.
Viewing and Ordering Documents
Filed documents can be viewed online. The state charges for them.
A copy of a filing costs $3.00, plus a $10.00 transaction fee when ordered online. Certifying it adds $5.00.
Is the Name Available?
The state has a separate search for checking whether a name is available. Open the name availability search.
The state's naming standard, in its own words: “distinguishable upon the records in the Office of the Secretary of State.”
We have not confirmed whether Minnesota requires a name reservation before you file. A name reservation costs $35.00. The fee is $35.00 by mail and $55.00 online or in person.
Our free LLC name checker looks up domain and social media handle availability for a name. It does not search Minnesota's register, so check the state's search as well.
Bulk Business Entity Data
Minnesota offers bulk business entity data. The Secretary of State sells bulk business data to commercial users and provides it at no charge to news media, journalists, researchers and other non-commercial users. A file of active business names and primary addresses costs $30.00. See the state's bulk data page.
Worth Knowing in Minnesota
The Secretary of State says an online account is required to check name availability.
Ready to form? See what goes on the Minnesota articles of organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state's business entity filing office publishes about searching its register, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you whether a particular business is active, authorized or reliable: read the state's own record for that, and search tools, status labels and fees change between our reviews. Confirm anything you rely on with the filing office named on this page before you act on it.
Sources
Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Minnesota sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so. Where we hold the citation but no stable public link, the citation is printed on its own rather than pointed at a guessed address.
- mblsportal.sos.mn.gov/Business/SearchBusiness Filings Online
- mblsportal.sos.mn.gov/Business/BusinessSearch?BusinessName=Northland&IncludePriorNames=False&Status=Inactive&Type=BeginsWithBusiness Filings Online: search results
- mblsportal.sos.mn.gov/Business/SearchDetails?filingGuid=8fe22aa7-b5d4-e011-a886-001ec94ffe7fBusiness Record Details (domestic LLC, active)
- mblsportal.sos.mn.gov/Business/SearchDetails?filingGuid=dbb1901d-920d-ec11-91b2-00155d32b93aBusiness Record Details (domestic LLC, inactive)
- sos.mn.gov/business-liens/business-help/how-to-search-business-filings/How to search business filings (archived copy)
- sos.mn.gov/business-liens/business-copies-and-certificates/Business Copies and Certificates (archived copy)
- sos.mn.gov/business-liens/business-filing-and-certification-fee-schedule/Business Filing and Certification Fee Schedule (archived copy)
- sos.mn.gov/business-liens/business-help/how-to-check-business-name-availability/How to check business name availability (archived copy)
- revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/322C.0108Minn. Stat. 322C.0108 Name
- sos.mn.gov/business-liens/business-liens-data/business-data-available/Business Data Available (archived copy)
- Name standard: Minn. Stat. 322C.0108
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.