New York Business Entity Search
By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 5, 2026
The short answer. The New York State Department of State (Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code) keeps New York's register of business entities. The official search is the state's “Corporation and Business Entity Database” page, on apps.dos.ny.gov. We have not confirmed whether the state charges to search, so check the search page itself.
New York Business Entity Search at a Glance
| Register kept by | The New York State Department of State (Division of Corporations, State Records and Uniform Commercial Code) |
| Official search | Corporation and Business Entity Database |
| Cost to search | Not confirmed |
| Search by | Entity name; entity or filing number |
| Filed documents online | Not confirmed |
| Copy fee | $5.00 per document (see Documents) |
| Certifying a copy | See Documents |
| Name reservation | Not required by any rule we found |
| Name reservation fee | $20.00 |
| 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 New York's Register
The official search is the state's “Corporation and Business Entity Database” page, on apps.dos.ny.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 New York result includes the items below, according to the state's own pages or a result page we read. It may show more.
- Formation or registration date
- Registered agent or registered office
- Status
- Filing history
What Each New York 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” Named on data.ny.gov | According to the Division of Corporations' records, the domestic corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership exists and has not dissolved. Based on the definition at data.ny.gov | Entities formed in New York |
| “Active” Named on data.ny.gov | The foreign limited liability company or limited partnership has filed an application for authority, is authorized to do business in New York, and that authority has not been surrendered, terminated or annulled. Based on the definition at data.ny.gov | Entities formed in another state |
| “Inactive” Named on data.ny.gov | According to the Division's records, the domestic corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership no longer exists. Based on the definition at data.ny.gov | Entities formed in New York |
| “Inactive” Named on data.ny.gov | The foreign corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership is no longer authorized to do business or conduct activities in New York. Based on the definition at data.ny.gov | Entities formed in another state |
| “Suspended” Named on data.ny.gov | The entity still exists, but its authority to conduct business or activities has been suspended. Based on the definition at data.ny.gov | All entities |
This list is not complete. It holds the labels we found on the state's status definitions page, and the register may show others.
If the search shows that your own LLC was dissolved, see how to reinstate an LLC in New York.
A search result is not a certificate of good standing. If a bank or another state asks for one, see how to get a New York certificate of good standing.
Viewing and Ordering Documents
We have not confirmed whether filed documents can be viewed online; check the search page.
A plain copy costs $5 per document, and a certified copy costs $10 per document.
Is the Name Available?
We have not confirmed how New York wants you to check whether a name is available. The state says any name check before you file is only preliminary, not a formal decision that the name is available.
The state's naming standard, in its own words: “distinguishable from the names of other LLC's, corporations or limited partnerships on file with the Department of State.”
The state lets you reserve a name; we have not found a rule requiring one before you file. A name reservation costs $20.00.
Our free LLC name checker looks up domain and social media handle availability for a name. It does not search New York's register, so check the state's search as well.
Bulk Business Entity Data
New York offers bulk business entity data. The Department of State publishes its corporation and business entity records as datasets on the state's open data portal, data.ny.gov. See the state's bulk data page.
Worth Knowing in New York
The Department of State says its entity database should not be used to determine whether a proposed entity name is acceptable.
Ready to form? See what goes on the New York 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 New York 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.
- dos.ny.gov/forming-limited-liability-company-new-yorkForming a Limited Liability Company in New York
- dos.ny.gov/corporation-and-business-entity-search-databaseCorporation and Business Entity Search Database
- dos.ny.gov/faqs-corporations-business-entitiesFAQs: Corporations & Business Entities
- dos.ny.gov/copies-corporation-or-business-entity-documentsCopies of Corporation or Business Entity Documents
- dos.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2019/01/1233-f.pdfApplication for Reservation of Name (DOS-1233-f-a)
- nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/LLC/204N.Y. Limited Liability Company Law Section 204
- data.ny.gov/api/views/3gg2-jgnp/files/c1a50163-6193-4223-896e-6c3fa169ea81?download=true&filename=DOS_CorpsEntities_Overview.pdfCorporations and Other Entities: All Filings, Overview (NYS Department of State)
- data.ny.gov/Economic-Development/Corporations-and-Other-Entities-All-Filings-Entity/3gg2-jgnpCorporations and Other Entities: All Filings, Entity Status History
- Name standard: N.Y. Limited Liability Company Law Section 204(b), as summarized on the Department of State's LLC formation page
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.