Rhode Island Business Entity Search
By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 5, 2026
The short answer. The Rhode Island Department of State (Business Services Division) keeps Rhode Island's register of business entities. The official search is the state's “Corporate Database” page, on business.sos.ri.gov. We have not confirmed whether the state charges to search, so check the search page itself.
Rhode Island Business Entity Search at a Glance
| Register kept by | The Rhode Island Department of State (Business Services Division) |
| Official search | Corporate Database |
| Cost to search | Not confirmed |
| Search by | Entity name; officer or principal; entity or filing number; registered agent or registered office; address |
| Filed documents online | Yes, free when we checked |
| Copy fee | Not confirmed |
| Certifying a copy | See Documents |
| Name reservation | Not confirmed |
| Name reservation fee | $50.00 |
| 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 Rhode Island's Register
The official search is the state's “Corporate Database” page, on business.sos.ri.gov. We have not confirmed whether the state charges to search, so check the search page itself. You can search without an account. Open the official search.
On the main search page you can search by:
- Entity name
- Officer or principal
- Entity or filing number
- Registered agent or registered office
- Address
What a Search Result Shows
A Rhode Island result includes the items below, according to the state's own pages or a result page we read. It may show more.
- Status
- Entity type
- Formation or registration date
- Principal office address
- Mailing address
- Registered agent or registered office
- Officers or managers
- Filing history
- Images of filed documents
What Each Rhode Island 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Revoked Entity In the search tool | The state defines this label only for incorporated businesses; it does not define it for LLCs on the pages we reviewed. | LLCs |
| Revocation Notice 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 |
| Dissolved 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 |
| Cancelled 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 |
| Withdrawn 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 |
| Revoked Authority 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 |
| Merged into an entity of record 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 |
| Conversion 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 |
| Expired 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 |
| Consolidated 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 |
| Forfeited 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 |
| Receivership 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 |
| Bankruptcy 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 |
| Name Reservation 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. Where the same label also has its own row for corporations, only the row that covers LLCs is shown.
If the search shows that your own LLC was dissolved, see how to reinstate an LLC in Rhode Island.
A search result is not a certificate of good standing. If a bank or another state asks for one, see how to get a Rhode Island certificate of good standing.
Viewing and Ordering Documents
Filed documents can be viewed online. A filed document we downloaded on October 5, 2026 needed no account or payment.
Certified copies cost $10.00 plus $0.15 per page ($5.00 plus $0.15 per page for nonprofits).
Is the Name Available?
The state tells you to use this same search to check whether a name is already in use. The state says this search is only a preliminary check, not a formal decision that the name is available.
The state's naming standard, in its own words: “distinguishable upon the record.”
We have not confirmed whether Rhode Island requires a name reservation before you file. A name reservation costs $50.00.
Our free LLC name checker looks up domain and social media handle availability for a name. It does not search Rhode Island's register, so check the state's search as well.
Bulk Business Entity Data
Rhode Island offers bulk business entity data. The Department posts a weekly text file of the new entities filed in the previous week, for download. See the state's bulk data page.
Worth Knowing in Rhode Island
The search opens on the Active database, which also holds entities revoked less than a year ago, so check the "Inactive status" column even on an active result.
Ready to form? See what goes on the Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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.
- sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-servicesBusiness Services
- business.sos.ri.gov/CorpWeb/CorpSearch/CorpSearch.aspxSearch for an entity (Corporate Database)
- business.sos.ri.gov/CorpWeb/CorpSearch/CorpSearchResults.aspxEntity results (Corporate Database)
- business.sos.ri.gov/CorpWeb/CorpSearch/CorpSummary.aspx?FEIN=001738230&SEARCH_TYPE=1Entity Summary (ID 001738230)
- business.sos.ri.gov/CorpWeb/CorpSearch/CorpSearchFormList.aspx?SEARCH_TYPE=1Filings list (NARRAGANSETT 3D'S ASSOCIATES, LLC)
- sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-services/search-our-recordsSearching the Records we Hold (Search Guide)
- sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-services/revoked-entitiesRevoked Entities
- sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-services/name-availability-guidelinesName Availability Guidelines
- docs.sos.ri.gov/documents/BusinessServices/620-reservation-of-entity-name.pdfApplication for Reservation of Entity Name (Form 620, Revised 01/2024)
- sos.ri.gov/divisions/business-services/order-certified-copiesOrder Certified Copies
- business.sos.ri.gov/corp/WeeklyCorpExport/WeeklyCorpExportList.aspWeekly Export of New Entities
- Name standard: Rhode Island Department of State, Name Availability Guidelines
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.