Virginia Business Entity Search
By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 5, 2026
The short answer. The Virginia State Corporation Commission (Office of the Clerk) keeps Virginia's register of business entities. The official search is the state's “Business Entity Search” page, on cis.scc.virginia.gov. We have not confirmed whether the state charges to search, so check the search page itself.
Virginia Business Entity Search at a Glance
| Register kept by | The Virginia State Corporation Commission (Office of the Clerk) |
| Official search | Business Entity Search |
| Cost to search | Not confirmed |
| Search by | Entity name; entity or filing number; officer or principal; registered agent or registered office; address |
| Filed documents online | Yes, free |
| Copy fee | See Documents |
| Certifying a copy | See Documents |
| Name reservation | Optional |
| Name reservation fee | $10.00 |
| 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 Virginia's Register
The official search is the state's “Business Entity Search” page, on cis.scc.virginia.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
- Entity or filing number
- Officer or principal
- Registered agent or registered office
- Address
What a Search Result Shows
A Virginia 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
- When the next report is due
- Registered agent or registered office
- Principal office address
- Officers or managers
- Filing history
What Each Virginia 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 |
| Pending 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 |
| Pending 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 |
| 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 |
These are all the labels in the search tool's own status filter.
If the search shows that your own LLC was dissolved, see how to reinstate an LLC in Virginia.
A search result is not a certificate of good standing. If a bank or another state asks for one, see how to get a Virginia certificate of good standing.
Viewing and Ordering Documents
Filed documents can be viewed online. Viewing them online is free.
Plain document images are free to download online. Certified copies ordered online cost $6.00 per request with no page charge; by mail, certification adds $6.00 per document to the copy fee, and paper copies are free up to 25 pages, $10.00 for 26 to 50 pages and $20.00 for 51 pages or more.
Is the Name Available?
The state has a separate search for checking whether a name is available. Open the name availability search. 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 records of the Commission.”
Reserving a name is optional. A name reservation costs $10.00.
Our free LLC name checker looks up domain and social media handle availability for a name. It does not search Virginia's register, so check the state's search as well.
Bulk Business Entity Data
Virginia offers bulk business entity data. The Clerk's Information System offers a downloadable business entity data file, listed among its services that need no login. See the state's bulk data page.
Ready to form? See what goes on the Virginia 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 Virginia 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.
- scc.virginia.gov/businesses/Virginia SCC: Business Home
- scc.virginia.gov/businesses/about-the-clerks-office/About the Clerk's Office
- cis.scc.virginia.gov/Account/LoginClerk's Information System: Sign In
- cis.scc.virginia.gov/EntitySearch/IndexCIS Business Entity Search
- cis.scc.virginia.gov/EntitySearch/BusinessInformation?businessId=1000000&source=FromEntityResult&isSeries%20=%20falseCIS Entity Information (LLC)
- cis.scc.virginia.gov/EntitySearch/BusinessInformation?businessId=100000&source=FromEntityResult&isSeries%20=%20falseCIS Entity Information (stock corporation)
- scc.virginia.gov/businesses/business-faqs/reinstatements/Reinstatements (Business FAQs)
- scc.virginia.gov/businesses/about-the-clerks-office/business-copies-and-certificate-documents/Certificates and Copies
- cis.scc.virginia.gov/Account/NameCheckAvailabilityCIS Name Check Availability
- scc.virginia.gov/businesses/forms-and-fees/virginia-limited-liability-companies/Virginia Limited Liability Companies (Forms and Fees)
- scc.virginia.gov/businesses/business-faqs/business-entity-names/Business Entity Names (Business FAQs)
- law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title13.1/chapter12/section13.1-1012/Va. Code 13.1-1012 (Name)
- Name standard: Va. Code 13.1-1012(C)
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.