Does an LLC need a fictitious name in Missouri?

Missouri requires an LLC that does business under a name other than its own to register a fictitious name. Register within five days after starting to do business under the name.

DBA · Missouri

How to File a Fictitious Name for an LLC in Missouri

By Edmond Hui · Last updated October 6, 2026

Short answer

Missouri requires an LLC that does business under a name other than its own to register a fictitious name. An LLC files the Registration of Fictitious Name with the Secretary of State. Register within five days after starting to do business under the name. We found no publication step for an LLC's fictitious name filing in Missouri.

Missouri Fictitious Name at a Glance

Requirement: Required
Where to file: Secretary of State
Fee: See Cost and renewal
How long it lasts: 5 years
Newspaper notice: None found
File online: Yes

How an LLC Files

An LLC files the Registration of Fictitious Name with the Secretary of State.

You can file online.

Open the filing office's site · Open the filing page

Cost and Renewal

The filing fee is $7.00. The Secretary of State charges $7 to register or renew. The fee is waived where an owner is a Missouri resident serving in the Missouri National Guard or on active military duty and sends proof of service.

The registration has a 5-year term.

Renew in the six months before the registration expires. Once it has expired it cannot be renewed, and a new registration is needed.

Renewal costs $7.00.

Publication

We found no publication step for an LLC's fictitious name filing in Missouri.

Does it protect the name?

Registering does not give the LLC ownership of, or an exclusive right to, the name.

If you skip it

Trading under an unregistered fictitious name is a misdemeanor in Missouri. The local prosecuting attorney brings the charge.

Sole proprietors

Missouri requires a sole proprietor who does business under a name other than their legal name to register a fictitious name.

A sole proprietor files the Registration of Fictitious Name with the Secretary of State.

The registration has a 5-year term.

Renew in the six months before the registration expires. Once it has expired it cannot be renewed, and a new registration is needed.

Renewal costs $7.00.

We found no publication step for a sole proprietor's fictitious name filing in Missouri.

Trading under an unregistered fictitious name is a misdemeanor in Missouri. The local prosecuting attorney brings the charge.

Requirement	Required
Where to file	Secretary of State
Fee	See Cost and renewal
How long it lasts	5 years
Newspaper notice	None found
File online	Yes

Next steps

Frequently Asked Questions

: Missouri requires an LLC that does business under a name other than its own to register a fictitious name. Register within five days after starting to do business under the name.
: An LLC files the Registration of Fictitious Name with the Secretary of State.
: The filing fee is $7.00. The Secretary of State charges $7 to register or renew. The fee is waived where an owner is a Missouri resident serving in the Missouri National Guard or on active military duty and sends proof of service.
: The registration has a 5-year term. Renew in the six months before the registration expires. Once it has expired it cannot be renewed, and a new registration is needed. Renewal costs $7.00.
: We found no publication step for an LLC's fictitious name filing in Missouri.
: Registering does not give the LLC ownership of, or an exclusive right to, the name.
: Trading under an unregistered fictitious name is a misdemeanor in Missouri. The local prosecuting attorney brings the charge.
: Missouri requires a sole proprietor who does business under a name other than their legal name to register a fictitious name. A sole proprietor files the Registration of Fictitious Name with the Secretary of State.

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 filing office publishes about registering a business name, with the sources this page cites. A filing here does not register a federal trademark, and fees and forms change between our reviews. Confirm with the office named on this page before you file.

Sources

Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified Missouri 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.

revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=417.200RSMo 417.200, Fictitious names to be registered
revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=417.210RSMo 417.210, Registration, when and how; expiration; renewals
revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=417.220RSMo 417.220, Registration fee
sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/Business/fees.pdfMissouri Secretary of State, Schedule of Fees
sos.mo.gov/business/corporations/fictitious_faqMissouri Secretary of State, Fictitious Name Registration FAQ
sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/Business/corp56.pdfMissouri Secretary of State, Registration of Fictitious Name (Corp. 56)
revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=417.230RSMo 417.230, Penalty for failure to register

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.