By Mark Pierce, Esq.
- Wyoming Business Search
Wyoming LLC & Corporation Search Information
Why Search for Wyoming Companies?
We commonly use the Wyoming Secretary of State's website to search for business filings. Their online portal allows you to see what company names are available, and what filings have been accepted and provides a snapshot of each company's corporate history.
Every company document can be searched, viewed, and downloaded. The portal will only allow you to search by company name, Filing ID, or DBA, though, not by Organizer, date of formation registered agent or otherwise. We believe this feature helps enhance the privacy of Wyoming companies by making it more difficult to determine ownership, management, and more.
Searching Company Names
You may learn more about searching for Wyoming entities by visiting the Wyoming Secretary of State website. That is the search bar for all Wyoming Secretary of State business filings. There you may find records for limited liability companies, corporations, non-profits, private trust companies, trade name (DBA) registrations, and more. If the Secretary has accepted a filing, then you will find it there. The search bar looks like this:
After searching for a company, the results page will show you whether the company is in good standing, has a registered agent, the date of formation, and the entity type. For more information, click the company's hyperlink to be taken to its dedicated page.
Business Entity Detail Page
Every entity has an entity details page as the Secretary calls it. That page contains all the publicly available information about the company. You can see the name, filing ID, entity type, status, initial filing date, inactive date (if any), mailing address, principal office address, and the registered agent's information, and under the "History" tab all the available filings.
Make Sure Your Name Is Unique
The most common reason our clients use the search feature is to ensure their company name is available. While our order form allows you to place an alternative name, you may make certain the name is available ahead of time by following these steps:
- Corporate endings are not distinguishable. This means "Acme LLC" and "Acme Inc" cannot both be used. You must search for ALL filing types, i.e. LLCs, corporations, non-profits, and trade names.
- These characters and words are not distinguishable: singulars and plurals, special characters, punctuation, Company and Co, Corporation and Corp, Incorporated and Inc, etc.
- Be sure to search for the business using "contains" not "starts with". This will ensure you have the most accurate results.
- Every LLC must contain an ending, but Corporations are not required to have one.
- Certain terms require additional review by the education department, banking division, or Secretary of State. These include, but are not limited to, academies, colleges, education, institutions, banks, trusts, or companies beginning with just the letter "A".
If you follow these rules when naming your company, then you will avoid having to make amendments to your articles. These cost $60 and take approximately one week to correct with mailing time. For a fuller list of Wyoming entity naming rules please visit the Wyoming Secretary of State website.
Parting Thoughts: Navigating Wyoming Entity Searches
We hope you enjoyed our page on how to search for Wyoming entities. As we mentioned above, there are a few limitations to what can be queried. However, we believe this is ultimately for the benefit of business owners because it helps keep them anonymous. Please note that to maintain good standing, you only require a registered agent, and it's important to know that Wyoming does not mandate a business license.
If you're prepared to establish your Wyoming LLC and require guidance, please reach out to us. Our experienced paralegals are available to assist you. You can either fill out the contact form or dial +1 (307) 683-0983 to connect with us.