Minnesota business entity search and name check

Minnesota's annual renewal for an LLC costs nothing, but it must be filed by December 31 every year, and an LLC that misses it is administratively terminated. Records are kept by the Secretary of State's Business Services office and searched in the Minnesota Business & Lien System (MBLS). That portal asks automated tools to stay out entirely, so we don't search Minnesota here; we link you to the official MBLS search.

Registry: Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services
Official search: Minnesota Business & Lien System (MBLS) Business Search
How we search Minnesota: Official site only (we hand you off). Minnesota's business search portal asks all automated tools not to access any of its pages, and we respect that, so we link you to the official search.
What a result can tell you: Searching the official site shows names on record. Minnesota decides acceptance when you file.
State fee to form an LLC: $135 (Articles of Organization)
Ongoing LLC filing: Annual Renewal, $0. Due by December 31 of each calendar year after the year the LLC is formed

What the Minnesota search covers

The MBLS search covers businesses on file with the Minnesota Secretary of State, active and inactive. Assumed names are also filed with the Secretary of State under Minnesota Statutes chapter 333.

Each record has a File Number. Search by number on the Minnesota Business & Lien System (MBLS) Business Search.

How to read Minnesota results

Minnesota uses its own status labels. We always show the official wording; here is what the common ones mean according to the state:

Status	What it means
Administratively terminated / dissolved / revoked	An LLC or corporation that doesn't file its free annual renewal by December 31 is administratively terminated (LLC) or dissolved (corporation). An out-of-state entity loses its authority to do business in Minnesota. It can be reinstated by filing the renewal and paying a $25 fee. Source: revisor.mn.gov
Automatic name reservation	When an entity or assumed name ends because it wasn't renewed, the Secretary of State automatically holds the name for that business for one year. Source: revisor.mn.gov

A status describes the registry filing only. It isn’t evidence of a license, tax compliance or reputation, and a record with the same name as a company you know may be a different business. More on statuses.

Minnesota business name rules

An LLC name must include one of: limited liability company, LLC. A corporation uses one of: corporation, incorporated, limited, company, Co., abbreviations of these.

A name must be 'distinguishable upon the records' of the Secretary of State from every Minnesota and out-of-state LLC, LLP, corporation and limited partnership on file, and from reserved names and assumed names. For corporations, 'company' or 'Co.' counts as a designator only if it doesn't come straight after 'and' or '&'. (Minn. Stat. 322C.0108 subd. 1(5); 302A.115 subd. 1(d)) Source: revisor.mn.gov

Minnesota doesn’t publish a list of the differences it ignores, so our check treats only capitalization and punctuation as insignificant and flags other close names as similar for you to judge.

Words that need approval or are restricted

Words	Requirement
corporation, incorporated, corp., inc.	Not allowed in an LLC name. Source: revisor.mn.gov

Professional LLCs

Professional firms must also meet the naming rules in Minnesota Statutes section 319B.05.

Using a similar name with consent

Yes. You can file an indistinguishable name with the written consent of the business that holds it, with a court decree, or with an affidavit that the holder has filed nothing for 3 or more years and was notified by certified mail.

Reserving a name in Minnesota

Minnesota lets you reserve a name before you form the business for $35, held for 1 year. It can be renewed: $35 by mail or $55 online or in person, according to the 2017 fee schedule.

File a name reservation with the Secretary of State: $35 by mail or $55 online or in person.

Minnesota name reservation Source: revisor.mn.gov

Searching on this site doesn’t reserve anything. Only Minnesota SOS can.

Forming an LLC in Minnesota

Document: Articles of Organization
State filing fee: $135
State law sets the fee at $135 (Minn. Stat. 322C.0201 subd. 4). The Secretary of State's fee schedule shows $135 by mail and $155 online or in person.
File online: Minnesota SOS filing
Registered agent: The Articles of Organization must give a Minnesota registered office street address. Naming a registered agent is optional for an LLC.
Out-of-state LLC registering here: $185 (Certificate of Authority (foreign LLC))

Fees change. Confirm them on the official Minnesota fee schedule before you file.

File it yourself or use a service

File directly with Minnesota

$135 state fee

You fill in the Articles of Organization yourself and pay only the state. You’ll need a registered agent with a Minnesota street address; that can be you if you have one.

File with Minnesota SOS

Use a formation service

A service prepares and files the paperwork, and most can act as your registered agent and send compliance reminders. You still pay the state fee on top of their price, and the state still decides whether to accept your name.

Bizee: $0 plus the state fee (Basic); Standard $199, Premium $299, plus state fee
LegalZoom: $0 plus state fees (Basic); Managed Service $249 plus state fees
Northwest Registered Agent: $39 plus the state fee
ZenBusiness: $0 plus the state fee (Starter); Pro $199 plus state fee, renews $199/yr

We don’t currently earn commissions from these providers. Prices from each provider’s site on Oct 30, 2026. We never send them your proposed name. Compare what each includes · Disclosure

An EIN (federal tax ID) is free from the IRS; you don’t need to pay anyone for one.

Keeping a Minnesota LLC in good standing

Annual Renewal: $0. Due by December 31 of each calendar year after the year the LLC is formed. Late fee: $25. Source: revisor.mn.gov

Minnesota LLCs and corporations pay nothing for the annual renewal. If it's missed, the business is administratively terminated or dissolved, and reinstating costs the renewal plus $25 ($45 online, according to the 2017 schedule). Out-of-state corporations pay $115 by mail or $135 online for their annual renewal.

Proof of status: Certificate of Good Standing / Certificate of Existence & Registration ($5). Source: sos.mn.gov

Assumed names (DBAs)

A Certificate of Assumed Name is filed with the Secretary of State. State law sets the fee at $30, and the fee schedule shows $50 online. The annual renewal is free. Source: revisor.mn.gov

Good to know about Minnesota

The annual renewal is free but required by December 31 every year. Missing it leads to administrative termination, and reinstating costs $25. Source: revisor.mn.gov
When an entity is terminated for not renewing, the Secretary of State automatically holds its name for that business for one year. Source: revisor.mn.gov
Minnesota's LLC statute lists only 'limited liability company' and 'LLC' as endings. 'L.L.C.' with periods isn't among the options. Source: revisor.mn.gov
You can use a name that's too close to an existing one if the holder consents in writing, or by affidavit if the holder has filed nothing for 3 or more years and was notified by certified mail. Source: revisor.mn.gov
Filing online or in person costs $20 more than filing by mail, according to the fee schedule (for example, $155 instead of $135 for an LLC). Source: sos.mn.gov
The Secretary of State sells the full business database as a monthly bulk file ($710 for commercial users, free for journalists, researchers and other non-commercial users). Source: sos.mn.gov

Sources and accuracy

We checked this page against official Minnesota sources on October 30, 2026. Our monitor rechecks the official search, filing portal and fee pages daily and flags changes for review.

Items we couldn’t confirm on an official page (5)

The fee schedule we used is dated June 19, 2017. We couldn't confirm the current mail and online fees, or whether proposed fee increases were enacted.
We couldn't confirm the $135 corporation filing fee in state law; it comes from the 2017 fee schedule.
We couldn't confirm the current price of the state's $30 Active Business Data list.
We couldn't confirm the format of Minnesota file numbers.
We couldn't confirm whether the MBLS search lets you search by registered agent.

See something wrong? Tell us. We can fix how we present information, but only Minnesota SOS can change an official record.