Rhode Island business entity search and name check

Budget for more than the $150 filing fee in Rhode Island: every LLC owes the state a $400 minimum tax each year, even with no income, on top of a $50 annual report due between February 1 and May 1. Business records are kept by the Department of State's Division of Business Services in its Corporate Database (CorpWeb). That search requires a bot-protection check, so we send you to it rather than searching it ourselves.

Registry: Rhode Island Department of State, Division of Business Services
Official search: Corporate Database (CorpWeb)
How we search Rhode Island: Official site only (we hand you off). Rhode Island's Corporate Database only returns results after a bot-protection check, so we can't search it for you. We send you to the official search instead.
What a result can tell you: Searching the official site shows names on record. Rhode Island decides acceptance when you file.
State fee to form an LLC: $150 (Articles of Organization (Form 400))
Ongoing LLC filing: Annual Report (Form 632), $50. Between February 1 and May 1 each year, starting the calendar year after you register

What the Rhode Island search covers

The Corporate Database covers business corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, LLPs and nonprofits, both Rhode Island and out-of-state, and you can choose to see active or inactive records. Trade names (DBAs) of unincorporated businesses are in a separate Trade Name Database.

You can search a business name with a 'begins with' or 'contains' style option, or search by a person's name, Identification Number, filing number, registered agent, address, NAICS code or business purpose.

Each record has a Identification Number. Search by number on the Corporate Database (CorpWeb).

How to read Rhode Island results

Rhode Island 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
Revoked (not in good standing)	The business is not in good standing. Revocation can follow, for example, a failure to keep a registered office. A revoked business must take extra steps before it can file an annual report. Source: sos.ri.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.

Rhode Island business name rules

An LLC name must include one of: limited liability company, l.l.c. (upper or lower case, with or without punctuation), low-profit, limited liability company / L3C (for L3Cs).

A new name must be distinguishable on the record from active names in the Corporate Database and from names already filed, reserved or registered. These changes don't make a name distinguishable: adding or changing a/an/the, plurals, obvious misspellings, abbreviations instead of full words, word variations, designators, an added number (unless the other business consents), punctuation or special characters, capitalization, spacing, and writing a number as a numeral, Roman numeral or word. (R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-16-9; Department name availability guidelines) Source: sos.ri.gov

When comparing names, Rhode Island disregards: a, an, the; plurals; designators such as LLC; punctuation; special characters; capitalization; spacing; numerals vs. Roman numerals vs. words; abbreviations vs. full words; obvious misspellings; word variations. Our name check applies these same rules.

Professional LLCs

A professional LLC files its own Articles of Organization (Form 412). The fee is $150.

Using a similar name with consent

Rhode Island law allows a name that isn't distinguishable only with a court decree showing a prior right to it, or when the earlier business was revoked more than a year ago. The Department's guidelines mention consent only for names that differ by an added number.

Reserving a name in Rhode Island

Rhode Island lets you reserve a name before you form the business for $50, held for 120 days.

File Form 620, Reservation of Entity Name. The fee is $50, plus a $2.50 enhanced fee when filed online. You can transfer a reservation to someone else with Form 621 ($50).

Rhode Island name reservation Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Searching on this site doesn’t reserve anything. Only RI Department of State can.

Forming an LLC in Rhode Island

Document: Articles of Organization (Form 400)
State filing fee: $150
Filing online adds a $6 enhanced fee.
File online: RI Department of State filing
Out-of-state LLC registering here: $150 (Application for Registration (Form 450))

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

File it yourself or use a service

File directly with Rhode Island

$150 state fee

You fill in the Articles of Organization (Form 400) yourself and pay only the state. You’ll need a registered agent with a Rhode Island street address; that can be you if you have one.

File with RI Department of State

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 Rhode Island LLC in good standing

Annual Report (Form 632): $50. Between February 1 and May 1 each year, starting the calendar year after you register. Late fee: $25. Source: sos.ri.gov

LLCs, corporations, limited partnerships and LLPs owe a $400 minimum annual tax to the Rhode Island Division of Taxation, even with no business activity or profit. It isn't pro-rated for a partial year.

Filing the annual report online adds a $2.50 enhanced fee. A $25 penalty is added on June 1, so a late report costs $75. Your first annual report is due in the calendar year after you register.

Proof of status: Certificate of Good Standing (Business/LLC) ($20). Source: docs.sos.ri.gov

Assumed names (DBAs)

A registered business using another name files a Fictitious Business Name Statement (Form 624, $50) with the Department. Unincorporated businesses register trade names in the Trade Name Database instead. Those records moved from cities and towns to the Department, and availability is still judged city by city. Source: sos.ri.gov

Good to know about Rhode Island

Every LLC owes a $400 minimum annual state tax, even with no income or activity. Source: sos.ri.gov
LLC names must end with 'limited liability company' or 'L.L.C.' (or LLC); 'Ltd.' and 'Co.' are not listed as acceptable endings. Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov
The Department publishes a detailed list of changes that don't make a name different enough, including plurals, misspellings like Kat/Cat, and abbreviations like NE/Northeast or RI/Rhode Island. Source: sos.ri.gov
Annual reports for LLCs and corporations are due February 1 to May 1, and a $25 penalty is added on June 1. Source: sos.ri.gov
Trade-name availability is judged separately for each city or town, not against the corporate database. Source: sos.ri.gov
Rhode Island sells a one-time copy of its active corporate database for $250, and offers ongoing data subscriptions. Source: sos.ri.gov

Sources and accuracy

We checked this page against official Rhode Island 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 (4)

We couldn't confirm the Identification Number format, the full list of status labels or the record details shown in Rhode Island's search.
We couldn't confirm whether a name reservation can be renewed.
We couldn't confirm exactly how each name-matching option in the search works.
We haven't confirmed Rhode Island's registered agent requirements.

See something wrong? Tell us. We can fix how we present information, but only RI Department of State can change an official record.