California Business Search - Search Tips

The following tips may be used to refine or modify searches by entity number or entity name for a particular entity:

How do I search for an existing business for Secretary of State in California?

There are two ways to search for an existing business in the Secretary of State in California.  The first is by the entity number and the second is by the entity's name.
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Entity Number Search

• The entity number is the identification number issued to the entity by the California Secretary of State at the time the entity formed, qualified, registered or converted in California.
• If searching for a corporation by entity number, the letter "C" must be entered followed by the applicable seven-digit entity number.Example: Searching for C0254285 will return X,Y,Z CORPORATION. Searching for 0254285 will return no results.
• If searching for a limited liability company or limited partnership by entity number, enter only the applicable 12-digit entity number.Example: Searching for 200100410071 will return RESEARCH & RETRIEVAL, LLC. Searching for 0100410071 will return no results.

EXAMPLE SOS ENTITY NUMBER SEARCH:  C3154868    AIRBNB, INC.

We are going to use Airbnb, Inc. as an example of how to do acalifornia secretary of state business search.  Airbnb's Corporation number is c3154868.  Choose search type "Entity Number" and enter the entity number in the search criteria box.

Search by CA SOS Entity Number Results:

Airbnb, Inc. is a Delaware corporation and their California Registered Agent is Corporation Service Company which will do business in California as CSC - Lawyers Incorporating Service (C1592199)

Click on the Entity Name and this is the results of the California Secretary of State Business Search.

Airbnb, Inc. is a Delaware foreign stock Corporation their status is active.  Their agent for service of process is Corporation service company which will do business in California as CSC Lawyers incorporating service.  The entity's address and mailing address is 888 Brannan Street #4 San Francisco California 94103.  A statement of information was filed for the corporation on 08/03/2018.

 

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Entity Name Search

The search is NOT case sensitive. All letters will be treated as uppercase.

Keyword

Enter one or more known words (i.e., Keywords) that are part of the entity name.

• Punctuation: The search will remove the following punctuation and group together any letter or number characters that immediately appear before or after that punctuation:
  • Period [.]
  • Comma [,]
  • Single Quote [‘]
  • Double Quote [“]
  • Backward Slash [\]
  • Forward Slash [/]
  • Left Parenthesis [(]
  • Right Parenthesis [)]

  Examples:

  • Searching for D.A.R.E. will return entities that include D.A.R.E. in the name and entities that include DARE in the name.
  • Searching for A. B. C. will return entities that include A, B and C in the name.
• Spacing Matters: Do not remove spaces that are part of an entity name or add spaces that are not part of an entity name. Spacing is not ignored by the search.Examples:
  • Searching for A. B. C. ESCROW CO. or A B C ESCROW CO will return the entity A. B. C. ESCROW CO.
  • Searching for A.B.C. ESCROW CO. or ABC ESCROW CO will return no business entities.
  • Searching for A. B. C. ES CROW CO. or ABC ES CROW CO will return no business entities.
• Common words:The following common words and symbols will be ignored by the search:
  • &
  • Hyphen [-]
  • AND
  • CALIFORNIA
  • CORP
  • CORPORATION
  • INC
  • INCORPORATED
  • LIMITED
  • LLC
  • LTD
  • OF
  • PARTNERSHIP
  • THE
• For best results: Distinctive or unique keywords should be used when searching, if possible. Searching a distinctive or unique keyword will narrow the search results. Examples of distinctive or unique words: COMPENSATORY, HICKORY, MARSHMALLOW,ERUDITE.
• For more limited results:Search for multiple keywords. Searching multiple keywords will return a list of only those entities containing all of the keywords used in the search. Note, including a word that is not part of the entity name may result in no matching record.Examples:
  • Searching for ADVANCED DATA will return entity names containing both words such as ADVANCED DATA COMMUNICATIONS LLC if searching limited liabilities and ADVANCED DATA PROTECTION SERVICES, INC. if searching corporations
  • Searching for ADVANCED DATA COMMUNICATIONS will return entity names containing all three words such as ADVANCED DATA COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS and ADVANCED DATA COMMUNICATIONS LLC.
• For more expanded results:Search for a single keyword. Searching a single keyword will return a broad list of entities containing that word in the entity name.Examples:
  • Searching SIMPLE will return all entity names containing the word SIMPLE such as SIMPLE INC., SIMPLE DESIGN, INC. if searching corporations and MAKE IT SIMPLE, LLC if searching limited liability companies.
• Keyword length is limited: If you enter a keyword that is more than 12 characters long, the search will ignore the additional characters. Example: If a keyword is DISTRIBUTIONS, the search will look for DISTRIBUTION.

Exact

Enter the exact name of the entity, including spaces AND any punctuation that are part of the name. The omission or addition of spaces and punctuation that are not part of the name will result in no records found, or a different entity than intended.

Begins with

Enter one or more of the first words of the entity’s name. The results will include the entities whose names have that word or string of words as the first word or words of their name, including entities that have additional words in their names.

Example California SOS Entity Name Search:  Niche Marketing Magic, Inc.

Results of California Secretary of State Business Search

Niche Marketing Magic, Inc. is an active California corporation.  Their entity number is C4184988.  They registered on 08/15/2018 in California and the registered agent is Lance Casey.

 

 

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Helpful Hint: If you are not able to locate an entity record, you may wish to try a broader search by searching for fewer keywords or a "begins with" search if you know one or more of the first words of the entity's name, or you may request a more extensive search by ordering a status report. For information on ordering a status report, refer to Information Requests.

Disclaimer: This Search tool allows you to search the Secretary of State's California Business Search database for abstracts of information for domestic stock, domestic nonprofit and qualified foreign corporations, limited liability companies and limited partnerships that have filed with this office. This search tool groups corporations separately from limited liability companies and limited partnerships and returns all entities for the search criteria in the respective groups regardless of the current status. This database does not include other types of business entities that are registered with the California Secretary of State, such as general partnerships and limited liability partnerships. The search results only include copies of filed Statements of Information for corporations and limited liability companies that have been imaged. Search results that indicate “Image not available online” may be available by ordering copies, refer to refer to Information Requests.

Although every attempt has been made to ensure that the information contained in the database is accurate, the Secretary of State's office is not responsible for any loss, consequence, or damage resulting directly or indirectly from reliance on the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of the information that is provided. All such information is provided "as is." For information on ordering copies of the official business entity records for a particular entity, refer to Information Requests.