Minnesota Company Name Lookup

Before incorporating a Minnesota LLC, all companies should do a Minnesota Business Name Search.

In our Minnesota Business Name Search tutorial, we’ll teach you how to verify LLC name availability.

Go Ahead:

Use the Minnesota Naming Guidelines.
Perform a Minnesota Business Name Search and Look for Available Domain Names
Make a Reservation for Your Minnesota Business Entity Name

1. Follow Minnesota Naming Guidelines for Entities

Before finishing your business name search, we suggest double-checking that your company name complies with the standards.

The first and most significant step in forming your LLC is deciding on a name. Make sure your name conforms with Minnesota naming regulations and is readily searched by prospective customers.

Please adhere to the following naming guidelines:

The word “limited liability corporation” or one of its acronyms must be in your name (LLC or L.L.C.).
Your LLC’s name cannot include terms that may be confused with a government organization (FBI, Treasury, State Department, etc.).
Restricted terms (e.g., bank, attorney, university) may need extra documentation and the participation of a licensed professional, such as a doctor or lawyer, in your LLC.

2. Conduct a Minnesota Business Name Lookup

Before submitting your name reservation request, you may verify the availability of your selected name using Minnesota’s Business Entity Search. To conduct the most effective search, enter the desired name, omitting identifiers such as “LLC.” This will return any entities with names that are the same or similar. If your company name consists of many words, you may limit your search to the first two words to guarantee that you find all potential comparable names.

If you file online, you will be invited to search for your preferred company name. To prevent rejection, undertake a comprehensive search before submitting your papers.

3. Look for Available Domain Names

Another crucial factor to consider when choosing a company name is if the desired web domain name is available. It is critical to have a URL that properly reflects your company name. This apparently little activity may have a significant impact on how potential clients locate your company.

4. Reserve the name of your Minnesota business entity.

All LLC name inquiries and requests are handled by Minnesota’s Secretary of State’s Business and Liens Division. Business names may be reserved for a period of twelve months from the day the application is submitted and can be renewed for an additional twelve months. When the business name reservation expires, you may renew it if you have yet to incorporate your company organization using the reserved name.

You must complete an application online or by mail to reserve a company name. If you file online, you must also register with the Business and Liens System. You must pay a filing fee while reserving your name. Make checks payable to the “MN Secretary of State.”

Other Factors to Consider

While reserving the name for your LLC is simple, there are a few more factors to consider while deciding on the right name for your company. You should do a Trademark and Social Media search for your name to see if it is accessible for usage on the internet. This will assist guarantee that you have complete and unlimited usage of your company name.

Search for a Trademark

Before registering your company name and related slogans or emblems, do a trademark search to avoid potential expensive lawsuits. The discovery that another entity has trademarked your company name does not immediately exclude you from utilizing it.

However, it is critical to understand who is using the name, what sector they are in, and where they are situated in order to avoid unwittingly infringing on anyone’s intellectual property rights.

To finish this step:

Use the Business Entity Search to determine whether your company’s name or related slogans, logos, or other elements are already in use by another company in your state.
Search the digitized records of the United States Patent and Trademark Office for any federally registered trademarks linked with your company name.

Search on Social Media

Finding a domain name that matches your company is just as vital, if not more important, than ensuring that your business name is accessible for usage across social networking platforms. You may do this by simply Googling your company name on each major website, or by using a service like Namecheckr to scan across all platforms at once.

In conclusion

Choosing a name for your company is a vital first step in forming a successful LLC, and it is a simple process. After you’ve discovered your ideal name using Minnesota’s Business Entity Search, you’ll want to obtain your domain name so that your clients can find you online. Using a Request for Reservation of Name to reserve your name can help you stand out from the crowd. After you’ve obtained your name, you’ll be ready to take the following steps to create your LLC.