Doing company in Michigan doesn’t have to be complicated, and after you’ve decided on the structure you want to use, you’re ready to register a business name.
Doing company in Michigan doesn’t have to be complicated, and after you’ve decided on the structure you want to use, you’re ready to register a business name. The first thing you should do is check to see whether the name you want is available.
The Michigan Department of Licensing & Regulatory Affairs and the United States Patent & Trademark Office TESS System make this procedure very simple by allowing you to do a business entity name search. The search can help you validate the availability of a name and give information to protect you from trademark issues. After you have checked name availability, download the Certificate of Assumed Name form.
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Who Is Required to Apply for an Assumed Name Certificate?
Michigan requires you to submit an assumed name certificate unless you are a single proprietorship and operate under your legal name. This is accomplished by completing a Doing Business As, DBA, form and following the procedures on the Certificate of Assumed Name form.
For assistance, contact the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, LARA, or seek the services of a professional filing service, which may save you a significant amount of paperwork.
Once you have completed the DBA form, you must send it in person or by mail to the address shown on the DBA form. Your filing fee will be determined by the kind of business entity you want to operate under and should be submitted together with the DBA form. You might contribute an extra charge to accelerate the transaction.
Is it necessary for business owners to register a secondary name?
If a firm is currently functioning under its original name and the owners want to operate under a new name, the secondary name must be registered. For sole proprietorships and partnerships, the real name of the owner or partners will be utilised. The secondary name serves as an extra legal name but does not replace the business’s original name.
What Levels Must DBAs Be Filed On?
While cities in Michigan differ, you may be required to register for a DBA designation on a municipal level. Furthermore, sole proprietors and copartnerships seeking a DBA will have to go through a separate application procedure at the county level. Once again, it is vital that you check the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs database to see whether the name you want to use is accessible.
Laws Relating to Naming Requirements
Certain name restrictions exist under state law for corporate companies operating as:
Corporations
Companies with a limited liability (LLCs)
Partnerships with a Limited Liability (LLPs)
Corporate names, for example, must have an abbreviation such as Corp., co., inc., or ltd., or must include the words corporation, company, incorporated, or limited inside their business name.
When registering a DBA, filers should examine the appropriate rules and regulations, as well as the limited word list. Furthermore, a corporation’s name cannot indicate any activity other than those specified in the articles of formation.
Obtaining a DBA
Your DBA form will ask for your name, the primary address of the firm, and the trade name you want to use. In certain situations, you may need to submit an identity number issued by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Corporations or the Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau.
Again, filing methods will differ, and filers should speak with regulatory authorities to ensure they fulfil all state criteria for conducting business. If you are recruiting staff or forming a distinct company organisation, such as a corporation, you must get an Employer Identification Number, or EIN.