Search for a Virginia Business Entity

Before incorporating a Virginia LLC, all firms should do a Virginia Business Name Search.

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

Your Virginia LLC’s Name

1. Adhere to the Virginia Naming Guidelines.

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. Choose a name that conforms with Virginia naming rules and that prospective customers may readily look for.

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 Virginia Business Name Lookup

You may utilize the Virginia Business Entity Search to verify the availability of your selected name before completing your name reserve request.

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. The Corporation Commission of Virginia also provides a search tool to Check Name Distinguishability.

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 Virginia business entity.

All LLC name inquiries and requests are handled by Virginia’s State Corporation Commission. Business names may be reserved for a period of 120 days. If you have yet to create your company organization under the reserved name when the reservation expires, you may extend the reservation for another 120 days within 45 days of the expiry date.

You must submit an application with the state to reserve a company name. You must pay a filing fee while reserving your name. Make checks payable to the “State Corporation Commission.”

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:

Search Virginia’s trademark records to determine whether your company’s name or any related slogans, logos, or other identifiers 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. To do this, use a service like Namecheckr to search across multiple platforms at once for your preferred company name.

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 the Virginia Business Entity Search, you’ll want to obtain your domain name so that your clients can find you online.

Using a Business Entity Name Reservation Form to reserve your name can help you stand out from the crowd. You will be ready to take the following steps to establish your LLC after you have obtained your company name.