Florida Entity Search
How the Sunbiz search works
Quick answer. Use the Division of Corporations name search, not a third-party directory. Enter the filed name or the document number, open the matching detail page, and read status, agent, and the filing history. The search is free and shows the Division’s record at the time you run it.
Official office
Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations
Phone: (850) 245-6052
The Centre of Tallahassee, 2415 N. Monroe Street, Suite 810, Tallahassee, FL 32303
The Sunbiz name search is online. Division phone lines are staffed on state business days.
Steps
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Confirm you are on search.sunbiz.org
The official inquiry begins at search.sunbiz.org, linked from dos.fl.gov. Bookmark that host. Other sites can only reprint what this one publishes.
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Pick the search method
Name is the right start when you have a trade style. Document number is the right start when you already have a filing receipt. Officer and registered-agent searches are available from the same inquiry area when the question is “who is the agent,” not “what is the exact legal name.”
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Compare more than the first row
Sunbiz returns names that begin with or contain your words, depending on the box you used. Two LLCs can share a distinctive word and differ by a city or a number. Check the filing date against the date you were given.
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Read the event history downward
The detail page lists events such as the original filing, amendments, reinstatements, and annual reports. The newest event is the one that explains a status change. An old “active” line does not outrank a later dissolution.
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Keep a copy of the image
Open the filing image and save the PDF. The public page can change the next time someone files an annual report. A saved image is what the Division showed on the day you looked.
What the free record includes
Expect the entity name, document number, status, date filed, state of formation for a foreign entity, addresses, registered agent, and the people named on the most recent annual report or articles. A sunbiz company search does not include a certificate of status. That certificate is a separate paid request using the fee on the Division’s schedule.
Trademark records are searchable from the same system and are not the same thing as an entity. A trademark hit does not mean a corporation was formed.
When the name will not come up
A company formed last week may be in the index only after the Division processes the articles. A name used only on a storefront, a county business-tax receipt, or a fictitious-name registration will not appear as an entity. Foreign companies that never qualified in Florida are absent even if they sell to Florida customers.
Common mistakes
- Adding “The” or a comma and deciding the company does not exist when the index stores the name without them.
- Stopping at the result count. The count is not the record.
- Assuming “inactive” on a reprint site means the same thing as the status label on today’s Sunbiz detail page.
Questions
Is there a fee for a Sunbiz business lookup?
No. The public inquiry is free. Fees apply when you file a document or order a certificate or certified copies.
Why do some Sunbiz LLC records start with L?
The Division assigns a document number when the entity is filed. Limited liability company numbers commonly begin with L. The rest of the number is the identifier you should copy in full.
Does the search update overnight?
The Division describes the inquiry as its public record. Online credit-card filings such as annual reports post when they are processed, which the annual-report page describes as immediate for card payments.