Virginia SCC business entity search
Virginia's business register is kept by the State Corporation Commission, and its LLC name test ignores endings such as LLC, L.C. and Inc.
Check a name against Virginia's naming rules
Example: a check of "Blue Heron Bakery LLC" against Virginia's rules.
- Ends with "L.L.C.", an ending Virginia lists for an LLC.
- No ending from Virginia's list for a corporation was found at the end of this name.
Get the matching domain name
Type a business name to check its .com, .net, .org and .us.
"Not registered" is the registry's answer at this moment. It is not a promise that the name can be bought at the standard price, since some unregistered names are reserved or sold at a premium. The buttons open Spaceship, a domain registrar, where the price is shown.
This checks the ending and the restricted words Virginia publishes. It does not tell you whether another company already holds the name. Only the state's own search can show that.
A private website, not a government site. Every state entry links to that state's official search.
Virginia's own search
- Run by
- Virginia State Corporation Commission
- Called
- Clerk's Information System
The state's search is the record that counts. State Business Entity Search is not a government site.
A reserved LLC name is held for a 120-day period. The search runs through the Commission's Clerk's Information System.
Virginia filing fees for a new business name
| Filing | State fee | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Form an LLC in Virginia | $100 | Articles of organization. Source: Code of Virginia section 13.1-1005, limited liability company fees. |
| Form a corporation in Virginia | $25 | Articles of incorporation, plus a charter fee. |
| Reserve a name in Virginia | $10 | Source: Code of Virginia section 13.1-1005, limited liability company fees. |
| Annual registration fee for a Virginia LLC | $50 | Every year. On or before the last day of the twelfth month after the month the LLC was organized, and by that date each year. Source: Code of Virginia section 13.1-1062, annual registration fee. |
| Certificate of assumed or fictitious name, in Virginia | $10 | Source: Code of Virginia section 59.1-70, fee for an assumed name certificate. |
Name endings Virginia accepts
For an LLC (Code of Virginia § 13.1-1012(A))
For a corporation (Code of Virginia § 13.1-630(A))
Virginia SCC business entity search and the Clerk's Information System
The State Corporation Commission's FAQ says the Clerk's Information System, called CIS, is used to search for business information, make payments and submit filings. A separate Name Availability search sits inside CIS. It returns whether a proposed name is distinguishable on the Commission's records, and the Clerk's Office can be contacted for help with it.
The core name test in Virginia
Under section 13.1-1012 of the Code of Virginia, the Commission does not consider the word, phrase or abbreviation that a name must or may carry. Swapping LLC for L.C. or Inc. therefore changes nothing.
The Commission's FAQ goes further and compares a core name. It drops the ending, "the", "and", "of" and listed punctuation. By its example, ABC of Virginia, Inc. and ABC Virginia Company share the core name ABCVIRGINIA, so they are not distinguishable. A plural does change the core name.
The Commission also says its online system will not let a new Virginia corporation or LLC form under a name that is not distinguishable.
What a Virginia filing does not protect
A name on file with the Clerk's Office does not protect that name in a commercial environment, the Commission says. Filings are made without regard to trademark filings or similar names. The guide to protecting a business name covers what protection takes.
Reserving a Virginia LLC name
A reservation holds the name for the applicant's exclusive use for a 120-day period under section 13.1-1013. The name applied for need not carry the LLC ending that the articles must carry. Section 13.1-1005 lists the application to reserve or renew a name among the Commission's LLC fees.
What Virginia charges after the name is chosen
Section 13.1-1005 sets articles of organization at $100, and section 13.1-616 sets articles of incorporation at $25, with a charter fee on top for corporations. After formation, section 13.1-1062 sets an LLC's annual registration fee at $50. The Commission says the due date is the last day of the month the business was organized or registered, and online payment carries no processing fee.
Assumed names go to the clerk of the Commission, for $10 under section 59.1-70. They carry no designator or uniqueness rule, unlike entity names. Section 59.1-69 bars anyone from doing business under an assumed or fictitious name unless a certificate is filed in the office of the clerk of the Commission.
Checking and claiming a name in Virginia
- Run the Name Availability search in CIS, and test the plural and the core name as well.
- Compare the result with the ending rules in the name endings by state.
- Apply to reserve the name if you need the 120-day hold.
- File the articles, and price the first year with the LLC cost calculator.
Virginia name search questions
Is the VA SOS entity search the same as the SCC search?
The register is kept by the State Corporation Commission's Clerk's Office through the Clerk's Information System. That is the official place to search Virginia entities, whatever phrase people use to find it.
How does a Virginia business entity search treat a plural?
As a different name. The Commission's FAQ says the core name of ABC, Inc. is distinguishable from the core name of ABCs Inc. because of the "s."
Does a distinguishable result mean a Virginia name is accepted?
No. The Name Availability search says a result that a proposed name is distinguishable is not the equivalent of a determination that it is acceptable.
Can I reserve a Virginia LLC name without the LLC ending?
Yes. Section 13.1-1013 says the name applied for need not comply with the ending rule in section 13.1-1012. The final articles still must carry an ending.
Where do I file a Virginia assumed name?
With the clerk of the State Corporation Commission, not a county. Section 59.1-70 sets the fee for the certificate at $10.
After the Virginia name check
- LLC cost calculatorVirginia filing and report fees added up
- Business name rules by stateVirginia's endings beside other states
- Delaware business entity searchDelaware Department of State
- Indiana business entity searchIndiana Secretary of State
- Colorado business entity searchColorado Department of State
- How to find a business owner's nameWhere registered agents, registrants and owners appear in state and county records, and what FinCEN says.
- How to register a company nameSteps from choosing a structure to filing, with Washington's and Delaware's own formation steps.
13 official Virginia sources
- Virginia State Corporation Commission, Clerk's Information System, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Virginia State Corporation Commission, CIS frequently asked questions, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Virginia State Corporation Commission, Name Availability search, from the Internet Archive's copy of January 3, 2025.
- Virginia State Corporation Commission, Business entity names, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Virginia State Corporation Commission, Annual registration fees, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Virginia State Corporation Commission, Fictitious names, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Code of Virginia section 13.1-1012, limited liability company names, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Code of Virginia section 13.1-1013, reserving a limited liability company name, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Code of Virginia section 13.1-1005, limited liability company fees, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Code of Virginia section 13.1-1062, annual registration fee, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Code of Virginia section 59.1-69, assumed or fictitious names, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Code of Virginia section 59.1-70, fee for an assumed name certificate, retrieved November 12, 2026.
- Virginia State Corporation Commission, form a corporation in Virginia, retrieved November 12, 2026.
Where a state page would not load, its stored copy at the Internet Archive was used and the copy's date is shown. Fees can change, so confirm the amount with the state before you pay.