The Minnesota Secretary of State registers LLCs, corporations, nonprofits and assumed names through its Business Services office in St Paul. The online system for all of it is the Minnesota Business and Lien System, often shortened to MBLS, which also holds the public business search.
Minnesota does a few things its own way. The yearly renewal is free for most domestic companies. A registered agent is optional for a Minnesota company, though a registered office is not. And an assumed name must be published in a newspaper after you file it.
The Minnesota business search
The MBLS business search lets you control how it matches. Begins With returns names that start with your words. Contains returns every name that includes them anywhere. You can also limit the list to Active or Inactive records and choose whether prior names count.
| Official business search | mblsportal.sos.mn.gov/Business/Search (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| You can search by | business name (Begins With or Contains), file number, filing status (Active or Inactive filter), prior names (include or exclude) (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Name availability check | sos.mn.gov/name (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
- Choose 'Begins With' to see only names that start with the words entered.
- Choose 'Contains' to see every name that contains the words entered.
- Filter by Active or Inactive status.
- Use 'Include' prior names to search former names as well as the current name.
- To search by file number, click 'File Number' above the search box.
From sos.mn.gov, checked .
To test a name for a new company, the office's name availability page tells you to run it through this same search.
Active and Inactive in Minnesota
The search filter offers two statuses, and they mean what they say. Active is a business in good standing whose renewal is current. Inactive is a business that is no longer active, most often because it missed a renewal.
| Status shown | What it means |
|---|---|
| Active | The business is currently active and in good standing on the record. A yearly renewal keeps it active. |
| Inactive | The business is not currently active. The most common cause is a missed annual renewal, which leads to administrative dissolution; it must be reinstated to be active again. |
Status wording from sos.mn.gov, checked .
Inactive is not the end. A business that was dissolved for a missed renewal can be reinstated, and filing the current year's renewal can make that retroactive if no one has taken the name.
Minnesota filing fees
Most Minnesota fees come in two prices, one by mail and a higher one online or in person. Articles of Organization for an LLC, for example, cost $135 by mail and $155 online. The extra buys speed: eligible online filings are expedited by default and returned by email, typically in 2 to 5 business days.
| Form an LLC | $135 (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Form a corporation | $135 (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Form a nonprofit | $70 (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Register an out-of-state LLC | $185 (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Reserve a name | $35 (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Annual or biennial report | LLC: $0 for domestic and foreign LLCs in good standing; corporation: $0 for domestic business corporations; foreign business corporations pay $115 by mail or $135 online (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Good standing certificate | $5 mail or in person, $15 online (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Faster processing | Eligible online filings are expedited by default and returned by email, typically in 2 to 5 business days. No separate paid rush tier found on the fee schedule. (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
Rather not file it yourself? Ask our private filing service about forming or reporting in Minnesota. State fees are separate.
The fee schedule we could read is an older revision, so check the live fee page before you pay. Certificates are issued as soon as you pay, while some copy orders take longer. Our LLC filing fees by state page puts these numbers next to other states.
The Minnesota annual renewal
Minnesota calls its yearly filing an annual renewal. It is due by December 31 of each calendar year, starting the year after the original filing, and you can file it at any point in the year. LLCs and domestic business corporations in good standing pay nothing.
| Fee | LLC: $0 for domestic and foreign LLCs in good standing; corporation: $0 for domestic business corporations; foreign business corporations pay $115 by mail or $135 online (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| When it is due | Annual renewal is due by December 31 each calendar year, beginning the calendar year after the original filing. It can be filed any time in the year. (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| If you file late | No late fee found. A missed renewal leads to administrative dissolution. Reinstatement fee (2017 schedule): $25 mail or $45 online for domestic LLCs and corporations; $500 mail or $520 online for foreign corporations; $0 for nonprofits. (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Where to file | mblsportal.sos.mn.gov (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Processing time | Online filings typically 2 to 5 business days. Certificates issued immediately on payment; some copy orders 7 to 10 days. (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
Free does not mean optional. Skipping the renewal leads to administrative dissolution, which is why it pays to file early in the year. Our annual report guide walks through a typical yearly filing.
Minnesota business name rules
An LLC name needs "limited liability company" or LLC, and it may not use corporation, Inc. or other corporate words. A corporation needs corporation, limited or a short form, and "company" or Co. also works unless it follows "and" or an ampersand. The name must be distinguishable from every domestic LLC, LLP, corporation and limited partnership on file.
| LLC name must include | Must contain 'limited liability company' or the abbreviation 'LLC'. Must not contain 'corporation' or 'incorporated' or their abbreviations. (revisor.mn.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Corporation name must include | Must contain 'corporation', 'incorporated' or 'limited', or an abbreviation of one of these. 'Company' or 'Co.' also works if not immediately preceded by 'and' or '&'. (revisor.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Words that are limited | No fixed list found. Names may not imply an impermissible organizational purpose; LLC names may not use corporation or incorporated. (revisor.mn.gov, checked ) |
| How different a name must be | Name must be distinguishable upon the records of the Secretary of State from every domestic LLC, LLP, corporation and limited partnership. Exceptions: written consent from the holder, a court decree of prior rights, or an affidavit that the other entity has been inactive for three years. (revisor.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation fee | $35 (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation lasts | 12 months, renewable for further 12-month periods (revisor.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation form | sos.mn.gov/media/1395/namereservation.pdf (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
There are three ways past a conflict: written consent from the holder, a court decree of prior rights, or an affidavit that the other entity has been inactive for three years. A reservation lasts 12 months and can be renewed, but it does not register the name.
Registered office and agent in Minnesota
Every business entity must continuously maintain a registered office in Minnesota. An agent is optional for Minnesota entities and required for foreign entities. The office must be an actual office location, not only a PO box. (revisor.mn.gov, checked )
If you move offices, update the registered office address with Business Services. The guide on how to change registered agent also covers address changes.
Minnesota Certificate of Good Standing
The office issues a Certificate of Good Standing, called a Certificate of Existence and Registration for some entity types. Order it in the business filings portal, and it is issued once you pay.
What it costs, where to order it and what blocks it are in our Minnesota good standing guide.
Assumed names in Minnesota
Certificate of Assumed Name is filed with the state Secretary of State, not the county. Fee $30 by mail, $50 online or in person. It must then be published in a legal newspaper for two consecutive issues in the principal place of business county. Annual renewal $0. (sos.mn.gov, checked )
Plan for the newspaper step. The notice has to run in a legal newspaper in the county of your principal place of business for two consecutive issues. The yearly renewal of an assumed name costs nothing.
Contact Minnesota Business Services
| Office | Minnesota Secretary of State (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Division | Business Services (Minnesota Business & Lien System, MBLS) (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Officeholder | Steve Simon (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Phone | 651-296-2803 (Metro); 1-877-551-6767 (Greater Minnesota) (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Hours | Office staffed 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, except holidays. Phone lines 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Mailing address | Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services, First National Bank Building, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite N201, St Paul, MN 55101 (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
| Street address | First National Bank Building, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite N201, St Paul, MN 55101 (sos.mn.gov, checked ) |
The office is staffed from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, but phone lines open an hour later. Use the metro number inside the Twin Cities area and the toll free line from elsewhere in the state.
Sources
- www.sos.mn.gov/business-liens/: office name. Checked .
- www.sos.mn.gov/media/5126/business-bulk-order-implementation-guide-and-record-layout.pdf: division, street address, contact page. Checked .
- www.sos.mn.gov/media/1dxf5p2g/executive-offices-2025.pdf: officeholder. Checked .
- www.sos.mn.gov/media/5124/bulkrequestcorp_commercialusers.pdf: mailing address, phone, hours. Checked .
- www.sos.mn.gov/business-liens/business-help/how-to-search-business-filings/: business search, search fields, status terms, search tips. Checked .
- www.sos.mn.gov/name: name check. Checked .
- www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/322C.0108: LLC name endings, restricted words, name rule. Checked .
- www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/302A.115: corporation name endings. Checked .
- www.sos.mn.gov/media/1687/businessentityfees.pdf: name reservation fee, LLC filing fee, corporation filing fee, nonprofit filing fee, foreign LLC fee, report fee, late penalty, certificate fee. Checked .
- www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/302A.117: name reservation term. Checked .
- www.sos.mn.gov/media/1395/namereservation.pdf: name reservation form. Checked .
- www.sos.mn.gov/business-liens/renewals/: report due date. Checked .
- www.sos.mn.gov/business-liens/business-filing-and-certification-fee-schedule/: expedite fees. Checked .
- www.sos.mn.gov/business-liens/business-help/online-filing-system-requirements/: online filing. Checked .
- www.sos.mn.gov/business-liens/business-help/how-to-order-copies-of-filings-certificates/: processing time. Checked .
- www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/5.36: registered agent rule. Checked .
- www.sos.mn.gov/business-liens/business-forms-fees/assumed-namedba/: assumed names (DBA). Checked .