New Jersey places its business register in the Department of the Treasury, not with a Secretary of State. The unit that does the work is the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES). Formation, annual reports, name reservations and standing certificates all go through DORES and the state's online business portal.
Records are searched in the Business Records Service, and new companies are formed in the separate business formation service. The annual report is due in your formation month, and New Jersey sells two levels of standing proof for LLCs, a short form and a long form.
Searching the Business Records Service
The Business Records Service lets you look up a company by its name, a keyword, or its entity ID. Searches return every matching business, whatever its status, so check the status before you rely on a record.
| Official business search | njportal.com/dor/businessrecords (njportal.com, checked ) |
|---|---|
| You can search by | business name, keyword, entity ID (njportal.com, checked ) |
| Name availability check | njportal.com/DOR/BusinessNameSearch/Search/Availability (nj.gov, checked ) |
To test a new name, use the free Name Availability Look-Up instead. If you file a name that is already in use, the registration is denied, so a careful check saves a refiling.
DORES formation fees
A New Jersey LLC pays $100 for its Certificate of Formation. A for-profit corporation pays $100 for its certificate of incorporation, and a nonprofit pays $50. Out-of-state LLCs and corporations each pay $100 to register.
| Form an LLC | $100 (nj.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Form a corporation | $100 (nj.gov, checked ) |
| Form a nonprofit | $50 (nj.gov, checked ) |
| Register an out-of-state LLC | $100 (nj.gov, checked ) |
| Reserve a name | $50 (nj.gov, checked ) |
| Annual or biennial report | LLC: $75 (LLC/LLP); corporation: $75 (corporation/LP); nonprofit $30 (nj.gov, checked ) |
| Good standing certificate | Corp and LP $25; LLC and LLP short form $50; long form $100 (nj.gov, checked ) |
| Faster processing | Over-the-counter only: 2-hour $500 per document; 1-hour $1,000 per document; same day (fax filing, LLC/LLP) $50; standard expedite $15 to $25 depending on entity type. Annual reports cannot be expedited. (nj.gov, checked ) |
Rather not file it yourself? Ask our private filing service about forming or reporting in New Jersey. State fees are separate.
Bills have been introduced to lower formation fees, but they were not law in our sources, so check the current DORES fee page before you pay. Over the counter, two-hour service is $500 and one-hour service is $1,000 per document.
New Jersey annual report
Every LLC and corporation files an annual report with DORES each year. It is due by the last day of the month in which the business was formed, and the fee is $75. A nonprofit pays $30.
The fee, the due date, late penalties and the filing steps are in our New Jersey annual report guide.
Annual reports cannot be expedited, so leave some time before the month ends. Two missed years in a row can void a charter or revoke the authority of an out-of-state company. Our guide to filing an annual report walks through the usual steps.
Business names in New Jersey
A new business entity must have a name distinct from other active entities. A New Jersey company cannot register a trade name for itself, while an out-of-state company may use one if that name is available.
| How different a name must be | New public business entities must have names distinct from other active entities. Domestic entities cannot use a dba name; foreign entities may if the dba is available. (nj.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Reservation fee | $50 (nj.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation form | njportal.com/DOR/BusinessNameSearch (njportal.com, checked ) |
A name reservation costs $50 for any entity type. Reserve only when you need the time, since the free look-up covers most early checks.
Certificates of Standing in New Jersey
New Jersey uses two names. Corporations and LPs order a Certificate of Standing for $25. LLCs and LLPs pick a Short Form Standing for $50 or a Long Form Standing for $100. All of them are ordered through the Business Records Service, together with status reports.
What it costs, where to order it and what blocks it are in our New Jersey good standing guide.
Ask the bank or agency which one they need before you order. Our certificate of good standing page explains what the document proves.
Contact DORES
Mail for DORES goes to PO Box 628 in Trenton. We do not show a phone number or opening hours, because neither was confirmed in our sources. Use the contact page on the DORES site, and quote your entity ID in any message.
Sources
- www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/: office name, division. Checked .
- www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/gettingregistered.shtml: mailing address, name check. Checked .
- www.njportal.com/dor/businessrecords/: business search, search fields. Checked .
- www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/checkbusiness.shtml: name check, name rule. Checked .
- www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/fees.shtml: name reservation fee, LLC filing fee, corporation filing fee, nonprofit filing fee, foreign LLC fee, report fee, expedite fees, certificate fee. Checked .
- www.njportal.com/dor/businessnamesearch/: name reservation form. Checked .