New Mexico's business register is kept by the Secretary of State's Business Services Division at 325 Don Gaspar in Santa Fe. It forms LLCs and corporations, records changes, handles name reservations and issues certificates. All of it runs through the Enterprise business portal.
The big difference in New Mexico is that paper is gone. The office has stopped taking paper filings for any business application, so you will need an online account even for a simple change. Plan for that if you usually mail forms.
Searching New Mexico business records
The Enterprise portal search is the public lookup for New Mexico companies. Enter the entity name or its Business ID. If you need a narrower search, open the Advanced dropdown on the same page.
| Official business search | enterprise.sos.nm.gov/search (sos.nm.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| You can search by | business name, entity or file number (api.realfile.rtsclients.com, checked ) |
There is no separate name availability tool. To test a name for a new company, run it through the same search and look for anything close. The Secretary of State still makes the final call when it reviews your filing.
New Mexico filing fees
Filing fees show inside the portal form for each filing, and the state's fee rules sit in NMSA 53-2-1 to 53-2-11. We are holding back the LLC and corporation amounts until they are checked again on an official page, so read the fee on the portal before you pay.
| Form a corporation | Minimum 100 (varies with authorized shares) (enterprise.sos.nm.gov, checked ) |
|---|
Rather not file it yourself? Ask our private filing service about forming or reporting in New Mexico. State fees are separate.
Fees are paid inside the portal. For a comparison with other states, see our table of LLC filing fees by state.
Reports for New Mexico companies
For-profit corporations, both domestic and foreign, file a biennial report with the Secretary of State. The office's guidance on whether LLCs have a report has not been confirmed on an official page, so we do not say either way here.
| If you file late | $200 late penalty on top of the $25 fee for a late corporate biennial report (sos.nm.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Where to file | enterprise.sos.nm.gov (sos.nm.gov, checked ) |
We have not confirmed the current due date and fee on an official page, so check both on the Secretary of State's site before you file. Our guide on how to file an annual report covers the general steps.
How a New Mexico filing is reviewed
After you submit an application, staff review it and approve it, reject it or send it back for correction. You hear the result by email. If your filing comes back for correction, you have 90 days to fix it and send it again in the portal.
Keep an eye on the email account linked to your portal login. A correction request that sits unread can run out the 90 days.
LLC name rules in New Mexico
An LLC name must include "limited liability company", "limited company", or a short form such as L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC. "Limited" can be written ltd. and "company" can be written co.
| LLC name must include | limited liability company, limited company, L.L.C., LLC, L.C., LC (limited may be ltd., company may be co.) (sos.nm.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| How different a name must be | An LLC name must be distinguishable from any LLC, limited partnership or corporation existing under NM law, any foreign LLC or corporation authorized in NM, and any name reserved under NMSA 53-19-4. (sos.nm.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation form | enterprise.sos.nm.gov/forms/business (enterprise.sos.nm.gov, checked ) |
The name has to be distinguishable from every LLC, limited partnership and corporation formed under New Mexico law, from foreign LLCs and corporations allowed to do business in the state, and from reserved names. If you want to hold a name before you form, the portal offers an Application for Name Reservation.
Registered agent in New Mexico
A Registered Agent Statement of Acceptance PDF must be uploaded with new business filings. (sos.nm.gov, checked )
Get the signed acceptance from your agent before you open the formation form, since the portal asks for the upload. To replace an agent later, read our guide on changing a registered agent.
Certificates from the New Mexico Secretary of State
Certificates are ordered from the company's record in the portal with the Request Certificate button. Once issued, you can download them from your copies and certificates work queue for 90 days. A separate page lets a bank or another office confirm a certificate is real.
| What the state calls it | Certificates requested through 'Request Certificate' on the business record in the portal (api.realfile.rtsclients.com, checked ) |
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Fictitious names in New Mexico
The Secretary of State keeps a fictitious name application on its resources page, so this filing is handled at the state level.
A fictitious name application (PDF) is on the SOS resources page, so the state SOS handles fictitious names. (sos.nm.gov, checked )
Contacting the New Mexico Secretary of State
| Office | New Mexico Secretary of State (sos.nm.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Division | Business Services Division (sos.nm.gov, checked ) |
| Officeholder | Maggie Toulouse Oliver (sos.nm.gov, checked ) |
| Phone | 800-477-3632 or 505-827-3600 (sos.nm.gov, checked ) |
| Hours | 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday. Walk-in business services Monday to Thursday only. (sos.nm.gov, checked ) |
| Mailing address | 325 Don Gaspar, Suite 300, Santa Fe, NM 87501 (sos.nm.gov, checked ) |
| Street address | 325 Don Gaspar, Suite 300, Santa Fe, NM 87501 (sos.nm.gov, checked ) |
The office keeps 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM hours on weekdays, but walk-in business help stops on Thursday. If you plan to visit Suite 300 at 325 Don Gaspar, go Monday to Thursday. For most questions a call to 800-477-3632 saves the trip.
Sources
- www.sos.nm.gov/business-services/: office name, hours, online filing. Checked .
- www.sos.nm.gov/contact-us/: division, mailing address, street address, phone, contact page. Checked .
- www.sos.nm.gov/: officeholder. Checked .
- www.sos.nm.gov/online-services/: business search. Checked .
- api.realfile.rtsclients.com/PublicFiles/ee3072ab0d43456cb15a51f7d82c77a2/c32ddb0d-44ba-4b43-aa86-b6ebdbb624ba/Business%20Online%20Filing%20Help.pdf: search fields, good standing certificate. Checked .
- www.sos.nm.gov/business-services/statutes-governing-business-in-nm/: LLC name endings, name rule. Checked .
- enterprise.sos.nm.gov/forms/business: name reservation form, corporation filing fee. Checked .
- www.sos.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/20180215_SOS_Celebrates_Passage_of_SB225.pdf: late penalty. Checked .
- www.sos.nm.gov/business-services/resources/: registered agent rule, assumed names (DBA). Checked .