Oregon's business register is the Oregon Business Registry, kept by the Corporation Division of the Secretary of State in the Public Service Building in Salem. You search it from the Secretary of State's website and file through the registry's online system, where new filings are usually reviewed within one business day.
Two things are worth knowing up front. Oregon's yearly report costs the same as forming the company, $100 for a domestic LLC, so it is a real line in your budget. And the standard name search hides inactive businesses, which can make a lookup seem empty when the company did once exist.
Searching the Oregon Business Registry
The business name search takes either a name or a registry number. It returns active businesses only. For anything else, the associated name search looks up the names linked to an entity, such as its registered agent or authorized representative, and can show active records, inactive ones or both.
| Official business search | sos.oregon.gov/bizsearch (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| You can search by | business name, registry number, associated name (registered agent, authorized representative, assumed business names tied to an entity) (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Name availability check | sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/name-availability-help.aspx (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| What a result means | Preliminary. 'The final determination, however, is made at the time of filing.' Businesses in other states, or unregistered Oregon businesses, may use the same name. (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
- Enter a business name or a business registry number.
- Standard search returns active businesses only.
- The associated name search can show active, inactive or both, and can filter by associated name type.
- Name comparison ignores designators, punctuation, plurals, spacing and capitalization.
From sos.oregon.gov, checked .
Treat a free name as a good sign, not a promise. The Corporation Division only makes its final call when you file.
Active and inactive Oregon records
Oregon keeps its status list short. Active means the registration is current. Inactive means the business is no longer registered, for example because the Corporation Division dissolved it.
| Status shown | What it means |
|---|---|
| Active | Current registration on file. Only active records appear in the standard business name search. |
| Inactive | No longer registered, for example administratively dissolved by the Corporation Division. An inactive record does not affect name availability. Reinstatement is available. |
Status wording from sos.oregon.gov, checked .
An inactive name does not block anyone, so a dissolved company's name can be taken by a new filer. A business dissolved less than five years ago can apply for reinstatement online.
Oregon Corporation Division fees
An LLC and a business corporation each cost $100 to form. Nonprofits pay $50. Companies from other states pay $275 to register.
| Form an LLC | $100 (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Form a corporation | $100 (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Form a nonprofit | $50 (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Register an out-of-state LLC | $275 (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Reserve a name | $100 (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Annual or biennial report | LLC: $100 per year for domestic LLCs; $275 per year for foreign LLCs; corporation: $100 per year for domestic business corporations; $275 per year for foreign corporations; nonprofits $50 per year (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Good standing certificate | $10 (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
Rather not file it yourself? Ask our private filing service about forming or reporting in Oregon. State fees are separate.
Online filings typically take 1 to 3 business days, with an email when they are done. Mail and fax filings take several days longer. Compare the totals with neighbouring states on our LLC filing fees by state page.
Oregon annual reports and renewals
Your annual report is due on the anniversary of the original filing. The Corporation Division mails a renewal notice about 45 days before. Domestic LLCs and corporations pay $100, foreign entities $275, and nonprofits $50.
The fee, the due date, late penalties and the filing steps are in our Oregon annual report guide.
Assumed business names follow a different clock and renew every two years. A business that the Corporation Division has dissolved comes back only by paying a reinstatement fee plus the annual fees it skipped. The annual report guide lays out the usual steps.
How Oregon judges a business name
An LLC name must include limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. A corporation uses corporation, company or limited, or a short form of one. The name must be distinguishable from every active business name, reserved name, registered name and assumed business name in the registry.
| LLC name must include | Must contain 'limited liability company' or 'L.L.C.' or 'LLC' (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Corporation name must include | Must contain 'corporation', 'incorporated', 'company' or 'limited', or an abbreviation of one of them (oregonlegislature.gov, checked ) |
| Words that are limited | LLC names may not include words such as cooperative, corporation, incorporated, limited partnership or their abbreviations (ORS 63.094(2)). Corporate names may not contain 'cooperative' (ORS 60.094). (oregonlegislature.gov, checked ) |
| How different a name must be | Distinguishable upon the records from every other active business name, reserved name, registered name or assumed business name. Not distinguishing: entity designators, punctuation, plural/singular/possessive, spacing, articles/prepositions/conjunctions, capitalization. Distinguishing: different letters or numerals, different or reordered key words, creative spelling, different numeral form. (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation fee | $100 (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation lasts | 120 days (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation form | sos.oregon.gov/business/Documents/business-registry-forms/name-reservation.pdf (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
The registry ignores endings, punctuation, plurals, spacing, small connecting words and capital letters when it compares names. Different letters or numbers, different key words or new word order do count. A reservation costs $100, lasts 120 days, and does not let you trade under the name.
Oregon registered agent rules
Must have a registered agent with an Oregon physical street address where process can be personally served. Not a PO box, commercial mail receiving agency, mail forwarding business or virtual office. (sos.oregon.gov, checked )
That rules out a mail drop or a virtual office. If you need to switch to a new agent, our page on how to change registered agent covers the filing.
Oregon Certificate of Existence
Oregon calls its proof of standing a Certificate of Existence. Order it through your Business Registry login for $10 by card, and it is usually ready within minutes.
| What the state calls it | Certificate of Existence (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Fee | $10 (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Where to order | sos.oregon.gov/business/register/pages/business-registry-certificates.aspx (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
Assumed business names in Oregon
Assumed Business Name is registered with the state Corporation Division. $50 new registration, renews every 2 years for $50. (sos.oregon.gov, checked )
You can renew in the 30 days before the second anniversary. Put a reminder in your calendar, because the two year cycle is easy to forget.
Contact the Oregon Corporation Division
| Office | Oregon Secretary of State (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Division | Corporation Division (Business Registry) (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Officeholder | Tobias Read (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Phone | 503-986-2200 (fax 503-378-4381) (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Hours | Front desk, walk-ins: Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Phones: Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Mailing address | Oregon Secretary of State, Corporation Division, 255 Capitol St. NE, Suite 151, Salem, OR 97310-1327 (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
| Street address | Public Service Building, 255 Capitol St. NE, Suite 151, Salem, OR 97310 (sos.oregon.gov, checked ) |
Phone hours are shorter than desk hours, and Friday calls end at noon. Have your registry number ready.
Sources
- sos.oregon.gov/pages/contact-us.aspx: office name, contact page. Checked .
- sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/faq.aspx: division, street address, hours, registered agent rule. Checked .
- sos.oregon.gov/Pages/default.aspx: officeholder. Checked .
- sos.oregon.gov/business/Documents/business-registry-forms/br-fee-schedule.pdf: mailing address, phone, LLC filing fee, corporation filing fee, nonprofit filing fee, foreign LLC fee, report fee, assumed names (DBA). Checked .
- sos.oregon.gov/business/pages/find.aspx: business search, search fields. Checked .
- sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/name-availability-help.aspx: name check, search disclaimer, name rule, status terms. Checked .
- sos.oregon.gov/business/information-center/pages/select-business-name-structure.aspx: LLC name endings. Checked .
- www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors060.html: corporation name endings. Checked .
- www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors063.html: restricted words. Checked .
- sos.oregon.gov/business/Documents/business-registry-forms/name-reservation.pdf: name reservation fee, name reservation term, name reservation form. Checked .
- sos.oregon.gov/business/register/pages/business-registry-certificates.aspx: good standing certificate, certificate fee, certificate ordering. Checked .
- sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/associated-name-search.aspx: search tips. Checked .