Lookup Business Entity | Form Corporation
Of course, there are several reasons why you would wish to use the business entity search. A search on the Secretary of State website of the state or territory where the corporation is registered will yield information about that corporation or business entity in Illinois or another state.
| Official Website: | https://www.illinois.gov |
| Address: | 213 State Capitol Springfield, IL 62756 |
| Phone: | 1(217) 782-6875, 1(217) 524-8008 |
| E-Mail: | https://www.ilsos.gov/ContactFormsWeb/businessservices_contact.jsp |
Illinois Business Search Shortcut
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How to search for a business entity in Illinois
To search for a business entity in Illinois, go to https://www.illinois.gov and use the CyberDrive System to search by:
- Corporation or LLC (Limited Liability Company).
- Limited Partnership (LP), Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), or Limited Liability Limited Partnership (LLLP)
You can either search by name or file number.
Search for Corporation/LLC by Name
- Visit the secretary of state’s website. Once you’re there, you have the option of searching for either or both sorts of entities. You can then look for an entity using their full name (By Name), a section of their name (By Key Word), or the first letter of any word in their name (By Partial Word).
- To proceed, type the name into the search field and click “Submit.”
- You’ll see a list of Illinois names that match the results of your search. You will be given only basic information, such as the entity type, file number, and corporation name. To get more information about a company, click on its name.
- The file detail report will include information such as the registered agent’s name and address, the duration date, the status, and the date of the annual report filing. If this isn’t the Illinois Company or LLC you were looking for, click Return to the Search Screen.
Search for Corporation/LLC by File Number
When searching for a corporation or LLC in Illinois using this website, you’ll need to know not just the filing number but also the sort of company you’re looking for. The most useful feature of searching by Illinois file number is that it eliminates the need to navigate through the search results. Instead, you will be taken directly to the company’s file detail report, which will show you all of the information that is on file with the Secretary of State.
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Search for Partnerships by Name
You can easily explore LPs, LLPs, and LLLPs by selecting the type of search as well as the technique. You will be able to pick from both partnership options or either for the search type. The following is a breakdown of the search method:
- Choose “by name” for an accurate search, “by key word” for a search that includes any portion of the name, and “by partial word” for a search that includes only the first few letters of any word in the name.
- After you’ve chosen your choices, type a term or a name into the search area below and click on submit.
- Look through the list on the next page for the name you want to search for. The file detail report may be accessed by clicking on the blue, underlined title. The file detail report will provide you with a plethora of information about the partnership. This comprises information about the agent, the file number, the status, and the jurisdiction, among other things.
Search for Partnership by File Number
Searching by file number streamlines the entity search feature for company representatives and others. This is accomplished by removing the need to go through the results produced by the company name submission. Those who have the file number for a certain entity can type it into the site’s search field to get straight to the partnership’s file detail report. Similar to the previous examples, a partnership’s file detail report will provide the inquirer with all information on file with the Secretary of State and publicly available.
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Steps to form a new corporation in Illinois
1. Search for the availability of a business name
The name of your corporation must include the terms “Incorporated,” “Corporation,” “Company,” or “Limited,” or a short version of one of those phrases. The name of your corporation must be distinct from that of other corporate names that are currently on record with the Illinois Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
By checking the Illinois business name database, names may be examined for availability. By submitting an Application for Reservation of Name to the Illinois Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Commercial Services, you can reserve a name for six months.
2. Select a Registered Agent in Illinois
The state of Illinois requires every business to have an agent for legal process serving. If a company is sued, this person or business consents to take court documents on the company’s behalf. An entity with a certificate of power to conduct business in Illinois such as Northwest Registered Agent and GoDaddy, an Illinois resident, an Illinois company, or a foreign entity may serve as a registered agent.
3. Obtain an EIN
Obtaining a federal employer identification number (EIN) is required for your business. For taxation reasons, this identification number serves as the corporation’s Social Security number. Among other things, it enables you to recruit staff and create a company bank account. The IRS website has an online application that you may use to get an EIN. You will require this number for future documents and to file your company’s tax filings, so keep a record of it.
4. Organize an all-hands meeting
The first corporate directors are chosen by the incorporator and serve on the board up until the inaugural annual shareholder meeting. At the first board meeting, the directors pick corporate officials, choose a corporate bank, establish the corporation’s fiscal year, approve the issuing of shares of stock, and adopt a formal stock certificate form and official seal.
5. Distribute stock certificates to the company’s first shareholders
The number of shares issued should be stated in the company’s annual report. Most firms offer certificates to shareholders stating their shares, even though it is not usually necessary. Stock can be privately or publicly issued. Typically, founders, management, workers, or a small group of investors receive privately issued shares. A public corporation offers some of its equity shares for sale to the general public.
6. Prepare articles of incorporation and file them with the Secretary of the State
The articles must contain the following information: the corporation’s name; its intention; the number of shares it is permitted to issue; the name and address of the agent receiving service of process; the name and address of the resident agent receiving service of process; and the names and addresses of all incorporators.
7. Calculate your payroll tax obligations
Note that corporate taxes must be paid separately from shareholder profits taxes. Federal and state governments require the proper returns to be filed annually in order to do this
8. Determine whether any federal, state, or local business licenses are required for the new firm
Take time to investigate any necessary permissions or licenses to maintain your new firm on the legal straight and narrow. Depending on the type of company services you offer, the county or city where your firm is situated, and if you employ people, different permissions and licenses may be required.
9. Get other necessary requirement
Create a physical and/or mailing address for the company, as well as a phone number, voicemail, website, email address, and business cards.