How to Conduct a Connecticut Business Entity Search

Using the Connecticut Business Search by Business Name, Authoritative Legal Entity Identifier, or Filing Number

The basic function of the Connecticut Secretary of State business entity search allows you to perform a search for businesses based on the company name, Authoritative Legal Entity Identifier (ALEI), or filing number. All you need to do is enter the information into the field on the Connecticut corporation search page.

Once you enter the entity name, ALEI, or business ID filing number, you’ll see a search results page. On this screen, you can view records for all of the corporations, LLCs, and other business entity types that align with the information you searched for. The information on this screen includes the entity name, principals’ names, registered agent name, current status, and address for each matching business.

This page also offers several filters you can use to refine your results. The first option allows you to filter by business start date or end date, while the second filter enables users to sort the results by entity status: active, canceled, dissolved, forfeited, merged, revoked, or withdrawn.

The next filter gives you the option to refine your results by domestic and foreign entities. Finally, there’s an entity type filter, where you can sort the results to include only the type of business structure you’re looking for: limited liability company (LLC), limited liability partnership (LLP), stock corporation, non-stock corp, benefit corp, bank (stock or non-stock), credit union (stock or non-stock), insurance (stock or non-stock), statutory trust, limited partnership, general partnership, special charter, religious corporation, and/or cooperative association.

Once you choose a company from the Connecticut corporation search results page, you can view a wealth of information about it. Click the link at the top of the page that corresponds with the info you want to see. First up is the “General Information” section of the “Business Details” tab, which displays the company’s name, ALEI, current status, formation date, formation jurisdiction, entity type, business address and mailing address, annual report due date, and NAICS code.

The next section is the “Principal Details” area, where you can see the following information about each person in a leadership position with the company: name, title, business address, and residence address.

You can also click on the link for “Filing History,” which presents detailed information about documents the business has filed over the years. This section includes details about the company’s formation documents, initial report, annual reports, amendments, change of registered agent, dissolution, reinstatement, and more.

The next tab, “Name History,” provides details about any name changes or doing business as (DBA) name filings throughout the company’s history. Finally, the “Shares” tab is exclusive to corporations, displaying information about the type and value of the stock issued by the corporation.

Using the Connecticut Advanced Search

The Connecticut Secretary of State site also provides an advanced search tool that enables you to comb through the state website using various business details. In addition to the options provided by the basic business name search, you can also search Connecticut businesses based on their principal name(s), registered agent name, or home city.

Using any of these options on the Connecticut Secretary of State business search presents the same search page results as the examples outlined above. Note, however, that some common searches can present extensive lists of results on the state website. For example, when we searched for businesses in Hartford, the tool returned more than 28,000 results. In these instances, you’ll probably need to further refine the results by filtering them.