How to Conduct an Indiana Business Entity Search

The Indiana business entity search, usually called the business search, is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to learn more about companies in the state. Whether you’re an established business owner who needs to request certified copies or a soon-to-be entrepreneur who needs to research business names, this search is a go-to resource.

But using the Indiana business search can feel a bit overwhelming, especially if you’ve never used a tool like this before. That’s where this guide comes in. We’ll walk you through how to use the business search tool from start to finish. We’ll also cover some of Indiana’s important business naming rules and what to do after searching a business name.

Let’s get started.

Indiana Secretary of State Contact Information

Indiana Business Name Guidelines

When you’re starting a business, one of the most important things you’ll do is pick your business name. And like other states, Indiana has several rules about naming your business. 

First, your name needs to be different from the names of other registered companies in Indiana, including both domestic and foreign corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), limited partnerships, and so on. This is one of the simplest but most important naming standards. 

That said, uniqueness isn’t the only naming guideline to adhere to. Here are a few other rules your Indiana business name should follow: 

• Your business name needs to include a designator. For example, a corporation’s name needs to include “corporation,” “limited,” “incorporated,” “company,” or an acceptable abbreviation of those words. Meanwhile, LLCs need to include the phrase “limited liability company” or its abbreviation LLC (with or without punctuation). 
• Your name cannot state or imply that your business is (or is affiliated with) any state or federal government agency.
• To use the word “Bank” (or one of its derivatives) in your name, you’ll need to receive additional approvals from the Department of Financial Institutions.

If you’re in a licensed trade or profession, keep in mind that you’ll need to meet any naming rules that your industry has in place, too. If your business name doesn’t meet these requirements, you’ll need to pick a new one.

Using the Indiana Secretary of State Business Search

Indiana’s business search actually offers you several different ways to search for businesses. To get started, simply navigate to the search homepage, brought to you by INBiz.

Here are your different basic search options:

• Business Name: This search type allows you to look up companies by their full company name, or even part of their business name.
• Business ID: This search type avoids a long list of results because it allows you to look up a business by the unique ID number assigned to it by the Secretary of State.
• Filing Number: The Secretary of State assigns a unique number to filings submitted to their office, such as the Articles of Organization. You search by that filing number to look up the business information for the company that filed that particular form.
• Registered Agent Name: This search lets you look up information for each entity that’s represented by a particular registered agent, provided you know the agent’s name.
• Incorporator or Governing Person Name: This final search allows you to look up a company by the name of its incorporator or a governing person, like an LLC’s members or managers or a corporation’s directors.

For many users, the business name search is the go-to option. To use it, you can simply type in all or part of the business name into the search bar labeled “Business Name.” If you want, you can filter this search in a couple of ways:

• Contains: This default option retrieves all of the business names that include the search terms you enter. For example, if you searched “Hardware,” the search would pull up results like “Ace Hardware,” “Ashland Hardware, LLC,” and others.
• Starts With: This search will retrieve only those results that begin with the same word(s) as your search. Going back to our “Hardware” example, this search would retrieve business names that start with “Hardware,” such as “Hardware Guys” or “Hardware Express.”
• Exact Match: This final search is ideal for a business name availability check, as it will only retrieve those results that are identical to your search terms (leave off entity identifiers like “LLC” for best results).

Whether or not you choose to change these filters, you’ll need to type a business name (or ID, filing number, or individual name) into the search bar. Then, click the “I’m not a robot” reCAPTCHA before hitting “Search.”

Using the Advanced Search

This section allows you to further refine your research with six filters: entity type (corporation, LLC, etc.), current status, name type, street address, city, and ZIP code. Once you’ve set up any filters you might want to use, click the “SEARCH” button at the bottom of the page.

Viewing Indiana Business Results on the State Website

No matter what type of search you do, you’ll see a list of businesses that contain the word(s) you entered on the previous screen. The info available on this screen includes the Business ID, business name, name type, entity type, principal office address, registered agent name, and current status. Scroll through the results until you find the entity you’re looking for, clicking on its Business ID number to review its details.

How to Access Detailed Information Through the Indiana Corporation Search

After you click the Business ID number, you’ll see the Business Details page. This screen displays a wealth of data about the corporation, LLC, nonprofit, or other entity you selected previously. The info on this screen includes the company’s creation date, formation jurisdiction, expiration date, business entity report due date, incorporator info, registered office address, and details about its governing individuals (officers for a corporation, managers for an LLC, etc.).

At the bottom of the screen, you’ll also see options to view the company’s filing history, name history, and assumed name history, as well as a button to request a certified copy of the entity’s formation documents. The filing history tab provides links to all business entity reports the company has filed, as well as access to its formation documents. Meanwhile, the name history tab is where you’ll find any info about name changes in the company’s history, and the assumed name history tab informs you whether the entity has any doing business as (DBA) names.

What to Do After Searching Business Names in Indiana

After you’ve come up with a name and searched it, you’re probably feeling like you’ve done a lot of legwork. You’d hate for that hard work to go to waste, right? Here are some steps you can take to protect your Indiana business name and make the most of it. 

Reserve your Indiana business name (optional)

If you’ve picked the perfect business name but you’re not quite ready to file your business formation paperwork, Indiana allows you to reserve a business name.

You can get a name reservation by filing a Reservation of Business Name application online with INBiz. There’s currently a $10 filing fee for this reservation. 

After your paperwork is filed and approved, your name reservation is valid for 120 days. If you need more time than that, you can complete a renewal application through INBiz. This step is optional, and you should only pursue it if you’ve picked a name but aren’t ready to file your formation paperwork yet.

Form an LLC or register your business

One of the best ways to protect your business name is to register your business. After you register a business under your chosen name, no one else in Indiana will be able to register their own company with the same name. 

Registering an Indiana business is an important legal process. Learn more about starting an Indiana LLC. 

Get a domain name that matches

You want it to be easy for your customers to find your business website. That means you need a domain name that matches your business name as closely as possible. A matching domain will help your brand maintain consistency both in person and online.

If you’re struggling to come up with a domain name (or the one that matches your name is already taken), try using a domain name generator. A generator can help you come up with a domain that matches your brand image. 

Set up your business online

Today, you can’t run a business without a good digital footprint. A good business website is a decent starting point. But don’t stop there; set up social media accounts like a Facebook page, a TikTok profile, and an Instagram account. Make sure your business name is included on each account so your brand is consistent across your online presence.

Last but not least, set up a Google Business Profile for your business (or claim it if it already exists). This profile will help you direct customers to your website or your store location. Plus, it’ll help you respond to customer reviews and build a good brand reputation in the Hoosier State.

Trademark your business name (optional)

If you want the most robust protections for your business name, you could pursue trademark registration. Trademarks can be registered at the state or federal level (with federal protections being the strongest). 

Getting a trademark can be pretty complicated and time-consuming. If you go this route, it’s highly recommended to work with a trademark attorney.