How to Conduct an Oklahoma Business Entity Search

The Oklahoma Secretary of State business search is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to learn more about companies registered in the state. Whether you’re an established business owner who wants to request a Certificate of Good Standing or a soon-to-be entrepreneur who wants to check the availability of your business name, the business entity search is your go-to resource.

But the search tool can feel a bit overwhelming at first, especially if you’ve never used a tool like it before. That’s where this guide comes in. We’ll walk you through how to use the search. We’ll also talk about some important business naming guidelines and what you should do after searching the name.

Let’s get started.

Oklahoma Secretary of State Contact Information

Oklahoma 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, Oklahoma has several rules about naming your business. 

First, your name needs to be different from the names of other registered companies in Oklahoma, 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 Oklahoma business name should follow: 

• Your business name should include a designator. For example, LLCs need to include the phrase “limited liability company,” “limited company,” or an acceptable abbreviation. Meanwhile, corporations need to include words like “incorporated,” “corporation,” “company,” or another required word or its abbreviation. Specialized entities like banks or cooperatives have their own similar requirements.
• Your name needs to be written in Roman characters or letters.

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 company name doesn’t meet these requirements, you’ll need to pick a new one.

How to Run an Oklahoma Secretary of State Business Search by Business Name

The most common way individuals need to use the OK SOS business search is to look up a company by its business name. You can also search by filing number, registered agent, individual name, name availability, and more. But in this section, we’ll cover how to search by an entity name.

Step 1: Set up your search and type your search terms

To get started, navigate to the business entity search homepage. By default, this search tool is set to a simple entity name search, so you could just jump in and type the name of the business you’re looking up.

If you click on the “Advanced Search” link, you’ll see that the list is expanded to show all of your different search options. By default, it’s set on “Search All,” which is the search we’re covering here (we’ll cover the others later in the guide). But if you want your lookup to only include active entities, you can select that.

Either way, ensure that you’ve set the filters you want to use. Double-check that the security check is completed (to verify that you’re human). After that, type in the name of the business you’re searching and hit “Search.”

Step 2: Review your search results

The search tool will pull up a list of all the business names that match the search terms you entered. For example, when we searched the name “Smith,” here’s what our results list looked like:

On this page, you’ll see the name of each matching registered business, its filing number, business structure, registered agent information, and the name type and status for each result.

If you want to view even more information about one of the companies, you can click on the filing number associated with it. You’ll be directed to provide your name and email address first, but after that, you’ll see additional information about the company.

On this page, you can review the company’s status, corporate type, jurisdiction, and formation date. You can also see the registered agent information. At the bottom of the page, you’ll see different buttons, including “View Entity Detail,” “File a Document,” and “Order Documents.” To view even more information about the company, you’ll need to pay a $5 fee after you hit the “View Entity Detail” button. If you click the “Order Documents” button, you can request a Certificate of Good Standing or request copies of other filings.

Finally, if you need to file a form for the company, you can hit the “File a Document” button to start that process.

How to Run an Oklahoma Business Entity Search by Filing Number

The Oklahoma search engine might pull up an extensive list of results if you search by business name (or part of a business name). But if you want to locate a specific business as seamlessly as possible, it’s best to search by filing number.

The Secretary of State assigns a unique filing number to every company that completes their business registration process. So if you search by that number, you’ll be directed to information for that company.

To get started, head to the search homepage and open the “Advanced Search” window so you can select the “Filing Number Search” option. After that, you can type in the filing number and click “Search.”

As long as you type the filing number correctly, you’ll see the single matching business on the results page. You can click on the company’s number to review even more information about the company, request documents, and submit filings.

How to Run a Name Availability Search

Checking name availability is an important step for small business owners; they need to know if their desired name is already claimed or not. Thankfully, it’s pretty simple. To get started, head to the search homepage, open the “Advanced Search” menu, and select the “Name Availability” option.

From there, type in the business name you’re hoping to use (without a designator) into the search field and hit “Search.”

There are two possibilities you’ll see for your results page. If the name is (likely) available, you’ll see a “No results found for criteria” message. But if there are matches (or names that seem close to your name), you’ll see a list of the businesses with similar or matching names. You’ll need to review these to see if your name is too close to the existing businesses’ names.

Keep in mind that this search is only preliminary; it doesn’t guarantee that your name is available. The state’s office will have the final say.

How to Search by Registered Agent

If you know a company’s registered agent name, then you can look up their company information. To get started, head to the business search homepage, click on the “Advanced Search” menu, and then change it to “Registered Agent” to open the search.

One note before you dive into the search: Oklahoma catalogs registered agents as Business Names if the company they represent was formed before June 25, 2003. If you’re looking up a company that was registered before that date, make sure you search using the “Business” category (even if they’re an individual).

For businesses registered after that date, you’ll need to set the search to match the registered agent: use “Business” if the registered agent is a business entity, or use “Individual” if the agent is an individual.

From there, type in the business name or full name of the individual agent and hit “Search.” As before, the tool will pull up results that match the name you’ve searched. Since you’re searching for an agent, it’s possible that you’ll see a list of all the entities that the agent represents. Scroll through them until you find the business you’re looking for.

Clicking on a company’s filing number will allow you to review additional information about the company, file forms, and more.

How to Search by Name of Person

The final search type you can run is an individual name search, which allows you to look up a company by the name of a person affiliated with the company, such as a registered agent, an officer, or a member. This search functions pretty similarly to the registered agent search.

To get started, navigate to the search page, open the “Advanced Search” menu, and select the “Name of Person” option.

For most searches, you’ll need to select the default “Individual” option. The exception is if you’re looking for a registered agent for an entity that filed before June 25, 2003; if that’s the case, you’ll use the “Business” category instead.

Either way, you’ll need to type in the individual’s name and hit “Search.” The search engine will pull up all the results that match your search. For example, when we searched “Smith,” our results looked like this:

This results list could include name reservations filed by the individual you searched, businesses owned by the individual you searched, and businesses that have that individual as their registered agent. You can click on a result’s state filing number to review even more information about the company.

What to Do After Searching Business Names in Oklahoma

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 Oklahoma business name and make the most of it. 

Get an Oklahoma name reservation (optional)

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

You can get an Oklahoma name reservation by filing an Application for Reservation of Name form with the Secretary of State. There’s currently a $30 filing fee for reserving a name. You can file online or submit a paper form.

After your paperwork is filed and approved, your name reservation will be valid for 60 days. 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 Oklahoma will be able to register their own company with the same name. 

Registering an Oklahoma business is an important legal process. Learn more about starting an Oklahoma 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 Sooner 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.