The official search
The registry is run by the Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations.
- Search page: https://corp.delaware.gov/services/ — follow "Search for a Business Entity" or "Check Name Availability" (both run on the Division's ICIS system)
- Cost: Free for the basic entity search and the name-availability check
- Login: None required for the free searches
Delaware gives you two different free tools, and they do different jobs. The General Information Name Search looks up entities that already exist, by name or file number. The Name Availability check, on the Division's name reservation system, tells you in real time whether a proposed new name can be used. Use both: the availability check for the yes-or-no answer, and the entity search to see the close matches for yourself.
The database covers corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, statutory trusts, and other entities that file formation documents with the Division. Sole proprietorships do not appear, and neither do trade names (DBAs) — in Delaware those are registered through Delaware OneStop with the Division of Revenue, not with the Division of Corporations.
A free detail record shows the file number, the incorporation or formation date, the entity kind and type, whether it is domestic or foreign, and the registered agent's name, address, and phone. That is all. It does not show owners, members, or managers — Delaware's Certificate of Formation never collects them — it does not show filing history, and it does not show whether the entity is in good standing. Active and inactive entities appear together in the results. To learn status, the Division sells it: a basic status check and a more detailed report including franchise tax and filing history are paid products, and a formal Certificate of Good Standing costs more again — check the Division's current fee schedule on corp.delaware.gov for the exact amounts before you pay.
Step by step
- Start at the Division's Online Services page at corp.delaware.gov and open "Check Name Availability."
- Enter your proposed name without "LLC" and run the availability check. This is the closest thing Delaware offers to an official yes or no.
- Then open "Search for a Business Entity" (the General Information Name Search) and search the same name. Review every close match yourself — the availability tool will not explain a conflict.
- Try variants. The entity search is not a fuzzy search: a near-miss spelling can return nothing and leave you thinking a name is clear when a sound-alike exists. Search plurals, spacing changes, and your most distinctive word on its own. Wrapping a term in quotation marks forces an exact-phrase match.
- Judge the matches against Delaware's distinguishability rule (below). A name that is not distinguishable from any existing Delaware entity — corporation, partnership, trust, or LLC — will be rejected, unless you have that entity's written consent to file with the state.
- Do not automate or bulk-search the tool. The Division prohibits mining its database, and access can be suspended.
Delaware's name rules
The rules are in Title 6, §18-102 of the Delaware Code (the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act).
Designator. The name must contain the words "Limited Liability Company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C." or the designation "LLC."
Distinguishable. The name must be such as to distinguish it upon the records of the Secretary of State from the names of every corporation, partnership, limited partnership, statutory trust, limited liability company, and registered series on those records — whether reserved, registered, formed, or organized in Delaware, or qualified here as a foreign entity. There is one exception other states rarely offer in statute: you may use a name that is not distinguishable if the existing entity gives you its written consent, filed with the Secretary of State.
Words you may use. The statute expressly permits "Company," "Association," "Club," "Foundation," "Fund," "Institute," "Society," "Union," "Syndicate," "Limited," "Public Benefit," and "Trust," and the name may contain the name of a member or manager.
The one banned word. The name shall not contain the word "bank," or any variation of it, unless the company is a bank supervised by the State Bank Commissioner, a subsidiary of a bank or savings association, or an LLC regulated under the federal Bank Holding Company Act.
Reserving a name. Delaware allows name reservations under §18-103 through the Division of Corporations: $75 for 120 days, and a reservation can be renewed for further 120-day periods at $75 each. Reserving is optional — it holds the name while you prepare, but it does not form an LLC, and you can reserve online on the Division's name reservation site or by application by mail.
What the search can't tell you
- Good standing. The free record says so itself: it is not a statement of good standing. Status, tax standing, and filing history are paid products, and a Certificate of Good Standing is a separate paid order.
- Who owns anything. Delaware never publishes LLC members or managers. If you are trying to find out who is behind a Delaware company, this search will not tell you — by design.
- Trade names. Delaware DBAs live with the Division of Revenue through OneStop, so a clean Division of Corporations search does not clear a trade name.
- Trademarks and domains. State availability says nothing about federal trademark rights or .com availability.
- A guarantee. An available result today is not a promise — the Division decides when your Certificate of Formation is actually filed and reviewed.
If the name looks available
File a Certificate of Formation with the Division of Corporations. Delaware's certificate is famously short: the LLC's name, and the name and address of its Delaware registered agent — a registered agent with a physical street address in Delaware is mandatory, which is why most Delaware founders hire one.
- Cost: $110 under the Division's fee schedule revised August 1, 2026 — check corp.delaware.gov for the current schedule before you file, because older guides and forms still quoting $90 are out of date. Faster service costs extra: 24-hour and same-day processing are offered for additional fees.
- File it through the Division's document filing service, by mail, or through your registered agent.
Ongoing: the annual tax — and no annual report.
- Delaware LLCs file no annual report. Instead, every domestic and foreign LLC pays a flat annual tax under Title 6, §18-1107.
- Amount: $300 for the 2025 tax year. Delaware raised the tax to $400 starting with the 2026 tax year (first due June 1, 2027) — confirm the amount for your tax year on corp.delaware.gov before you pay, because many guides still quote $300.
- Due date: June 1, every year — the same fixed date for every LLC, whatever month you formed in. There is no proration: an LLC formed in late December owes the full tax the following June 1.
- Late penalty: a flat $200 penalty plus 1.5% interest per month (a part-month counts as a whole month) on the unpaid tax. Your LLC also stops being in good standing until you pay, and the Division will not issue a good-standing certificate in the meantime. Leave the tax unpaid for three years and your Certificate of Formation is cancelled.
FAQ
Is the Delaware LLC name search free? Yes — both the General Information Name Search and the Name Availability check on corp.delaware.gov are free and need no login. What costs money is proof of status: status reports and Certificates of Good Standing are paid.
Why does my Delaware entity record say "THIS IS NOT A STATEMENT OF GOOD STANDING"? Because the free search deliberately does not show standing. Delaware sells status separately. Appearing in the search only proves an entity was formed — not that its taxes are paid or that it is active in good standing.
How much does it cost to form a Delaware LLC? The Certificate of Formation filing fee is $110 under the Division's current fee schedule (older $90 figures are out of date). You will also need a Delaware registered agent, which costs extra if you hire a service.
Does a Delaware LLC file an annual report? No. Delaware LLCs file no annual report. They pay a flat annual tax instead — due June 1 every year, $300 for the 2025 tax year and $400 from the 2026 tax year. Missing it adds a $200 penalty plus 1.5% monthly interest.
Can I reserve a Delaware LLC name? Yes. A name reservation costs $75 and holds the name for 120 days, renewable for additional 120-day periods. It is optional and does not create the LLC.
Sources
- Delaware Division of Corporations — Online Services (Search for a Business Entity, Check Name Availability, Name Reservations): https://corp.delaware.gov/services/
- Delaware Division of Corporations — official site: https://corp.delaware.gov/
- Delaware Code Title 6, §18-102 — LLC name rules: https://delcode.delaware.gov/title6/c018/sc01/index.html
- Delaware Code Title 6, §18-1107 — annual tax on LLCs: https://delcode.delaware.gov/title6/c018/sc11/index.html
- Delaware Division of Corporations — Name Reservation Applications ($75, 120 days): https://corp.delaware.gov/