Missouri Secretary of State

The Missouri Secretary of State (SOS) is a member of the government’s executive branch and has statutory/constitutional duties in the state. He/she maintains a record of the governor’s official acts, is the guardian of the state’s seal, and keeps the MO records/documentation. 

The SOS serves for 4 years. To be considered for the SOS office, the state law requires correspondence to the following standard qualifications:

• Be a US citizen, a legal resident for one year (immediately after election/appointment)

• Not delinquent in the payment of any real/personal property, state income taxes on the residence place

• Not a past/current corporate officer of any fee office that has tax debts to the state

• Have a clear criminal background under the laws of Missouri and the US

How Do I Find a Business Name in Missouri?

Company name lookup is the most important step when forming an LLC or corporation. This lookup checks all available names and ensures the availability of the one you want. Like many other US states, Missouri, in its turn, requires companies to have unique names. 

So, run a business entity search through the Missouri Secretary of State before registering your corporation/LLC. You will not need to pay any fees for that. Here are the steps to lookup LLC/corporation names in Missouri:

1. Enter the entity name database through the Missouri Secretary of State website.

2. Write in the title you would prefer to apply in the “Search for a Business Entity” bar. 

3. After the results appear on the next page, look them through carefully. You need to choose one that will be distinguishable from the others. To get more information about each registered name, just click on them.

How to Do a Missouri Business Entity Search

If you are ready to search for your legal entity, make sure to have the below-mentioned information on hand:  

• The business name you want to search

• The entity type

• The county/city in which the company operates

These data will help you to narrow down your lookup and find the companies you are searching for. While searching for any company or corporation, you may choose between a few different lookup options. To conduct them, you should first enter the Missouri Secretary of State’s website.

By Business Name

The first way is searching by the business name. You need to select the “Starting With” drop-down menu and then enter the title you look for. You may as well select the “Any Word” option. This will let you look up any word in the company name.

Another option is searching by “All Words”. The results will be for entities with all words that you have typed in the search bar. In case you choose “Exact Match”, there will appear entities, whose names completely match what you wrote into the search bar.

After you select any of these options, you can then click on the “Search” button to view the results of your MO business entity lookup.

By Registered Agent

The second method of lookup is to do it by a registered agent. To conduct it, you need to select the “Registered Agent” unfolding menu and enter the registered agent’s name you look for. After clicking on the “Search” button, the results list will appear below.

To get additional information about the LLC, click on the registered agent's name. 

Name Availability

The next way of MO business search is done by name availability. To do it, just choose the “Name Availability” unfolding menu and then enter the company name you are searching for.

Charter Number

The last method is done through the charter number. Find the charter number you are looking for on the SOS website, select the “Charter Number” unfolding menu, and enter the number.

Missouri  Business License 

Many local governments in MO claim business licenses on a county or city level. Like many other US states, the only license regulated at the state level is the sales tax license, sometimes named a seller’s permit.

How Much Does a Business License Cost in Missouri?

The state does not require any payments when applying for a Missouri sales tax permit. However, you may need to pay a bond/deposit equal to 3 times the usual amount of use/sales tax (owed by your company).