If you are starting a business in Illinois, you should first search for the availability of your preferred name with the Illinois Secretary of State. The SOS is responsible for keeping an updated record of all businesses allowed to operate in the state. Make sure you follow the Illinois SOS business naming guidelines. Your preferred name should include the abbreviations “LLC or L.L.C.” or the full phrase Limited Liability Company. Words or phrases such as University, Bank, or Attorney require additional approvals by the respective authorities.
If the name is available for registration, the search results will show “No Results Found.” This confirms to you the name has not been registered by another person and you can proceed with the registration process. If you are not ready to start the registration process immediately, the Illinois Secretary of State will allow you to reserve the name for up to 30 days at a fee of $25. You must include the tax fee for online business name reservations. To conduct an LLC or Corporation search in Illinois, visit the Illinois Secretary of State Website. The types of organizations that you can search include:
- Sole Proprietorship
- Business Corporations
- Limited Liability Company (LLC)
- Limited Partnership
- Non-Profit Corporation (Inc.)
- Public Benefit Corporation (PBC)
- General Corporation
Illinois Secretary of State Business Lookup Contact Details
| Website | www.ilsos.gov |
| Phones | (217) 782-6961 (Information Line) (312) 793-3380 (Voice) (217)-558-3094 (Fax) |
| Address | OFFICE ADDRESS: 69 W. Washington, Suite 1240 Chicago, IL, 60602 MAILING ADDRESS: 69 W. Washington, Suite 1240 Chicago, IL 60602 |
| Hours | Monday — Friday: 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (CST) |
| Business: [email protected] |
Illinois Business Entity & Corporation Search
Lookup Illinois Corporation Search
Step 1 – Visit the Illinois Secretary of State Website
Information for Illinois corporation search is available at the official website of the Illinois Secretary of State. The business entities you can search for include Sole Proprietorships, Business Corporations, Limited Liability Company (LLC), and Limited Partnership.
Criteria for Business Name search in Illinois is done using: Business Name, Key Word, or Partial Word. Click to highlight your preferred search method and then enter the business name details you have in the search field. If you want a more detailed report, contact the Illinois Secretary of State through email or telephone.
Step 2: Select Your Entity
After keying your options, click the search icon to generate your search results. If the name is registered, a list of names will be displayed, as shown below.
Go through the matching results one by one and sort them out. To make your lookup easier, the table issued by the Illinois Secretary of State displays both the active and dissolved and merged entities from the database. It consists of the Entity Type, File Number, and Corporation/LLC Name. Once you have located the listing you are looking for, check the Corporation/LLC Name column and click the link. You will be redirected to the Illinois Corporation Search/Information Page, showing the details of the specific entity.
Step 3: Download information
This is the last step of the lookup LLC Illinois. You now have all the registration details, including:
- File Number
- Entity Name
- Status
- Entity Type
- Type of Corp
- Incorporation Date
- State
- Duration Date
- Agent Information
- Annual Report
- Officers
- Assumed Name
The Illinois Secretary of State allows you to request certified copies of all business documents stored in its database at a fee. The only exception is if the entity is specifically exempted from disclosure based on state or federal law.