SOS Entity SearchPublic registry guide

36 · jurisdiction profile

New York business filings, made easier to navigate.

This is the practical starting point for researching entities administered by New York Department of State, Division of Corporations. Find the public search tool, understand the state’s filing rhythm, and plan the evidence and maintenance steps that follow.

Open official entity search

Domestic LLC

New York domestic LLC Articles of Organization cost $200.00. The filing must use a distinguishable LLC name, provide the New York Secretary of State as statutory agent for service of process with a forwarding address, and include the required organizer and management information. New York LLCs also have a publication requirement in the applicable county after formation.

Domestic corporation

New York domestic business-corporation Certificate of Incorporation costs $125.00 under the current Department of State schedule. Authorized shares, incorporator, purpose, and statutory agent/service address information are required. Tax Law organization and franchise-tax obligations are separate.

Standard turnaround

New York accepts online and paper filings, but the public fee schedule does not promise a universal ordinary turnaround. Complete submissions are reviewed for statutory sufficiency and name availability; mailed filings are slower. A receipt is not an accepted certificate.

Executive overview

What this state profile helps you decide

A state registry profile has two jobs. First, it tells you where the official record lives and how to search it. Second, it gives you enough compliance context to understand what the record means after you find it.

For New York, the filing office is New York Department of State, Division of Corporations. The current public-facing portal is powered or identified as New York Department of State Corporation and Business Entity Database. The agency page and search engine should be treated as the final source for live forms, accepted payment methods, processing queues, and entity-specific notices.

Use this page when you need a high-level answer. Use the linked modules when you are preparing an actual filing, trying to cure a delinquency, ordering documentary evidence, or changing the statutory agent.

State filing snapshot

The numbers and obligations to surface first

Decision pointWhat the current profile says
Domestic formationLLC: New York domestic LLC Articles of Organization cost $200.00. The filing must use a distinguishable LLC name, provide the New York Secretary of State as statutory agent for service of process with a forwarding address, and include the required organizer and management information. New York LLCs also have a publication requirement in the applicable county after formation.
Corporation: New York domestic business-corporation Certificate of Incorporation costs $125.00 under the current Department of State schedule. Authorized shares, incorporator, purpose, and statutory agent/service address information are required. Tax Law organization and franchise-tax obligations are separate.
Foreign qualificationLLC: Foreign LLC Application for Authority costs $250.00. The application must provide home-jurisdiction existence evidence, New York service-of-process address, required name information, and any assumed name. Publication and Department of Taxation registration obligations may also apply.
Corporation: Foreign corporation authority filing uses the current Business Corporation Law schedule; the accessible fee table did not expose one complete 2026 amount for every foreign corporation. A home-state certificate, New York statutory service address, authorized-share data, and distinguishable or assumed name are required.
Recurring maintenanceLLC: New York LLCs do not file a conventional annual report, but every two years they file a $9.00 Biennial Statement before the end of the anniversary month, updating the service-of-process forwarding address and filer information. LLCs may also owe an annual filing fee to the New York Tax Department based on New York-source income; that is separate from the DOS $9.00 statement.
Corporation: New York corporations file biennial statements under the applicable Business Corporation Law schedule; the Department of State fee is entity-specific and should be confirmed from the DOS record. Corporations also file tax returns and pay New York franchise tax to the Tax Department, which is separate from the DOS statement.
Registered agentNew York corporations and many LLCs use the Secretary of State as statutory agent for service of process, with a forwarding address maintained by the entity. A corporation may also have an appointed agent where statute permits. The service address is public and must be kept current; failure to update forwarding information can cause missed lawsuits even though the Secretary receives process.

Choose your next guide

Formation is the beginning, not the compliance plan

The cheapest formation route is not always the simplest operating route. Before filing, confirm the name standard, statutory agent requirements, authorized-share or member information, local licensing, tax registrations, and any professional-entity restrictions that apply to the planned activity.

After formation, calendar the first report or statement immediately. A newly created entity may have a first-year exception, an anniversary-month due date, a quarterly filing window, or a separate tax obligation. Treat the agency record, revenue department account, and local license file as related—but separate—workstreams.

How to use the official record responsibly

Save the entity ID, legal name, status, registered agent and office, formation or qualification date, and the most recent filed document. When a third party asks for “proof,” ask whether it needs a current certificate, certified charter, tax clearance, apostille, or a plain search result. Those are different documents with different evidentiary value.