Before you form an entity, sign a partner, or send a payment, you need to confirm a Louisiana business is real and active. The Louisiana Secretary of State (SOS) Commercial Search does this for free. Run it on the state’s CORAWeb Commercial Search portal to pull official records for any business filed in Louisiana.
This guide shows you how to search by name, number, or officer, how to read the status field, and how to verify good standing, registered agents, and annual reports. Nancy Landry serves as Louisiana’s current Secretary of State, per the Louisiana Secretary of State.
What Is the Louisiana Business Entity Search?
The Louisiana business entity search is the free, public Commercial Search run by the Louisiana Secretary of State on its CORAWeb portal. It covers every entity filed with the SOS, including active, dissolved, revoked, and forfeited companies. Dissolved entities stay searchable with their full filing history, so a missing result rarely means a business simply closed.
The portal requires no login or payment, per the Louisiana SOS Commercial Search. The page is protected by reCAPTCHA under Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, and it enforces a session timeout that warns you before an inactive session expires, both confirmed on the live CORAWeb portal.
How Do You Search the Louisiana Secretary of State Business Database?
Go to the CORAWeb Commercial Search portal, pick one of exactly three search types, enter your terms, and review the results. The three modes are entity name, ID number, and officer or agent name, per the Louisiana SOS Commercial Search. Each mode has its own required field and official on-page search hints.
| Search mode | Required field | Official search hint | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entity Name | Business name (partial accepted, not case-sensitive) | “Use the full name to limit results”; “use as many words as possible that are in the name” | Louisiana SOS CORAWeb portal |
| Charter Number, Trade Registration Number, or Name Reservation Number | One unified ID field | No hint block; enter the exact number | Louisiana SOS CORAWeb portal |
| Officer Name or Agent Name | Separate First Name and Last Name | “Use the last name and at least first initial to limit results” | Louisiana SOS CORAWeb portal |
How Do You Search by Entity Name?
Type any part of the business name into the Entity Name field, because the search accepts partial names and is not case-sensitive, per the Louisiana SOS. The official hints tell you to “use the full name to limit results” and to “use as many words as possible that are in the name.” Broad terms return long lists, so add words to narrow them.
How Do You Search by Charter Number, Trade Registration Number, or Name Reservation Number?
One field on CORAWeb accepts three distinct ID types, per the Louisiana SOS. A charter number is the unique identifier the SOS assigns to a corporation or LLC at filing. A Trade Registration Number belongs to a registered trade name. A Name Reservation Number is issued when you reserve a name before formation. Enter the exact number for a direct match.
How Do You Search by Officer or Agent Name?
Use the Officer Name or Agent Name mode, which has separate first and last name fields, per the Louisiana SOS. The on-page hint advises using “the last name and at least first initial to limit results.” This is the closest thing to an owner search Louisiana offers. There is no dedicated beneficial-owner field in the portal.
What Do Louisiana Business Search Results Show?
Results appear in a table listing the business name, entity type, city, status, and a “Details” button, per the Louisiana SOS Commercial Search. Open Details for the full record: charter number, formation date, registered agent, officers, business addresses, and complete filing history. The charter number lives in this Details view, which is where you find it when a filing or certificate does not have it.
What Do Louisiana Entity Status Indicators Mean?
The status field tells you whether an entity can legally operate. An active entity is current on its filings and can transact. Dissolved, forfeited, and revoked entities cannot operate normally until reinstated or reformed, per Louisiana SOS entity records.
| Status | Meaning | Legal effect | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Current on required filings and fees | Can legally conduct business | Louisiana SOS entity records |
| Administratively Dissolved | Failed to file reports or pay fees | Loses authority until reinstated | Louisiana SOS entity records |
| Forfeited | Registration revoked for non-compliance | Cannot operate until reinstated | Louisiana SOS entity records |
| Revoked / Cancelled | Registration ended after prolonged non-compliance or dissolution | Usually requires new formation | Louisiana SOS entity records |
| Inactive / Dissolved | Voluntarily wound down | Legally ended; no new business | Louisiana SOS entity records |
Which Business Types Appear in a Louisiana Entity Search (and Which Don’t)?
Entities that file formation documents with the SOS appear in the search; those with no filing requirement do not. LLCs, corporations, and partnerships that register show up, while sole proprietorships and unregistered general partnerships stay invisible unless they register a trade name, per Louisiana SOS filing rules.
| Entity type | Appears in the search? | Why | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited Liability Company (LLC) | Yes | Files Articles of Organization with the SOS | Louisiana SOS filing rules |
| Corporation | Yes | Files Articles of Incorporation with the SOS | Louisiana SOS filing rules |
| Limited Partnership (LP) | Yes | Registers with the SOS | Louisiana SOS filing rules |
| Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) | Yes | Registers with the SOS | Louisiana SOS filing rules |
| Nonprofit corporation | Yes | Files with the SOS | Louisiana SOS filing rules |
| General partnership | Only if it registered a trade name | Louisiana requires no formation filing | Louisiana SOS filing rules |
| Sole proprietorship | Only if it registers a trade name | Sole proprietors have no SOS registration requirement | Louisiana SOS filing rules |
Can You Search Louisiana Trade Names (DBAs)?
Yes. Registered trade names, also called Doing Business As (DBA) names, sit in the same CORAWeb portal and are searchable by name or by Trade Registration Number, per the Louisiana SOS. Sole proprietors and general partnerships register trade names by choice. That registration is exactly what makes an otherwise-invisible business appear in the search.
How Do You Check Louisiana LLC Name Availability?
The search is a preliminary check only. It shows existing names that conflict with yours, but only a formal name reservation through geauxBIZ secures the name. A Louisiana name reservation lasts 60 days for a $25 filing fee and is renewable through two 30-day extensions, per the Louisiana Secretary of State name reservation instructions.
Louisiana names must be distinguishable from existing entities. An LLC needs a designator such as “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” or “Limited Liability Company.” A corporation needs “Inc.,” “Corporation,” “Incorporated,” or “Company.” Restricted words like “bank” and “insurance” need agency approval first. Test candidates fast with the Commenda company name checker before you file.
How Do You Check If a Louisiana LLC Is in Good Standing?
The status field in your search results is the first signal, and a formal Certificate of Good Standing is a separate document you order from the SOS. The certificate confirms the entity is current on its annual reports and fees, per the Louisiana Secretary of State. Order it through SOS online services once the record shows the entity active.
Buyers, lenders, and partners often require the certificate before contracts close. The free status field tells you where the entity stands today. The certificate is the paper proof.
How Do You Verify a Louisiana Registered Agent Online?
Open the entity’s Details view, where the registered agent’s name and Louisiana address are listed, per the Louisiana SOS. Every Louisiana LLC and corporation must maintain a registered agent with a physical Louisiana address. Verify it during due diligence, before signing contracts, and to confirm where service of process should go.
A missing or out-of-state agent address is a red flag. Cross-check it against the entity’s status and filing history in the same view.
What Are Louisiana Annual Report Filing Requirements?
Louisiana LLCs and corporations file an annual report through geauxBIZ, due each year by the entity’s formation anniversary date, per the Louisiana Secretary of State. The annual report fee is $25, per the Louisiana SOS. Missing it pushes the entity to not-in-good-standing and, over time, to revocation, which is what the status table reflects.
Track anniversary dates across every entity you own with the Commenda compliance calendar so a missed report never triggers revocation.
Why Does a Louisiana Entity Search Return No Results?
A no-result search usually means the entity has no SOS filing, not that it closed. Common causes: the business changed its name, it is a sole proprietorship or unregistered general partnership, it is registered in another state, or the filing is too recent. New filings typically appear within 24 hours, per the Louisiana SOS.
Check the “Previous Names” field in Details and search the former name after a name change. Dissolved status is never the reason a result disappears, because dissolved, revoked, and forfeited entities stay searchable with their filing history. Merged or converted entities show their path in the filing history inside Details.
What Should You Do After Your Louisiana Entity Search?
If you are forming a business, reserve the name, file formation documents, and calendar the first annual report. If you already operate, monitor your status, file amendments when details change, and stay current on annual reports to hold good standing.
| Step | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name reservation (60 days, renewable) | $25 | Louisiana SOS name reservation instructions |
| LLC Articles of Organization | Check the current fee schedule | Louisiana SOS fee schedule |
| Corporation Articles of Incorporation | Check the current fee schedule | Louisiana SOS fee schedule |
| Annual report | $25 | Louisiana SOS |
Start a new filing from the Louisiana SOS business filings page and confirm current amounts on the fee schedule before you pay.
How Commenda Helps With Louisiana Entity Compliance
The search tells you where an entity stands. Keeping it there is the ongoing work. Commenda’s entity management platform handles Louisiana SOS filings, registered agent service, annual report deadlines, and corporate secretarial work across every state and country you operate in, so a missed anniversary never turns into a revocation.
Forming a new Louisiana entity? Commenda’s incorporation service files your Articles and stands up the entity correctly the first time. Track every deadline with the Commenda compliance calendar.
Book a demo to get a free compliance-status review of your Louisiana entities, with each entity’s status and next filing date in one place.
