You need to confirm a name is free before you file, or verify a company before you sign with it. Guessing is how deals and formations go wrong.
The free official tool is the Business Name Search run by the New Jersey Division of Revenue & Enterprise Services (DORES). Use the DORES Business Name Search at njportal.com to look up any registered New Jersey entity or check whether a new name is available. Searching is free; only official reports and certificates cost money.
What Is the New Jersey Business Entity Search?
The New Jersey business entity search is a free public lookup of every registered entity in the state, maintained by DORES under the New Jersey Department of the Treasury. New Jersey has no Secretary of State business registry. The New Jersey Department of State confirms that modern corporate filings sit with “the Division of Revenue in the Department of the Treasury” (nj.gov/state archives).
The current DORES portal reflects the sitting administration under Governor Mikie Sherrill and Lt. Governor Dr. Dale G. Caldwell. The tool returns each entity’s name, status, entity type, entity ID, formation date, registered agent, and address.
What Is the Difference Between the Registered Business Search and the Name Availability Search?
The portal has two modes that answer two different questions. The Registered Businesses search tells you whether a name already exists in the database, regardless of status. The Name Availability search tells you whether you can legally register that name for a new entity, applying New Jersey’s distinguishability rules. Anyone forming a business checks availability first, before any filing.
| Question you are asking | Use this mode | Search inputs | Answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does this company exist? | Registered Businesses | Name keyword or entity ID | Any matching entity, any status (DORES) |
| Can I register this name? | Name Availability | Proposed new name | Whether the name is distinguishable and available for formation (DORES) |
Run availability before filing anything. You can pre-check a name with the Commenda company name checker, then confirm it inside the official DORES availability search.
How Do You Perform a New Jersey Business Entity Search Step by Step?
Go to the DORES portal, pick the search mode, enter partial terms, and review the results. The whole lookup is free and takes under a minute. Follow these steps:
- Open the DORES Business Name Search or the Business Records Service page.
- Pick the mode: Registered Businesses for lookups, Available Names before formation.
- Enter terms: partial names work, a wildcard is auto-appended to the end, and you can type `%` manually. Omit “Inc.” and “LLC” designators for broader matches.
- Review results: name, status, entity type, entity ID, formation date, registered agent, and address.
- Order paid documents if needed: status report, standing certificate, or certified copies.
How Do You Look Up a New Jersey Business by Entity ID?
Use the portal’s Entity Id Search to pull the exact record with no near-match noise. The New Jersey entity ID is the 10-digit number DORES assigns at registration. It appears on formation documents and in every search result. Searching by ID beats a name search for due diligence because it returns one definitive record.
You can also search by principal name (officer, director, or manager) or by registered agent, per the New Jersey State Library research guide. These axes help when you know a person but not the exact company name.
What Do New Jersey Business Status Results Mean?
Status tells you whether an entity can legally operate and contract in New Jersey. Search results show registered agent and principals only; they never disclose ownership, members, or shareholders. Read the status before you rely on any counterparty.
| Status | What it means | What it signals for a counterparty |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Filings and fees are current | Safe to contract; still confirm good standing |
| Inactive | Required filings or fees lapsed | Possible pending administrative dissolution |
| Revoked | Charter annulled for non-compliance | Cannot legally operate until reinstated |
| Dissolved | Entity formally ceased to exist | No longer an operating legal entity |
| Forfeited | Lost the right to do business in NJ | Reinstatement required before contracting |
| Merged | Combined into another entity | Separate existence has ended |
| Converted | Changed legal structure | Same entity, new form; verify current record |
| Suspended | Operations temporarily halted | Unresolved compliance issue outstanding |
Is the New Jersey Business Entity Search Free?
Searching and browsing are free. Official reports, certificates, certified copies, and abstracts cost money, because not every document is viewable online. The New Jersey State Library research guide confirms browsing is free while status reports are charged. Current DORES fees are below.
| Document | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Name or entity ID search | Free | DORES portal |
| Business status report | $5.00 + $1.25 online convenience fee | DORES fee schedule |
| Standing Certificate (corporation or LP) | $25.00 | DORES standing certificates |
| Standing Certificate (LLC/LLP, short form) | $50.00 | DORES standing certificates |
| Standing Certificate (LLC/LLP, long form) | $100.00 | DORES standing certificates |
| Certified copy (corporation, nonprofit, LP) | $25.00 per document + $0.10 per page | DORES certified copies |
| Certified copy (LLC) | $50.00 per document + $0.10 per page | DORES certified copies |
| No Record Certificate | $25.00; $50.00 for LLCs | DORES certified copies |
The DORES fee schedule was last updated July 1, 2026.
How Do You Order a Certificate of Good Standing in New Jersey?
Order a Standing Certificate (Certificate of Good Standing) through the Business Records Service after locating the entity. In New Jersey it certifies that an entity is registered and current on filings and fees. It costs $25.00 for corporations and limited partnerships (LPs), and $50.00 short form or $100.00 long form for limited liability companies (LLCs) and limited liability partnerships (LLPs), per the DORES standing certificate page.
This is the compliance-verification document, not just paperwork. Banks, lenders, buyers in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and other states’ foreign-qualification filings require it. That is why confirming a partner’s standing is part of legal compliance. An optional 8.5-business-hour expedite costs $15.00 per transaction for corporations, nonprofits, and LPs, or $25.00 per filing for LLCs and LLPs (DORES standing certificate page). Premium same-day, 2-hour, and 1-hour tiers run $50, $500, and $1,000 (DORES fee schedule). See the Commenda New Jersey Certificate of Good Standing guide for the full walkthrough.
How Do You Get Certified Copies of Formation Documents in NJ?
Order certified copies from the same DORES portal for a fee. A certified copy costs $25.00 per document for corporations, nonprofits, and LPs, or $50.00 per document for LLCs, plus $0.10 per page, per the DORES certified copies page. Name the document precisely: the Certificate of Incorporation for corporations and the Certificate of Formation for LLCs.
You need certified copies to open bank accounts, foreign-qualify in another state, or complete M&A due diligence. Only DORES is authorized to issue certified copies of New Jersey business entity documents.
What Types of Business Entities Appear in New Jersey Search Results?
Registered entities appear; sole proprietorships and general partnerships do not, unless they file a trade name (DBA) at the county clerk, not the state. Each registered type has a distinct formation document and filing fee.
| Entity type | Formation document | State filing fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLC | Certificate of Formation | $100.00 | DORES fee schedule |
| C-Corporation | Certificate of Incorporation | $100.00 | DORES fee schedule |
| Nonprofit corporation | Certificate of Incorporation | $50.00 | DORES fee schedule |
| Limited partnership (LP) | Certificate of Limited Partnership | $100.00 | DORES fee schedule |
| Foreign entity qualifying in NJ | Certificate of Authority | $100.00 | DORES fee schedule |
An S-Corp is not a separate New Jersey formation type. You form a corporation, then elect S status with the IRS, which New Jersey recognizes via form CBT-2553. LLCs form under the Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act (N.J.S.A. 42:2C-1 et seq.), effective March 18, 2013 (P.L.2012, c.50). See the Commenda New Jersey LLC formation guide for the full process.
How Do You Use the NJ Search for Due Diligence and Company Research?
Pull status, formation date, registered agent, and entity ID before you sign a contract or close a deal. The record shows those fields plus addresses. It does not show ownership, cap tables, financials, or bylaws, which are internal documents in the United States. For which document holds which fact, use the DORES Guide for Requesting Public Record Information.
One caveat: recent changes lag. DORES updates electronic filings by 10:00 AM the next business day (DORES standing certificate page). A change filed today may not appear until then, so a very recent status update can be missing when you look.
How Do You Go From Name Search to a Registered New Jersey Business?
The path is one sequence: run the Name Availability search, reserve the name, file the formation document, register for taxes with Form NJ-REG, then get an EIN from the IRS. The formation filing and NJ-REG are separate, sequential steps, not the same filing.
| Step | Action | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reserve the available name (exclusive for 120 days) | $50.00 | DORES fee schedule |
| 2 | File the Public Records Filing for New Business Entity (Certificate of Formation or Incorporation) | $100.00 | DORES fee schedule |
| 3 | Register for state tax and employer purposes with Form NJ-REG to get the Business Registration Certificate (BRC) | Registration filing | DORES business registration |
| 4 | Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) | Free | IRS EIN application |
| 5 | File the annual report each year to keep good standing | $75.00 for-profit; $30.00 nonprofit | DORES fee schedule |
New Jersey requires the Certificate of Incorporation or Formation before you can file NJ-REG (DORES business registration). Every registered entity must list a New Jersey registered agent; a registered agent service satisfies this if you have no in-state address. See the Commenda New Jersey business registration guide and the Commenda New Jersey business license guide for the steps that follow.
Does an Out-of-State Company Need to Register in New Jersey?
Yes. A company formed elsewhere that does business in New Jersey must foreign-qualify with DORES before operating, and its New Jersey name must clear the same availability check. Doing business, such as maintaining an office or employees in the state, triggers qualification. Foreign qualification files a Certificate of Authority for $100.00 (DORES fee schedule).
The entity search confirms the name is clear before you qualify and later proves your standing to other parties. The same registered agent requirement applies. Multi-state operators should run each state’s registry; see the Commenda New York business registration guide for a neighboring example.
How Commenda Helps With New Jersey Entity Formation and Compliance
Commenda handles New Jersey incorporation end to end and keeps the entity compliant afterward. Commenda’s incorporation service forms your entity through the same standardized workflow in every jurisdiction, so country 12 behaves like country 1. Commenda’s entity management platform tracks your filings, deadlines, registered agent, and documents in one place, and provides registered agent services across most US states so you always have an official New Jersey address of record.
Stay ahead of every due date with the Commenda compliance calendar, and pre-check any name with the Commenda company name checker before you file. Book a demo to get every New Jersey formation and annual filing handled for you.
