geauxBIZ & General Business Services - Louisiana Secretary of State's Office

About

For those interested in starting a business, the Commercial Division can assist with registering a domestic or foreign partnership, limited liability company, low-profit limited liability company, corporation, and limited liability partnership to operate in Louisiana. The Secretary of State is aware that many transactions in the business and financial world are time sensitive. To better serve the public, geauxBIZ.com provides online business document filing capability. Through the collaborative efforts of geauxBIZ, the Louisiana Secretary of State, the Louisiana Department of Revenue, and Louisiana Workforce Commission make it easy for you to manage your Louisiana business filings and tax account registrations from one location.

GeauxBIZ can also help you find resources to help plan your business operations, make key financial decisions, and complete legal activities necessary for your business. You can also use geauxBIZ to identify federal, state and local entities that may require possible licenses and permits required for the operation of your business.

A general listing of services provided through our geauxBIZ website portal and the Commercial Division are below:

Services Provided:

• Registering and filing documents (e.g. articles of incorporation/organization, annual reports, etc.) for businesses to operate, merge, dissolve and perform other business actions in Louisiana.
• Checking for name availability for your potential corporation, limited liability company, partnership, trade name, trademark, and service mark.
• Business entity name reservation. Trade name, Trademark and Service Mark registration.
• Creation of a Business License Checklist to produce a list of possible federal, state and local entities for licensing and permitting that may be required for your business and identification of corresponding resource providers.
• Database to search and identify business entities registered at the Secretary of State\'s Office. The database provides the entity\'s name, status, and dates of incorporation, organization, and registration; current registered office\'s location; registered agent\'s name and address; and the names and addresses of current officer(s), director(s), member(s), and manager(s).
• Providing copies of documents, certified documents and certificates (e.g. Certificate of Good Standing for corporations and limited liability companies; Certificate of Existence for corporations, partnerships, trade names and limited liability companies; Certificate of Registry for Partnerships; and Certificate of No Record for corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies) on file with the Secretary of State’s Office.
• Database to search, identify and locate notaries qualified in Louisiana.
• Online technical assistance chat service for further information regarding commercial services.

Several forms for business document filings can be located on the Secretary of State’s website, including the following forms:

• Articles of Incorporation/Organization
• Change of Registered Office, Agent, Member(s), Manager(s), Director(s), Officer(s), Principal Business Establishment in Louisiana, etc.
• Name Reservation, Name Reservation Transfer, Foreign Corporation Name Registration and Name Reservation for Trade name, Trademark & Service Mark
• Articles of Termination
• Affidavit to Dissolve
• Partnership Registration and Termination
• Application of Foreign Corporation for Certificate of Authority
• Application to Withdraw Foreign Corporation/Limited Liability Company from Louisiana
• Trade Name, Trademark & Service Mark Registration (Although the department handles trade name registration, Doing Business As [DBA] filings are not filed with our department. DBAs are filed at the parish level at the local Clerk of Court’s office) 

For your commercial needs, the Commercial Division offers several avenues for filing business documents, including online through geauxBIZ, regular mail, express mail and fax. Expedited filing options are available. The Commercial Division also offers the convenience of walk-in service. Please note that online filing of business documents are required for businesses located in certain parishes and the list of parishes can be located on the department’s website.

If you need further help with the commercial department’s services, you may call the commercial division, schedule an appointment online on our website (sos.la.gov) or chat online with our team. For more information regarding fees and different payment methods accepted for commercial services, please visit the department’s website.

**Disclaimer** The department does not provide legal advice. For more specialized advice about your business operations, an individual may need to contact an attorney, accountant, a Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) office, the Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC) or other professional to assist with specialized inquiries. SCORE is a non-profit association that provides free business counseling and LSBDC offers advice about business plans, grants, etc.