How To Do An Alaska Business Name Search

Whether you’re researching the availability of a business name or checking the status of a business entity, find the information you need from the state of Alaska Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing’s website.

The Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing Corporate Database search provides information for:

• Corporations
• LLCs
• Limited Partnerships

The database doesn’t include information for sole proprietorships or general partnerships, as those registrations are handled at the local level.

There is no fee for searching the database.

Related: How to start a business in Alaska

Steps For Searching Corporation and LLC Names In Alaska

Step 1: Visit the Alaska Entity Name Database

Visit the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development’s Corporations Database

Step 2: Search for a Business Name

In this example, we will search for “Sew What.”

Here, we see three records.  There is an entity name that is an exact match to the one we were searching for.  Even so, be sure to look at the status column.  If it shows “Expired Name,” this means it was registered at one time but is no longer.  The last entry, “Sew What?! Quilting With Attitude, LLC,” has the first part of the business name like the one we were searching for, but the remaining name is different.  Approval for a name like this would be on a case-by-case basis but would likely not be approved.

If you wanted more information about one of the entries, click on the “Entity #.”  Let’s look at the last entry for more information, number 122463.  Here you will be able to look at a few important things.

• Entity Type – The business in this example is a Limited Liability Company (LLC).
• Entity Number – The number that identifies the LLC with the Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing.
• Status – “Good Standing” means the business entity has paid their filing fees, and all reports are up to date.
• AK Formed Date – This is the date when the LLC was formed.
• Duration/Expiration – This is what the members chose for how long the LLC would operate.  Perpetual is common and means it does not plan to close.
• Next Biennial Report Due – In Alaska, LLCs have to file a report every two years.
• Registered Agent – The Registered Agent is the single point of contact should the state need to contact someone within the LLC.  The Registered Agent can be the owner of the LLC, but note that a physical address has to be used and is often the owner’s home address.  This is concerning for some people and is why they use a Registered Agent Service like NorthWest Registered Agent.
• Officials – The names and titles of the individuals involved with the LLC. You are also able to look at the Articles of Organization and Biennial Reports to see what was entered.

What we really hope to see in a search is when there are no results.  In this example, we will look up “Cowboy Cleaners”.  As you can see, there are no businesses registered under that name.  This means the name is fully able to be registered for your business.