Florida · Business Entities · Official Lookup Guide
Florida business entity search: using the Division of Corporations records search.
Florida's Department of State, Division of Corporations, runs the state's official business entity index. This guide explains the search options, the document number, the status terms and the fields on a detail page.
Use the Florida Division of Corporations Search Records page. For corporations, limited liability companies and limited partnerships you can search by entity name, by officer or registered agent name, by registered agent name, by FEI/EIN, by document number, by zip code or by street address. A detail page shows the document number (6 or 12 digits), status, date filed, registered agent, officers and the last three annual reports.
What the official source says
The Search Records page groups its tools by record type. Under "Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, Limited Partnerships, and Trademarks" it lists these ways to search: Name, Officer/Registered Agent, Registered Agent Name, Trademark Name, Trademark Owner Name, FEI/EIN, Detail by Document Number, Zip Code and Street Address. Separate sections cover fictitious names, general and limited liability partnerships, judgment liens, federal lien registrations and cable franchises.
The Division's Corporation Records Search Guide says that when you search by an individual's name you enter last name, first name and middle initial, that partial names such as Doe, J are acceptable, that punctuation is optional and that the entire name is not necessary. Records are indexed alphabetically and the filings that come closest to your search are listed first; if an exact match does not appear you can scroll with Previous List and Next List to see the names indexed before and after.
Open the Florida records search
The search options and what each one is for
Name search is the usual starting point and the guide describes it as listing business entities and registrations by name, with the document number and status of each record in the results. Officer/Registered Agent Name search lists officers, directors, managers and registered agents by name, and each result points to the related business entity or registration. Registered Agent Name search lists all registered agents by name. FEI Number search lists Federal Employer Identification numbers and the entities associated with them; the guide warns that multiple entities may be listed under a single FEI number, so one hit does not mean one company.
Document Number search goes straight to the detailed information for the one entity or registration that carries that Department of State identification number. The guide gives two practical rules: a Record Not Found message means the document number does not exist in the Division's records, and you must use the number zero for all document numbers because the letter o is not accepted. Trademark Name and Trademark Owner Name searches cover trademark and service mark registrations and are a different record type from an entity record.
Reading the detail page
- Document Number: the guide defines it as a 6- or 12-digit number assigned by the Division of Corporations when a business entity or registration is filed.
- FEIN: the Federal Employer Identification number assigned by the IRS, where the entity has one.
- Date Filed and Effective Date: the date a document was filed, and the date the entity's existence became effective if that differs from the filing date.
- State: the state of domicile of the entity, which is how a foreign entity registered in Florida is distinguished from a Florida one.
- Status: the status of the filing, such as active or inactive.
- Last Event and Event Date Filed: the entity's most recent event and when it was filed or became effective.
- Registered Agent and Officer/Director Detail: the current registered agent and the names, addresses and titles of current officers, directors and managers.
- Annual Reports: the year and filing date of the last three annual reports, if any.
What the status terms mean
- Active: the business entity is active.
- Inactive: the business entity is inactive.
- Inactive/UA: inactive, but the name is held for a statutory period and is currently unavailable.
- Name HS: the previous name of the business entity.
- Cross Ref: the business entity's name in its home state.
- Inactive/MG: inactive due to a merger.
- Inactive/CV: inactive due to a conversion.
A worked example (hypothetical)
Sam (made up) is about to sign a services agreement with a company called Palmetto Harbor Supply LLC and wants to confirm it exists. This describes no real business.
Sam opens the Division's search, chooses the entity-name search and types a few keywords, Palmetto Harbor, rather than the full legal name, because the guide says the entire name is not necessary. In the list Sam finds the entry with the full name, notes the document number and status, and opens the detail page. Sam checks that the status reads Active, that the registered agent and officer names match the contract, and that the most recent annual report is recent. Sam copies the document number into the contract file so that a later search by document number, using zeros and not the letter o, lands on the same record. If the status had read Inactive/UA, Sam would ask the counterparty why.
Practical limits to keep in mind
A record shows what the entity has filed. It is not a credit check, a licence check or evidence that the business is trading, and filed documents are opened as PDFs from the detail page rather than summarised on screen. Searching by street address or zip code will return every entity filed at that address, which is useful for finding registered-agent mail drops but means a match proves little by itself.
What this page does not cover
- It does not run the search or store anything you type; there is no form on this page.
- It does not copy or republish any entity, officer or registered-agent record.
- It does not give fees or filing requirements; the Division's own pages cover those.
- It does not state anything about a particular business's status; only the official record does.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I search Florida business entities?
On the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations Search Records page, linked from this page.
What can I search by?
Entity name, officer or registered agent name, registered agent name, FEI/EIN, document number, zip code or street address, plus trademark name and owner name.
What is a Florida document number?
The Division's guide defines it as a 6- or 12-digit number assigned when a business entity or registration is filed.
Why does my document number say Record Not Found?
The guide says that message means the document number does not exist in the Division's records. Try again, and use the number zero, not the letter o.
Do I need the full business name?
No. The guide says partial names are acceptable and gives the example of searching Little Red Sch for Little Red School House, Inc.
What does Inactive/UA mean?
The Division defines it as inactive, with the name held for a statutory period and currently unavailable.
Can one FEI number show several entities?
Yes. The guide says multiple entities may be listed under a single FEI number.
Does TNAADO search Florida records for me?
No. This page explains the official search and links to it. It does not look anything up or collect anything.
Sources
Retrieved
Unofficial guide — not a verification tool
This is an unofficial guide to a public government service. TNAADO is not affiliated with Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, does not search or verify anything for you, does not copy or proxy any register, and sends nothing you type to its servers. Nothing here is an official verification, legal or financial advice. Details above were read from the official websites on 2 November 2026 and can change; always rely on the official site.