Georgia · Business Entities · Official Lookup Guide
Georgia business entity search: using the Corporations Division business search.
The Georgia Secretary of State's Corporations Division runs the public business search. This guide explains the search fields, what a control number is for and what the search is not designed to do.
Use the Georgia Secretary of State Corporations Division Business Search. You can search by business name (starts with, contains or exact match), by control number, or by registered agent, officer or designated agent name. The page says the search returns all of an entity's information of record and that it is not intended to serve as a name availability search.
What the official source says
The Business Search page offers three match types for a name search: Starts With, Contains and Exact Match. The Business Name field takes a partial or full name. Below it are fields for Control Number, Registered Agent Name, Officer Name and Designated Agent Name. The top menu also links to a Service of Process Search and a Trademark Search, which are separate from the business search.
The page's instructions say the search provides access to all the entity's information of record with the Secretary of State, and that for information on ordering certificates or copies of documents you should use the HOME tab of the menu. Its note is explicit that the search is not intended to serve as a name availability search. To search you select the search type, enter the name or number and press Search.
Open the Georgia business search
The search fields and when to use each
Starts With is the tightest name match short of exact and is a good first try when you know how the company's name begins. Contains is wider and finds the name anywhere in the entity name, which helps when you remember only a distinctive word. Exact Match is for a full legal name. Because the page says you can enter a partial or full name, you do not need the suffix such as LLC or Inc. to begin with.
The Control Number field is for the identifier the Corporations Division assigns to an entity. If you have it from a filing, a certificate or a contract, searching by it avoids the ambiguity of similar names. The page does not state a length or digit pattern for control numbers, so this guide does not either; enter the number exactly as it appears on the document you have.
Registered Agent Name, Officer Name and Designated Agent Name searches work the other way round: you start with a person or agent and find the entities they are attached to. They are useful for due diligence and for finding every entity that shares an agent, but a common name will return many unrelated results.
The search is not a name availability check
The page says in a note that the business search is not intended to serve as a name availability search. A name that does not appear in the results is therefore not proof that you can register it. Name availability is decided by the Corporations Division when a filing is made, and its own pages are the place to ask. Treat a clean-looking search as a reason to check further, not as clearance.
Certificates and copies
The business search shows what is of record. If you need a certified document, such as a certificate for a bank or a lender, the page directs you to the HOME tab of the Corporations Division site for ordering certificates and copies. That is a separate transaction from searching and is handled on the official site.
A worked example (hypothetical)
Priya (made up) is a bookkeeper onboarding a new vendor, Peachtree Mill Works LLC, and the vendor has quoted a control number on its invoice. This describes no real business.
Priya opens the business search and enters the control number from the invoice. If the record opens, she compares the entity name, the registered agent and the officers against the invoice and the vendor's signed paperwork. If nothing is found, she re-checks the number against the document it came from and then falls back to a Starts With name search on Peachtree Mill, widening to Contains if needed. If the entity still cannot be located she asks the vendor for its filed certificate rather than guessing.
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, agent or officer record.
- It does not state a control number pattern; the official page does not.
- It does not give filing requirements, fees or annual-registration rules; the Corporations Division's pages cover those.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I search Georgia business entities?
On the Georgia Secretary of State Corporations Division Business Search, linked from this page.
What name match options are there?
Starts With, Contains and Exact Match, using a partial or full business name.
Can I search by control number?
Yes. The search form has a Control Number field.
Can I search by an officer or agent?
Yes. There are fields for Registered Agent Name, Officer Name and Designated Agent Name.
Is this a name availability search?
No. The page says the search is not intended to serve as a name availability search.
How do I order a certificate or copies?
The page says to use the HOME tab of the Corporations Division site for ordering certificates and copies.
Does TNAADO search Georgia 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 Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division, 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.