Verify Your Business Name With an Indiana Business Entity Search

If you’re considering starting a business, there are many factors to consider. On the bumpy road to becoming a business owner, you may forget one crucial part: finding the right name for your LLC.

Naming an LLC isn’t as easy as registering the first word or phrase that comes to your mind. The state of Indiana has certain rules you need to follow, including coming up with a name that’s not already taken by another business. You’d think a simple Google search of available LLC names would be enough, but it’s not.

Fortunately, you can use our free business name search to see whether a specific name is available. The service is completely free and offers speed and convenience. You’ll get the results in one business hour. If the unique name you wanted is available, you’ll get instructions on reserving it.

Here’s how the process looks:

1. Send us the desired name and your email address 

2. Wait up to one hour to receive results

3. Reserve your business name if available, or search a new name

4. Form your LLC

Key Takeaways

• You must have a unique business name in the state of Indiana.

• The Indiana Secretary of State has specific business naming conventions that all entity types must follow.

• If you find that your desired business name is available after conducting a business name search, reserve it as soon as possible.

Indiana’s Business Name Conventions

Whether you’re forming a corporation or LLC, you must know Indiana’s business naming conventions. These conventions represent guidelines you must follow to register your business entity. We’ve summed them up for you:

• Business names must be distinguishable from other businesses in Indiana (differences in punctuation, capitalization, business identifiers, plurals or possessives, and hyphenation don’t make a business name distinguishable)[1]

• Indiana LLCs must include “limited liability company” or its abbreviations (LLC or L.L.C.) in the name

• Indiana corporations must include “company,” “corporation,” “incorporated,” “limited,” or abbreviations like “Corp.,” “Inc.,” “Co.,” “Ltd.,” and similar

• Business names cannot include words that would make people believe it’s a government agency

• Entity names must fill out additional paperwork to use certain words like attorney, university, or bank

• Business names can’t include swear words or restricted words and phrases

The state of Indiana reviews every request for a name reservation or registration. If your chosen business name is similar to an already existing one, the state reserves the right to deny your request. If you want to avoid such situations, ensure to check name availability.

Benefits of an Indiana Entity Search

Here are the benefits you’ll enjoy if you use an Indiana entity search tool:

• Find authentic names: These unique names allow you to build a brand, launch marketing campaigns, and attract customers.

• Save time: Let’s say you jumped to submitting formation documents and creating promotional materials without conducting an Indiana entity search, and then the frustration you’d feel if you got a rejection letter because your business name is already taken. An entity search could save you a lot of time toward forming an LLC.

• Save money: Starting a business in Indiana isn’t free, and you don’t want to pay filing fees just to end up getting rejected due to the company name.

• Avoid lawsuits: If you try to use a company name that’s similar to another business entity in Indiana, you risk being sued, hurting your budget and the company’s reputation.

• Get closer to landing your desired domain name: You typically want your domain name to match the company name. The sooner you get a unique name, the bigger the chances of getting the appropriate domain name.

Next Steps

You’ve completed the Indiana business entity search and found the perfect name for your new business. This is only the first step toward forming your company. You need to take a few essential actions before becoming a business owner in Indiana.

Complete Your Name Reservation

Merely conducting a business name search and seeing the name you want is available doesn’t mean you can start using it. You first need to make it official. 

That process is called name reservation, and it guarantees nobody in Indiana can grab it. Once you reserve a name, it will be displayed as taken in the database, so you don’t have to worry about someone snatching it.

Every state has different name reservation rules. In Indiana, a reservation is valid for 120 days, or roughly four months.[1] This gives you ample time to collect paperwork and submit business formation documents.

Indiana is one of the few states that doesn’t allow you to choose whether to file a name reservation application online or via mail. In this case, online filing is your only option. Fortunately, the process is simple and doesn’t require more than a few minutes.

The state of Indiana has a business portal named INBiz, where you can handle everything related to your business, including checking name availability and reserving a name. Here’s how the process looks:

1. Go to INBiz and create an account if you don’t have one

2. Choose “Secretary of State Business Service Division”

3. Press “Name reservation”

4. Fill in the required fields with your name, contact information, and the business name you want to reserve

5. Pay the $10 filing fee to reserve the name

You can pay the filing fee with a Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover credit card.

It’s important to mention that reserving a business name isn’t mandatory in Indiana. You can jump straight to filing your Articles of Organization and forming your LLC. However, securing a name buys you time until you get everything in order and are ready to launch your business.

Choose a Domain Name

A website is one of the best ways to attract customers and sell more products or services. Today, most companies have an internet presence, and you should consider launching a website even before officially launching your business.

You want potential customers to be able to find your website with ease. This usually means that the domain name should be identical or very similar to your company name. Just like business names, domain names need to be unique. Therefore, to choose one, you must first check whether it’s available.

Squarespace’s easy-to-use domain search tool can help you quickly find and register a domain name that matches your Indiana business. You can then choose from Squarespace’s flexible website templates, pre-designed layouts, and curated design elements to build a website — no coding required. Start your business with Swyft Filings and receive a free domain from SquareSpace for one year.

What happens if you really like a name but it’s already taken? In such cases, your only option is to contact the domain’s owner and ask them to sell it. Be aware that this option may not work, so you should consider searching for variations of the desired name.

You should also consider registering a trademark and distinguishing your brand from others.[2]

Consider a DBA

Sometimes, you may wish to register your company under one name and use a different one for marketing and branding purposes or when dealing with customers. In such cases, you should consider a DBA. Think of a DBA (doing business as) as your company’s alias.

A DBA or assumed name gives you more freedom to create a name that resonates with your customer. But this doesn’t mean you can take any name you want and place it on your promotional material, products, or office space. Official approval from the Secretary of State is still necessary.

The first action you need to take to register a DBA is to conduct a search and ensure the desired name is available. Then, you must set up your DBA with the Secretary of State. To do that, you’ll need to file the Certificate of Assumed Business Name, which you can do online or by mail.

If you want to file the certificate online, here’s what to do:

1. Go to INBiz and log in to your account

2. Find “Certificate of Assumed Business Name” and fill in the required fields

3. Pay a $20 filing fee ($10 for nonprofit organizations)

If you want to do this via mail, follow the steps below:

1. Download the Certification of Assumed Business Name

2. Enter the required information

3. Pay a $30 filing fee ($26 for nonprofit organizations)

4. Send the form to this address:

Indiana Secretary of State

Business Services Division

302 West Washington St., Room E018

Indianapolis, IN 46204

File Your LLC Online

Congratulations, you are now one step closer to forming your LLC. Swyft Filings can be your co-passenger along the way. From finding the perfect name for your business with our free business name search tool to handling filing paperwork, we’re at your disposal.

Once you’ve set everything up, we can help you with business name changes, annual reports, taxes, and more.

FAQs

How do I find out if a business name is available in Indiana?

You can use the Swyft Filings free business name search to quickly determine if your business name is available in Indiana. The Indiana Secretary of State’s website also hosts a database where you can search business names using the INBiz platform.

What is an Indiana Secretary of State Business Name Search?

The Indiana Secretary of State Business Name Search is a handy tool you can use to check whether a particular business name is available. The tool analyzes the state’s databases and checks if the name you want is already in use.

How do I find a business entity in Indiana?

You can find a business entity in Indiana using two methods. The first method is visiting the state’s business portal, INBiz, and searching for an entity using specific criteria. The second method is letting Swyft Filings handle the search and present you the results.

How much does an Indiana business name search cost?

Our Indiana business name search is completely free.

What are some of the benefits of a business name search?

A business name search can help you comply with the state’s laws, save time and money, and get one step closer to forming your company.

What is required to form a business in Indiana?

The first step is choosing an entity name and location for your business. Then, depending on your business entity, you may need to file Articles of Organization or Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State. 

You’ll also need to apply for permits and licenses, obtain your EIN from the IRS, register to collect sales taxes with the Department of Revenue, obtain insurance, and open a bank account.

Bibliography

1. INBiz. “Name Availability Guidelines.” Accessed May 19, 2023.

2. INBiz. “Trademarks.” Accessed May 19, 2023.