As a prospective entrepreneur in Nevada, you’re probably wondering how to create the perfect name for your new business. It has to be catchy, recognizable, and attract new customers. However, that’s not all there is to it.
Creating the name of your Nevada corporation or limited liability company requires following certain conventions and thorough research through all the existing businesses in the state. This is so your business name can be registered and doesn’t accidentally match the name of an established Nevada business entity.
Of course, reading the Nevada Secretary of State conventions and manually going through all the existing businesses in the state may sound tedious. Fortunately, with the Nevada business name search tool, you can check whether your desired business name has already been taken in three simple stages that barely require your assistance:
- Fill out and submit a form with your desired Nevada LLC name, your business location, and your email
- Receive an email with results on whether the name you inquired about is available within one hour
- Reserve your desired Nevada entity name if it’s available and apply for an LLC, or submit the form again to search a new name
Regardless of the type or size of business entity you’re planning to establish in Nevada, this business tool will come in handy. Use this article as a tutorial to help you form your business name without a hitch.
Key Takeaways
- New business owners in Nevada must abide by certain rules when creating a name for their big or small business.
- Doing a Nevada entity search will make the formation of your business easier for several reasons and benefit your business in the long run.
- After you find a suitable name for your Nevada business and reserve it with the Nevada Secretary of State, you can also set up your website, pick a DBA, and create an llc online.
Nevada’s Business Name Conventions
Like every state, Nevada has strict business naming conventions that you must satisfy to register your business. Depending on your business structure, these conventions vary.
Formal Business Structures
- Limited Liability Company (LLC): The name of your Nevada LLC must contain a business identifier that proves the status of your LLC, such as “Limited Liability Company” or any of its variations or abbreviations.
- Corporation: If you’re forming a corporation in Nevada, you must use “Incorporated,” “Corporation,” “Company,” or their abbreviations at the end of your name.
Informal Business Structures
- Sole Proprietorship: A sole proprietorship in Nevada must operate under the business owner’s name. If you don’t want to use your name to represent your brand for privacy or other reasons, you can always complete an online DBA registration with a catchier business name.
- General Partnership: Your Nevada general partnership must include both business owners’ names. As with a sole propreitorship, you can create a DBA to market your brand with a different business name.
In addition to these general rules, there are more Nevada-specific requirements you’ll need to fulfill. Firstly, your business name needs to be distinguishable, which means adding a different business identifier, article, similar-sounding words, spaces, commas, or hyphens doesn’t necessarily make your Nevada business name unique.
Secondly, according to Title 7 of Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS), you'll have to gain permission from certain institutions if you want to include certain words in your Nevada LLC name. You can find a complete list of groups on the Nevada Secretary of State Restricted Word List.[1]
Benefits of a Nevada Entity Search
There are many benefits to conducting a Nevada entity search:
- It’s quick and thorough: You won’t have to spend time going through all the business names in Nevada on your own and risk missing any.
- It saves you money: A Nevada entity search prevents the costs of registering your name again in case of matching names with another business entity that already holds the name you want.
- It checks whether a business is legitimate: With the Nevada business entity search tool, you’ll confirm that a certain business exists and get all the details you need about it.
Next Steps
You can move on to the next steps when your Nevada business name creation is completed. These include reserving your name with the Nevada Secretary of State, creating a website with a unique domain name, and registering a DBA to spread your brand further.
Complete Your Name Reservation
To ensure that your chosen Nevada business name is available when you decide to register your company, you should secure it by reserving it.
You can do this by filling out an online form the Nevada Secretary of State provides on its website. You’ll need to provide the necessary information and pay a filing fee of $25 or $75 if you desire 24-hour expedited service.
You can send the form to:
- Francisco V. Aguilar Secretary of State
- 202 North Carson Street
- Carson City, Nevada 89701-4201
Your Nevada business name reservation will last 90 from the filing date, and after that period expires, you’ll have to file the form again. When your reservation is effective, you can file other documents required for your company formation, such as the Articles of Organization for your LLC or the Articles of Incorporation for your corporation.[2]
Choose a Domain Name
If you decide to create a website for your brand and spread outside of Nevada, your domain name will serve the same purpose as your business name. It’ll be what people recognize your brand for online, so it needs to be recognizable and distinguishable from the domain names of other businesses.
Consider a DBA
As mentioned, a DBA (“doing business as”) is a valuable option when you don’t want to use your name as a sole proprietor or are in a general partnership. However, it’s also helpful if you want to develop your brand and sell various products and services.
To apply for a DBA in Nevada, you must complete a form and send it to the County Clerk's office. Filing your DBA application costs $20 and lasts five years.
File Your LLC Online
After completing all the steps above and creating your business name in Nevada, you can file your LLC online immediately with Swyft Filings. You only need to provide enough information about your business, and we’ll file the documents with the Nevada Secretary of State on your behalf. Once the documents are approved, we'll mail them to you.
FAQs
How do I find out if a business name is available in Nevada?
If you’re starting a company in Nevada and want to check whether your desired business name is available, you can conduct a free business name search with Swyft Filings.
What is the Nevada Secretary of State Business Entity Search?
The Nevada Secretary of State Business Entity Search allows you to check whether a business with a certain name, entity number, NV business ID number, officer name, or registered agent name exists. The search page is called SilverFlume Nevada Business Portal, and the search includes trade names, trademarks, service marks, reserved names, and business licenses.
How do you find out if a business is registered in Nevada?
To find out whether a business is registered in Nevada, you can conduct a business entity search through the Nevada Secretary of State’s office or with Swyft Filings’ free business name search tool.
How much does a Nevada business entity search cost?
A Nevada business entity search is free of charge.
What are some of the benefits of a business entity search?
Doing a business entity search before registering your Nevada business name will save time and money, help you see how other companies are structured, and might even add inspiration for your business name.
What is the cost of a business license in Nevada?
A business license for Nevada corporations is $500, while the business license fee for all the other entity types is $200.[3] The fee must be renewed annually on the last day of the month when the business license was initially filed.
What is a Nevada Registered Agent?
A Nevada registered agent is a person who is featured in the Operating Agreement and appointed by an active corporation, LLC, or other business entity type to deal with the documents and communicate with the government on behalf of the company. The Nevada Secretary of State lists numerous registered agents on its website.
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Bibliography
- Nevada Secretary of State. “Restricted Word List.” Accessed May 18, 2023.
- Nevada Secretary of State. “Name - Reservation, Consent or Release.” Accessed May 18, 2023.
- Nevada Secretary of State. “State Business License FAQ.” Accessed May 18, 2023.
