Rhode Island LLC Name Search

Nailing down a great name for your Rhode Island LLC can be challenging. 

You want the name to be unique and easy to remember while being legally acceptable and conveying what your business does. You also want it to be SEO-friendly so that it can easily be found on Google. That’s a lot of boxes to check. 

And even if you’ve already found the perfect business name, you need to make sure it’s available. That takes several steps, as detailed in this handy guide.

Rhode Island LLC Entity Search 

The most important consideration when choosing an LLC name in Rhode Island is to make sure it’s available and legally acceptable. Here’s how to confirm you can use your preferred business name. 

1. Check for availability in Rhode Island

Go to the Secretary of State’s website and enter your business name. 

You also should search for similar business names, as you don’t want a name that easily can be confused with other businesses in Rhode Island.

2. Check Rhode Island’s LLC name regulations

In Rhode Island, your LLC name must include the phrase “limited liability company” or one of its abbreviations (LLC or L.L.C.). In addition, it cannot have words that could confuse your LLC with a government agency.

Additionally, your business name must be distinguishable from all other business names in the state and cannot include words like bank, insurance, or university without state approval.

3. Check Trademarks

Check with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to ensure the name has not been trademarked and is thus available nationally. 

4. Check domain name availability

You’ll want to make sure the domain name is available. You can check at a site like GoDaddy.com and use .com or .org extensions to give your business more credibility.

5. Google it

Do a Google search to ensure the name is not being used in the U.S. or internationally. This is particularly important if you plan to have a strong online presence for your business.  

Once you’ve confirmed these, it’s a good idea to reserve the name with the state. 

How to file a Rhode Island LLC Name Reservation

To reserve an LLC name in Rhode Island, start by visiting the Secretary of State’s website, then head to the Reserve a Name page to complete the online application.

Enter the required information, enter your electronic signature, and click the submit button to go to payment. 

Doing Business As (DBA)

Even after all this work, you may want to do business under a name other than your LLC. First, you’ll need to register a “doing business as” or DBA name. There are two main reasons you might want to use a DBA.

• Suppose you want to add new product lines. For example, if your business name is “JJ’s Waffles,” you want to expand and offer “JJ’s Muffins.”  You can have multiple DBAs under the umbrella of your single LLC. 
• When you have a DBA, you can have a business bank account under that name. So if you add “JJ’s Muffins,” customers can pay “JJ’s Muffins,” and you can deposit those payments into the bank account with that name.

In Rhode Island, a DBA is known as a fictitious business name. To register a fictitious business name in Rhode Island, go to the Secretary of State’s website.

Mail the form and the $50 fee to:

Division of Business Services
148 W. River Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02904-2615

In Closing

Choosing a business name is a crucial step to entrepreneurial success, so if you’ve found a good one, don’t let somebody else get it! Instead, just take the steps detailed above to ensure it’s available and legally acceptable before having signs and business cards made. 

You don’t want to run into an issue later that could impact the success of your business.