General Counsel Manual
Searching and Using the Business Registration Database
Tips for Searching the Database
1. Searching by Entity name:
Practice Tip: Unless you are absolutely certain that you have the business entity’s correct legal name in North Carolina, you may get better results if you search using either “ Name starting with" or "Name contains all words" The reason is that North Carolina is a “distinguishable upon the record” state. G.S. § 55D-21(b). For practical purposes, this means that names of business entities may differ only slightly – just that little bit makes them distinguishable from other entities.
Practice Tip Foreign entities (created outside NC) may have more than one name in our database. You can find both the home state/country legal name and the fictitious name foreign entity name in our database. Look for the term “Home State.” The reason is that sometimes foreign entities have legal names in their state or country of creation that are not distinguishable from other entities in the records of the Secretary of State. In those instances, the foreign entity may use a “fictitious name” that is distinguishable from other entities’ names for use in North Carolina, G.S. § 55D-22.
2. Searching for Information in Annual Reports:
Practice Tip # 1: Do not rely solely on the most recent annual report for information about a business entity. You may need to check all the annual reports. The reason is that businesses that must file annual reports do not have to reiterate information if it has not changed. So, when you open a PDF annual report on the Secretary of State’s website, the report may only contain a certification that the information in the most recently filed annual report has not changed. If a business entity has not recently changed its principal office address and telephone number or principal officers, you may have to open more than one annual report to be able to find that information. For example: A corporation was incorporated in 2001, filed its first annual report in 2002 and in each successive year. The only change is that in 2005, the corporation changed two of its principal officers and noted that change on its 2006 annual report. There have been no changes to the corporation’s annual report information since it filed the 2006 annual report. So, you would have to open all of the annual reports back to 2006 to find the changed officer names, titles and business addresses.
Practice Tip # 2: If you need information from the current year’s annual report for an entity, and you do not see the report online, contact the Business Registration Division. Please note that during Annual Report filing season responses may be delayed due to high volume (and limited resources). If you have a truly urgent need to know if an Annual Report has been filed, contact:
Customer Service
919-814-5400