Form a Delaware LLC
Delaware company search 2026

Delaware company search: how to look up any entity, and read what you find

Updated 10 November 2026Fees from the August 2026 scheduleAbout 9 minutes to read
The short answer

Search free on the Delaware Division of Corporations' entity search by name or file number. You'll see the file number, formation date, entity type and registered agent.

You won't see whether it's in good standing, which costs US$10, or who owns it, which Delaware doesn't publish at all.

Open the official search Which document do I need?
The hidden field US$10 to see whether a Delaware entity is in good standing The free search leaves status out. A certificate a bank accepts costs US$50.

Delaware is where a great many US companies are formed, and its free search tells you less than most people expect. Here's what each field means, what the paid checks add, and which certificate a bank will actually ask for.

Key takeaways

  • The official search is free and needs only part of the name or the 7-digit file number.
  • It doesn't show status. An online status costs US$10, with tax and filing history US$20.
  • A certificate of good standing is US$50 short form or US$175 long form. A status printout isn't one.
  • A Delaware LLC stays in good standing by paying its US$400 tax by 1 June and keeping an agent. What late costs is in our Delaware franchise tax guide.
  • No Delaware search shows who owns an LLC. Owners and managers aren't filed.
Chapter 1

How to do a Delaware business entity search

The free Delaware searchShows | hides
  • Entity name
  • File number
  • Formation date
  • Entity kind and type
  • Registered agent
  • Good standingUS$10
  • Owners or membersnever
  • Managersnever
  • Tax paidUS$20
Searching from your country.
  1. Open the entity search

    On the Division of Corporations site. It opens in a new tab from the button above.

    Free
  2. Type part of the name, or the file number

    Leave off the ending (LLC, Inc.) to catch spelling differences. A file number finds one exact entity.

  3. Pick from the list

    Several entities can share most of a name. Match the file number on a contract or invoice if you have one.

  4. Read the detail page

    The fields below. For status, the page offers the paid check.

1
Key takeaway

Search part of the name, or the file number for one exact match.

Chapter 2

What a Delaware entity search result shows, field by field

  • 1The file number never changes, even if the name does. Use it to be sure you have the right entity.
  • 2Corporation, LLC, limited partnership or statutory trust. Rules and fees differ by kind.
  • 3Domestic means formed in Delaware. Foreign means formed elsewhere and registered to do business here.
  • 4Where legal papers go. For most companies it's a service firm, not the owner.
2
Key takeaway

The file number never changes. Match it to be sure you have the right entity.

Chapter 3

How to check a Delaware company's status

The free result lists active and dissolved entities alike, with no flag. To see status you pay: US$10 for the status alone, US$20 with tax and filing history. Neither is a certificate.

An LLC is in good standing when
It falls out when
3
Key takeaway

For an LLC, good standing means the US$400 tax was paid by 1 June.

Chapter 4

Delaware certificate of good standing, status or copy: which do you need?

APOSTILLE

Most people pay for the wrong one. Tell us why you're looking, and see the cheapest document that does the job.

Fees follow the Division of Corporations' schedule revised 1 August 2026. Expedited service costs extra: 24 hours or same day.

4
Key takeaway

Banks want the US$50 short-form certificate, not a status printout.

Chapter 5

Delaware business name availability: check before you search

-30%

The state's free name check sits behind a typed code. Run your name past the basic rules here first, then confirm it there.

    To hold a name while you decide, Delaware reserves it for 120 days for US$75. Forming the LLC with us reserves nothing extra: we file the name the day you sign.

    5
    Key takeaway

    Check the ending and restricted words before the state's name check.

    Chapter 6

    How to find the owner of a Delaware LLC

    Not through any state search. Delaware LLCs don't file member or manager names, and since 2025 US companies don't report owners to FinCEN either.

    Ask the companyContracts, invoices and websites often name a person who can sign.
    Through a courtIn a lawsuit, a court can order the LLC to disclose its members.
    Not the agentRegistered agents pass on legal papers; they don't hand out client names.
    6
    Key takeaway

    No Delaware record names an LLC's owners. Only the company or a court can.

    Chapter 7

    Why a company doesn't show up in the Delaware search

    ?
    You typed the ending

    Search "Northwind" rather than "Northwind Ventures, L.L.C.". Punctuation trips exact matching.

    ?
    It's registered in another state

    Many "Delaware" companies on websites are formed elsewhere. Try that state's search.

    ?
    It changed its name

    The file number stays the same. Search by number if you have it.

    ?
    It's a trading name

    Brand names aren't on the register. Look for the legal name in the contract's small print.

    7
    Key takeaway

    Drop the ending and punctuation, or search by file number.

    Chapter 8

    Delaware company search questions, answered

    ?!
    Is the Delaware business search free?
    Yes, for the basic result: name, file number, date, type and registered agent. Status costs US$10, or US$20 with tax and filing history.
    How do I get a Delaware certificate of good standing?
    Request it from the Division of Corporations in writing or through a Delaware registered agent: US$50 short form, US$175 long form, more for 24-hour or same-day service.
    Can I find who owns a Delaware LLC?
    Not from the state. Delaware LLCs don't file members or managers, so no public record names them.
    What does "domestic" mean in a Delaware search?
    The entity was formed in Delaware. "Foreign" means it was formed in another state or country and registered to work in Delaware.
    How much is the Delaware LLC annual tax?
    US$400 a year, due 1 June. Pages quoting US$300 are using the old figure.
    How long does a Delaware name reservation last?
    120 days, for US$75.
    Do you form Delaware LLCs?
    Yes: US$269 in year one, with the registered agent, EIN without an SSN and the yearly tax paid on time from year two.

    Changelog

    • 10 November 2026: first published.
    Your own Delaware LLC

    Looking up Delaware because you're forming there?

    US$269 in year one with the agent and EIN, and the US$400 tax paid on time so it stays in good standing.

    See the Delaware LLC Compare five states