How to search California business entities online

What the database covers

The search tool includes four entity categories:

• California domestic and foreign corporations
• Limited liability companies (domestic and foreign)
• Limited partnerships (domestic and foreign)
• Nonprofit corporations

Two entity types are deliberately excluded: limited liability partnerships (LLPs) and general partnerships (GPs). Their records are maintained separately. To obtain copies of LLP or GP filings, submit a paper Business Entity Records Order Form by mail to the Business Entities section.

Searching by entity name

The default search performs a keyword match — it looks for your term anywhere within the entity name, not only at the start. Type the most distinctive word in the business name rather than the full legal name. Entering "Sunset Consulting" will find entities containing both words; entering "Sunset" alone will return far more results, capped at 500.

Results display the entity name, entity number, type, jurisdiction, and current status. Active, dissolved, suspended, and forfeited entities all appear in results. The status column distinguishes them.

Searching by entity number

Every California business entity receives a unique number at registration. Searching by number returns a single, precise match. One non-obvious detail: strip the leading "C" before entering the number. The "C" prefix appears on certificates and official correspondence but is not part of the searchable number — entering it returns no results.

Advanced Search options

The Advanced Search panel, collapsed by default beneath the main search bar, adds four refinements that the basic search doesn't offer:

• Entity type filter — narrow to a specific type (domestic LLC only, nonprofit mutual benefit corporations only) or a broader grouping such as all corporations
• Status filter — restrict results to active entities, dissolved entities, or another status
• Initial filing date range — useful for finding recently formed entities or searching registrations within a specific period
• Begins with — changes the match from anywhere-in-name to prefix-only, which tightens results when the search term starts the entity name

Advanced Search also removes the default 500-result cap. A broad query that would otherwise truncate returns the full result set when submitted through Advanced Search.

Reading the entity detail page

Selecting an entity from search results opens a detail panel showing the entity number, type, jurisdiction, current status with the date it took effect, initial filing date, and the registered agent's name and address. Recent Statements of Information and other filed documents appear as downloadable PDF links — free, no account needed.

A suspended status means the entity typically owes overdue Statements of Information or franchise taxes. Suspended corporations cannot enforce contracts in California courts while that status persists, which makes checking entity status before signing agreements a practical step.

Find a Registered Agent → · Find an LLC's Owner →

Accessing certified copies and filing documents

Free uncertified PDF copies of recent filings are available to anyone directly on the entity detail page. Certified copies — bearing the Secretary of State's seal — require an order through a registered bizfile Online account. From the entity page while logged in, select "Request Certificate" or the certified copy option in the right-hand drawer.

The same account-based workflow handles Statement of Information filings, amendments, and conversions. An account setup walkthrough is available as a PDF at bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov/bizfile/bizfile-online-account-setup.pdf. Short instructional videos are linked from the search page and the bizfile California homepage.

LLPs and general partnerships: the separate process

Limited liability partnerships and general partnerships do not appear in the bizfile Online business entity search. This is not a technical limitation — it reflects how their records are stored. To request copies, mail a completed Business Entity Records Order Form to: Business Entities Records Request, P.O. Box 944260, Sacramento, CA 94244-2600.

SOS Suspended vs. FTB Suspended — two different problems

A California entity search result of Suspended or Forfeited isn't one problem — bizfile Online actually distinguishes three separate labels: SOS Suspended/Forfeited, FTB Suspended/Forfeited, and SOS/FTB Suspended/Forfeited (domestic entities show 'Suspended,' foreign entities show 'Forfeited' for the same underlying triggers). The Secretary of State suspends for a missed Statement of Information, or — rarely — for failing to reimburse the Victims of Corporate Fraud Compensation Fund. The Franchise Tax Board suspends separately for unpaid tax, penalties, or interest — every entity owes at least $800 in minimum franchise tax each year regardless of whether it did any business. Both can apply at once, which shows as the combined SOS/FTB label.

There's a 60-day grace period before either suspension actually takes effect: the SOS sends a Notice of Pending Suspension first, and filing the missing Statement of Information within that window avoids it entirely.

What suspension actually blocks — and a common misconception

The consequences of suspension depend on which authority caused it, not just that the entity is suspended. FTB's own guidance is specific: a corporation suspended by the Secretary of State only is not subject to contract voidability — that consequence is tied to FTB involvement, not SOS suspension alone. When FTB is involved, though, the stakes are real: the entity can't legally do business, transfer real property, get a tax refund, voluntarily dissolve, or bring or defend a lawsuit, and contracts signed during that period become voidable by the other party (a suspended entity can pay $100 per day for optional relief from that voidability while working through reinstatement).

Fixing it is called revival in California, and which form you file depends on which authority suspended the entity: an SOS-only suspension just needs a current Statement of Information filed online; an FTB-only suspension needs Form FTB 3557 (BC for corporations, LLC for LLCs) filed directly with FTB after paying everything owed. If both suspended the entity, the process is sequential, not parallel — file with SOS first to get a Proposed Relief Letter, then submit that letter along with Form FTB 3557 to FTB. The entity stays suspended until both sides clear it, not just the first one.

Frequently Asked Questions