How to search Massachusetts business entities online
Updated August 2026
Quick Answer
Massachusetts's business search is at corp.sec.state.ma.us/CorpWeb/CorpSearch, run by the Corporations Division. Search by entity name, individual (officer) name, or the 9-digit ID number to see the resident agent, status, and officer information from the most recent annual report. The system covers domestic and foreign corporations, LLCs, LPs, LLPs, nonprofit corporations, benefit corporations, professional corporations, voluntary associations, and investment trusts.
- Go to corp.sec.state.ma.us/CorpWeb/CorpSearch.
- Search by entity name, individual name, or the 9-digit identification number.
- Open the record to see the resident agent and latest officer information.
Search modes
The portal offers four approaches on a single search page:
- Entity Name — with sub-modes: Begins With, Exact Match, Full Text, and Soundex (sounds like)
- Individual Name — searches officer and director names; useful when you know a person affiliated with an entity but not the entity name
- Identification Number — the 9-digit Massachusetts entity ID; must be entered as exactly 9 digits
- Filing Number — retrieves a specific document filing
Pagination is user-selectable at 25, 50, or 100 results per page. There is no registered agent search mode — that field is not a standalone search parameter.
Entity detail and filed documents
Each entity's record shows the legal name, identification number, entity type, status, formation or registration date, principal office address, resident agent name and address, and officer or director information from the most recent annual report. Filed documents are viewable from the filing history. Certificates of Good Standing can be ordered directly from a record without creating an account.
Legacy Card File for older records
Some entities formed before the current system was implemented have records in a separate legacy database — the Corporation Card File at corp.sec.state.ma.us — Card Search. If a name search in the main portal returns no results for an entity you know existed, try the Card File. Not all older records have been migrated to the primary system.
Name availability and reservations
A dedicated name reservation search at corp.sec.state.ma.us — Name Reservations shows names currently reserved. Active name reservations appear in the main search results as well. Name reservations cost $30 and hold a name for 60 days; the reservation can be extended once for an additional 60-day period by paying another $30.
Massachusetts' 10-year filing catch-up, and the 120-day window to undo a dissolution
Massachusetts sets an unusually specific bar for both dissolving and reinstating. Voluntarily dissolving requires filing every annual report owed for the past 10 fiscal years first — you can't close out with reports still missing. Administrative dissolution can be reinstated at any time with no deadline, but it comes with the same 10-year catch-up requirement, plus a certificate from the Department of Revenue confirming all corporate excise taxes and penalties are paid.
There's also a narrow window if a voluntary dissolution was a mistake: Articles of Revocation of Dissolution can undo it, but only within 120 days of filing. Entities dissolved before July 1, 2004 — voluntarily or administratively — go through a different, separate process entirely, called an Application for Revival.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I search Massachusetts business entities by officer or director name?
Yes. The Corporations Division portal includes an Individual Name search mode that searches officer and director names — useful when you know a person affiliated with an entity but not the entity's name. There's no separate registered agent search field, though.
Why can't I find an older Massachusetts business in the entity search?
Some entities formed before the current system was implemented are only in a separate legacy database, the Corporation Card File, at corp.sec.state.ma.us — Card Search. If a name search in the main portal returns nothing for an entity you know existed, try the Card File; not all older records have been migrated.
How much does a Massachusetts business name reservation cost?
A Massachusetts name reservation costs $30 and holds the name for 60 days. It can be extended once for an additional 60-day period by paying another $30. Active reservations also show up in the main entity search results.
How many years of annual reports does Massachusetts require to dissolve or reinstate a business?
Ten fiscal years' worth, whether you're voluntarily dissolving or reinstating after an administrative dissolution — all of it has to be filed and current first.
Can I undo a Massachusetts business dissolution if it was a mistake?
Only within 120 days of filing, using Articles of Revocation of Dissolution. After that window closes, reversing it would instead require going through Massachusetts' reinstatement process from scratch.