October 13, 2026
Delaware’s Division of Corporations has a free online entity search that shows any Delaware company’s name, file number, formation date, entity type and registered agent. It doesn’t show owners, directors or officers. Use it to confirm a company exists before you sign with it, and to check whether your startup’s name is available before you incorporate. An available Delaware name doesn’t mean you can use it as a brand, so check trademarks separately.
Key takeaways
The free search doesn’t say whether the company is in good standing. For that, order a status report online, $10 for basic status or $20 for detailed information including its franchise tax assessment and filing history. If you need official proof, for example for a bank, an investor or a state registration, order a certificate of good standing, which costs $50 for the short form.
Use the Division’s name availability check at https://icis.corp.delaware.gov/Ecorp/NameReserv/NameReservation.aspx, or run your name through the entity search. Delaware will reject a name that isn’t distinguishable from an existing Delaware entity. A corporation’s name must also include a word such as “Inc.,” “Corporation” or “Company,” and certain words, like “bank,” need approval.
If your name is available and you’re not ready to file, you can reserve it for 120 days for $75. Most startups don’t bother, because a lawyer or filing service can usually file the certificate of incorporation within a day or two of choosing the name. See Certificate of Incorporation.
It doesn’t show owners, directors, officers or financials, and it doesn’t tell you whether anyone has trademark rights in the name. It also covers only Delaware. A company with a similar name may be registered in another state, including the one where you’ll need to qualify to do business. See Do I Need to Foreign Qualify My Delaware Startup in My Home State?
Not necessarily. Delaware only checks its own list of entity names. Trademark rights come from using a name in commerce, so a business anywhere in the country could already have rights in your name, whether or not it’s a Delaware company. Before you commit, search the USPTO’s trademark database, check your home state’s business records, and confirm the domain and social handles you want. See How Do I Avoid Trademark Infringement When Choosing a Name for My Startup?
Pick a variation that Delaware will accept as distinguishable, such as adding a word, and you can still market under your preferred brand as a trade name if no one else has trademark rights in it. If someone does have trademark rights, a different Delaware entity name won’t solve that problem. Choose a different brand.
Only if you put it there. The certificate of incorporation lists the incorporator, often your lawyer or filing service, and the registered agent, but not the founders. Directors are listed in the annual franchise tax report, which doesn’t appear in the online entity search. See Registered Agent and Delaware Franchise Tax.
If you’d like us to check your name and form your company, see our Corporation Startup Package or contact us.
