How to Register Name of Incorporation With the State of Florida
Whether or not you have incorporated your business in Florida, you will need to register your corporate name if you want to do business in that state. Although you can simply ask an attorney to do this paperwork for you, it's easy enough to handle yourself. If you need to register your company's name, follow these steps to prevent your company from being fined for noncompliance.
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Things You'll Need
- Fictious name certificate
- State application
- Name to be registered
- Business address
- Owner information
- Federal employer's identification number
Instructions
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Decide upon your corporate name. This legal name may be different than the name under which you operate your business, which would be called a "fictitious name" if different than the name under which you incorporate.
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Make sure your intended name is not being used. You can search names of corporations and fictitious name registrations at the Florida Department of State website (see the Resources section for a link). Even if you miss this step, however, the state of Florida will make sure that you are not allowed to register a name that is already in use.
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Incorporate your business. If you plan to have your company incorporated in Florida, you can do so at the sunbiz website. If you need help finding information on how to incorporate in Florida, check floridaincorporationservice.com. If you incorporate your business in another state but do business in Florida, you must register your "fictitious name" with the state of Florida if different from the legal name.
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Advertise your intent to register a fictitious name. Florida requires anyone intending to register a fictitious name to put an advertisement in one of the newspapers in the county where the primary business will be located. You only have to advertise once, but be sure to contact your local newspaper to find out the procedure and requirements. For a list of newspapers for each county in Florida, check usnpl.com.
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Register with the state. You can register at the Florida Division of Corporations website (sunbiz), by listing the name to be registered, business address, owner information and the federal employer's identification number. In 2009, a filing fee of $50 is required.
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Save your confirmation. Make sure to keep a copy of your registration and confirmation so that you will have a copy for future use.
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