Virginia LLC Name Search

You'll need to conduct a Virginia LLC name search to ensure name availability for your new business.

We’ll help you start your Virginia LLC with a unique and legally compliant name.

Recommended: Northwest ($29 + State Fees) will register your business name when you form an LLC.

Check LLC Name Availability in Virginia

1. Do a Virginia Business Name Search

You can use the Virginia Business Entity Search to check the availability of your desired name.

To perform the most effective search, type in the name you would like to use, excluding identifiers like “LLC.” This will return all entities using the same or similar names. If your business name is several words, you can even search just the first two words to ensure you pull up all possible similar names. Virginia's Corporation Commission also offers a search option to Check Name Distinguishability.

Be sure to conduct a thorough search before completing your paperwork to avoid rejection.

2. Search Available Domain Names

Another important consideration to make when selecting a business name is whether or not your desired web domain name is available.

Having a URL that clearly matches your business name is important. This seemingly small step can make a big difference in how prospective customers find your business.

The best way to determine if your desired URL is available is to search for it online using your preferred domain registry, such as GoDaddy.

3. Follow Virginia Naming Guidelines

Virginia has specific guidelines for naming requirements to ensure clarity and avoid confusion among businesses. The primary requirement is that LLC names must include "limited company," "limited liability company," or their abbreviations.

Here's what else you need to know about naming your business entity in Virginia.

Permissible Characters

When choosing a name for your business entity in Virginia, you can use English letters, Arabic or Roman numerals, and certain marks such as periods, commas, colons, and more. However, other letters, numbers, and marks are not acceptable.

Distinguishability

Your proposed business entity name must be distinguishable from names already designated, registered, or reserved by other entities. It should also differ from the names of all active business entities, except general partnerships. To determine distinguishability, certain words, abbreviations, articles, conjunctions, prepositions, and marks are disregarded.

For example, the core name "ABC" in "ABC, Inc." is distinguishable from "ABCs Inc." due to the additional "s." However, "ABC of Virginia, Inc." and "ABC Virginia Company" share the core name "ABCVIRGINIA" and are not distinguishable.

Restrictions on Business Entity Names

Various restrictions apply to business entity names in Virginia:

• Names cannot imply a different type of business entity. For example, a limited liability company name cannot include "corporation" or "incorporated."
• Names cannot imply engagement in banking, trust, insurance, or public service businesses unless the entity will actually conduct such activities.
• Names cannot include "bank" or "trust" unless the entity will engage in banking or trust company business, or the remaining words clarify its non-involvement in such activities.
• Names cannot include "engineer," "architecture," "land surveying," or related modifications unless the entity is lawfully involved in these services or the remaining words make it clear that it will not provide such services.
• Certain words like "United States," "national," "Federal," and "reserve" are prohibited in the names of banking, loan, brokerage, insurance, and other related businesses.

By adhering to these naming requirements and restrictions, you can select a suitable and compliant name for your Virginia LLC.

Not sure what to name your business? Check out our LLC Name Generator.

Registering Your Virginia Business Name

Whether you're prepared to launch your LLC or still in the planning phase, we're here to guide you through the process.

Register Your Virginia LLC Name

Registering your LLC name in Virginia is a relatively straightforward task. Your business name becomes officially registered when you file the Virginia Articles of Organization. This critical document marks the formal establishment of your business in the state.

The Virginia State Corporation Commission's website provides detailed instructions on how to fill out the form and pay the necessary state filing fee.

Keep in mind: Utilizing a professional LLC formation service can simplify the process by handling the registration of your LLC name and the establishment of your LLC. To learn more, refer to our Best LLC Services review.

Reserve Your Virginia Business Entity Name

Virginia’s State Corporation Commission handles all LLC naming questions and requests. Business names can be reserved for 120 days. If you have yet to form your business entity using the reserved name when the business name reservation expires, you may renew the name reservation for successive 120 days within 45 days preceding the expiration.

To reserve a business name with the state, you must file an application by mail. When reserving your name, you will have to pay a filing fee. Checks must be made out to the “State Corporation Commission.”

After choosing a name for your LLC, take the next step and create a unique logo with our Free Logo Generator.

Virginia Business Entity Name Reservation

File by Mail With the Virginia State Corporation Commission

Fee: $10

Mail to:
Corporation Commission
Office of the Clerk
P.O. Box 1197
Richmond, Virginia 23218-1197

Considering Using an LLC Formation Service?

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Find out which is best for you.

Other Considerations

While reserving the name for your LLC is straightforward, there are some other things you should think about when choosing the best name for your business. You may want to do a Trademark and Social Media search for your name to see if it's available for use across the internet. This will help ensure you have full, unrestricted use of your business name.

Trademark Search

Conducting a trademark search of your business name and associated slogans or logos before registering can help prevent costly litigation in the future. Discovering that another entity has trademarked your business name does not automatically disqualify you from using it.

However, it is important to know who is using the name, what industry they operate in, and where they are located to be sure you do not inadvertently infringe upon anyone’s intellectual property rights. 

To complete this step:  

• Search Virginia’s trademark records to see if your business name or associated slogans, logos, or others are in use by another business in your state. 
• Search the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s electronic records to find any federally registered trademarks associated with your business name.

Social Media Search

Just as important, or more so, than finding a domain name that fits your business is ensuring that your business name is available for use across social media platforms. To do this, search for your desired business name on each major site, using a tool such as Namecheckr to search across all platforms at once.

Bottom Line

Having a name for your business is an important first step for creating a successful LLC, and one that is incredibly easy to do. Once you have found your preferred name using the Virginia Business Entity Search, you'll want to secure your domain name so that your customers will be able to find your business online.

Reserving your name with a Business Entity Name Reservation Form will help you stand out from the competition. With your entity name secured, you will be ready to take the next steps to formalize your LLC.

What's Next?

Now that you have your entity name, it's time to take the next steps to establish your LLC. Check out our full guide on how to form an LLC in Virginia, where we can guide you every step of the way.

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