If you’re looking for an efficient way to search for a specific business entity registered in the state of Washington, there are several methods you can choose from. In this guide, we will show you how to fully utilize these options so you can acquire the best results.
Washington Secretary of State Corporations and Charities Filing System
On the search portal provided by the Washington Secretary of State, you can opt for these search options: by name, Business ID, and advanced search.
In just a few steps, these can be used to access an entity’s general information, filing history, business details, and many more. Aside from that, you can purchase filed documents for your personal copy and check for your business’ name availability if you plan to form one. Find out how below:
Search by Entity Name
Step 1
In order to begin, you will need to access the Washington Office of the Secretary’s Corporation and Charities Division Filing System page [1]. After navigating on the search page, fill in all the necessary required fields and then click search to proceed with the results.
Step 2
After clicking search, a list of entity names will be shown based on the information you inputted on the required fields. On the right part of the results, you will find the list of names while on the left side you will be able to confirm the business status. Click on your desired business entity to further see detailed information.
Step 3
After clicking a specific business entity name, it will now generate all the detailed information available for the Public Access System. On this page you now have the option to “Purchase the Documents” of the entity.
Search by Unified Business Identifier
Step 1:
By using a unified business identifier for your research, you will be able to narrow down the most probable result of the business entity that you are trying to look for. In order to begin, click here so you will be routed on the webpage.
Step 2
After providing necessary information, you will be routed on a page where you will see the search results. You will then access the page with the business name who owns the number (UBI), if it was entered correctly. Remember, all results of business entities that are shown are registered legally by an LLC service.
Step 3
In this step, you will now be able to further see all the important and detailed information about the entity which is made accessible for the public. This includes the registered agent, expiration date, and governing information.
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Advanced Search
Step 1:
To narrow down search results as much as possible, you can use the advanced search also found on this page. You can input all the necessary information in order to get the best and more specific results.
These are the following guidelines: Organization type, organization name, category (type of business), status (active or inactive), name of a governing person, registered agent name, city or ZIP, and date of incorporation. Once you’ve entered all the information, simply click search.
Step 2
At this stage, you can now access the list of business entities that matched the information you have provided beforehand. Click a name to further see more detailed information about the business entity.
Step 3
After clicking a name based on the list of results, you can now further review the details of that particular business entity. Also, you will have the option to purchase the documents such as the certificate of existence. You can also select the “View Additional Information” option to navigate on the business details page.
Step 4
All the necessary information you will be needing in a particular business entity will be further provided on this page. You can also check and review all the information about it as well in this last step.
