Delaware Business Entity Search — Delaware Division of Corporations Guide

What makes Delaware different

• •Court of Chancery specializes in corporate disputes.
• •Annual franchise tax required.
• •Officer names are private by default.
• •Common entity types: Corporation, LLC, LP, Statutory Trust.

Delaware: a name result is not a good-standing certificate

Start with the entity name or file number and identify the exact record. Separate the basic name result from any status or certificate product offered by the Division of Corporations. The registered agent is a service-of-process contact, not necessarily an owner or officer. For an entity operating elsewhere, check its foreign registration in that other state separately.

Entity types on the Delaware register

What each Delaware filing status means

Active / In Good Standing

Read the state's exact wording: active registration and good standing are not necessarily identical. Neither status establishes solvency, ownership or trustworthiness.

Delinquent / Not in Good Standing

Still registered, but a report or fee is overdue. The entity exists and can usually be restored by filing.

Administratively Dissolved / Revoked

The state ended or revoked a registration under its rules. Check the reason and subsequent reinstatement filings where available; the label alone does not establish misconduct.

Voluntarily Dissolved / Terminated

The owners filed to close the entity. This is a deliberate wind-up.

Withdrawn

A company registered in another state has ended its authority to operate in this one. It may still be active in its home state.

Merged / Converted

The entity was absorbed into, or re-formed as, another entity. Follow the successor name on the record.

Forfeited

Rights suspended, typically for unpaid state tax. Wording varies by state and often overlaps with 'revoked'.

Wording varies between states — the Delaware Division of Corporations — General Information Name Search is authoritative for Delaware.

How to read a Delaware entity record

1. 1

   Entity name and any former names. Name changes are filed as amendments, so the current name may differ from the one on a contract or invoice. Check the history before concluding a company does not exist.

2. 2

   Entity or file number. The state's permanent identifier. It never changes after a rename, which makes it the safest key to search or store.

3. 3

   Formation / registration date. Date the state accepted the filing, not the date trading began. A foreign registration date shows when the company entered this state, not when it was founded.

4. 4

   Status. Preserve the exact status and source date. Check its meaning with the state and any later filings; do not infer fraud or the reason for inactivity from the label alone.

5. 5

   Registered agent and office. The legal address for service of process. It is frequently a commercial agent's address, so it is not evidence of where the business actually operates.

6. 6

   Principal / mailing address. Closer to the real operating address, but self-reported and only refreshed when a report is filed.

7. 7

   Officers, directors, members or managers. Published in some states and withheld in others. Absence is a state policy difference, not a red flag.

8. 8

   Filing history. Amendments, annual reports, mergers and reinstatements. The gap between the last filing and today is the best single signal of whether a record is current.

Also known as

These all refer to the same Delaware business register.

Frequently asked questions

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