Missouri Business Entity Search in 2026 - SOS

Business Entity Search – Step-by-Step Guide

Conduct a Missouri business entity search in under three minutes. Simply enter a business name or entity number in the Secretary of State’s official search tool. Follow this complete step-by-step guide.

1. Go to the Official Portal

Open https://bsd.sos.mo.gov/BusinessEntity/BESearch.aspx?SearchType=0 in your browser. This is the official Missouri gateway for all business filings, entity searches, and UCC records. No account or login is required just to search the Missouri business entity database. You only need one for reservations and filings.

Visiting the Missouri Secretary of State website at sos.mo.gov first? Hover over Business Services in the top menu and click Business Entity Search to reach the same search portal.

Step 2.  Click the Business Entity Search Tab

Once the Missouri Secretary of State Business Services page opens, click the Business Entity tab. This is the official search portal for finding registered businesses in Missouri. You do not need to create an account or sign in to perform a search.

From this section, you can:

• Search for LLCs, corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships.
• View a business’s current status, registration details, and filing history.
• Check if a business name is already registered or available.
• Find businesses using a registered agent, charter number, or fictitious (DBA) name.

The Missouri Business Entity Search offers multiple search methods based on the information you have. The table below explains the best use for each search type.

Step 3. Select Your Search Mode

After selecting Business Name as the search type, choose the search mode from the dropdown menu. Missouri offers several matching options to help you find the correct business or check name availability.

The available search modes include:

• Includes Names: Finds your search term anywhere in the business name. This is the best option for checking LLC or business name availability.
• Starts With: Returns businesses whose names begin with your search term.
• Exact Match: Finds only businesses whose legal name exactly matches your search, including the entity designator (LLC, Inc., Corp.) and punctuation.

Tip: Use Includes Names when checking name availability because it identifies the most potential conflicts. Use Exact Match only when you already know the complete registered business name.

Step 4. Enter Your Search Term

Type the business name or a partial business name into the Business Name field. Follow these search tips for the best results:

• Enter a partial business name if you’re unsure of the full name. For example, searching “Gateway Tech” returns all matching entities containing those words.
• For Includes Names and Starts With searches, do not include entity designators such as LLC, Inc., or Corp.
• For Exact Match searches, enter the complete legal business name exactly as it appears in the Missouri Secretary of State records.
• Include all entity designators (such as LLC, Inc., or Corp.) and punctuation when using the Exact Match option.

Step 5. Filter by Active Entities (Optional)

If you only want to see businesses that are currently registered, check the Active Entities Only box before searching.

This option helps you:

• View only active Missouri businesses.
• Hide inactive or dissolved entities.
• Check business name availability more accurately.

Step 6. Click Search and Review the Results

Click the Search button to display all matching businesses. The results page includes important information about each entity.

Each result shows:

• Business Name: The registered legal business name.
• Charter Number: The entity’s unique Missouri registration number.
• Entity Type: LLC, Corporation, LP, or another business type.
• Status: Active, Inactive, or Dissolved.
• Registered Agent: The name of the registered agent.

Step 7. Open the Business Details

Click the business name in the search results to open the complete business record.

You’ll be able to view:

• Charter number and formation date.
• Registered agent name and address.
• Principal office address.
• Officers, amendments, and filing history.
• Other official business records.

Step 8. Review Additional Business Information

Use the available tabs to explore more information about the business. You can review filing records, business details, and other public information provided by the Missouri Secretary of State.

From this page, you can:

• View filing history and official documents.
• Review business registration details.
• See the registered agent information.
• Open related entity records when available.