One of the first and most important steps of any new business is finding the perfect name for your Virginia LLC.

Checking the LLC name availability in Virginia is an important step in the business formation process. It ensures your business name is distinguishable from the names of other Virginia businesses so that you do not violate anyone’s intellectual property rights.

Our Virginia LLC Name Search guide will show you how you can find available business names in Virginia, and how to reserve and register your business name.

How to Search for a Virginia LLC Name

Below are the four steps that you need to follow in order to conduct an LLC name search in Virginia.

Step 1: Follow the Virginia LLC Naming Guidelines

If you’re starting up your LLC in Virginia, your first step is to ensure that the name you’ve chosen complies with the requirements of Virginia’s LLC naming guidelines. These include:

• In Virginia, LLCs must include one of the following designators at the end of their name: “Limited Liability Company,” “LLC.,” or “LC.”
• Words that signify or resemble a financial institution or government agency are prohibited in a Virginia LLC name. These words are not allowed because they may create confusion among members of the public and mislead potential customers into believing that your business has some connection to another company or the government.
• You may also need additional licenses to make use of some restricted words in your LLC name. These words include “bank,” “insurance,” or “trust.” It is advisable to avoid these words completely. 

Selecting a name is just one of the several requirements when forming an LLC. To avoid improper or incomplete LLC formation documents, we recommend using the assistance of an LLC formation service.

Step 2: Look Up Virginia LLC Name Search Availability

The next step is to conduct a Virginia LLC name search. Below are a few ways to do a business name search in Virginia.

• LLC Name Search: Search the Virginia State Corporation Commission Clerk’s business entity search database to check if your chosen business name is available. You may also try typing your business or trademark on any search engine to check businesses with similar names. This will also ensure your trademark is unique, meets the state’s requirements, and frees you from any legal hassles in the future.
• Domain Name Search: If your business name is still available, you must register for a domain name. Having a URL that matches your business name is important since this is how your potential and existing clients can find your business.

To determine the availability of your chosen URL, use a domain registrar, such as GoDaddy.

Step 3: Reserve Your Virginia LLC Name

After having confirmed the availability of your chosen LLC name, you can submit an Application for Reservation of Business Entity Name form in order to reserve your company’s name with the Virginia Secretary of State.

Remember that your business name is something you will be using for a long time and it should reflect who you are as a company. You don’t want someone else to register the same or similar company name before you have managed to reserve yours.

Reservation of business names lasts for 120 days and can then be renewed for an additional 120-day period. In order to reserve a name, you can file a name reservation form by mail and pay a $10 filing fee to the Corporation Commission Office of the Clerk or submit an application online. The reserved name will then be valid for use in Virginia for 120 days, and you can renew it within 45 days of the expiration date.

Using a Virginia DBA for Your LLC

A DBA or “doing business as” name is also known as a “fictitious name” in Virginia and it’s a name that a person or business uses instead of their legal name. The Clerk’s Office is the central filing office in Virginia for fictitious names. You can file online through the Clerk’s Information System. You can either file the fictitious name online or submit a paper form. You will also need to pay the filing fee of $10.

LLC owners sometimes choose to brand their businesses with a DBA. Most sole proprietors and general partnerships use a DBA to create a brand other than their surnames.

Step 4: Register a Virginia LLC Trade or Service Mark

Another important step in the process of creating your LLC in Virginia is a trademark search. A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, or design which represents your company and distinguishes it from others. When you register a trademark with the Virginia Division of Securities and Retail Franchising, you will receive the exclusive rights to use the trademark nationwide. Trademark registration is $30.

To avoid potential conflicts down the road you should perform a trademark search before you settle on a name for your LLC. You can also search for registered trademarks at the United States Patent and Trademark Office website.

Virginia Secretary of State Contact Information 

Mailing Address

Virginia State Corporation Commission
P.O. Box 1197
Richmond, VA 23218

Physical Address

State Corporation Commission
1300 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA 23219

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:15 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Email: sccefile@scc.virginia.gov

Phone: (804) 371-9733