Before officially forming your business (LLC, Corporation etc) in Maryland, you may consider reserving the name for your company first. Reserving business name is especially helpful in cases when you are sure to form the business in next few months but are not ready yet. Name reservation can protect your PERFECT business name, till the time you are ready for filing.
The business name can be reserved for the period 30 days and it can also be transferred during the period.
Maryland Business Name Requirement
Maryland Secretary of State has mandated certain requirements which you must keep in mind while selecting a business name.
The business name must be unique and distinguishable from any existing business entity name registered with Secretary of State. Also any difference in grammar, similarly sounding business name, or using stop words does not make the business name unique and it will lead to the name being rejected.
For example following names are not distinguishable:
- Justin Plumber LLC vs The Justin Plumber LLC
- Mango Farm LLC vs Mango Farms LLC
- Jake & Mary Corporation vs Jake and Mary Corporation
Required suffix in the business name:
- For Corporations:
Must contain either “Corporation”, “Incorporated”, “Limited” or an abbreviation of one of such words. “Company” or “Co.” may be used provided they are not immediately preceded by “and” or “&”. - For LLC
Must contain either “Limited liability company”, “L.L.C.”, “LLC”, “L.C.”, or “LC” - Benefit LLC
Must include “Benefit limited liability company,” “Benefit L.L.C.,” “Benefit LLC,” “Benefit LC” or “Benefit LC”.
Prohibited words:
- Language indicating or implying the business entity is organized an impermissible purpose.
Checking the Availability of a Business Name
Before you can register your business name, you would need to check the business name availability on Maryland SOS website. We have written an in-depth tutorial on how to search for a business name in Maryland.
How to Reserve Business Name
Business name reservation can be done by mail. The process can take upto 1 week.
By Mail
| Download Form | Link |
| Fees | $25 (Expedite fee $20) |
| Address |
State Department of Assessments & Taxation
301 W Preston St, Baltimore, |
| Processing Time | Within 7 days after the receipt |
- Download the Maryland Name reservation form.
- Fill the form with the requested details.
- Include the money order/check/credit card payment.
Check/money order must be drawn in name of “State Department of Assessments & Taxation“. - Send the filled form to:
State Department of Assessments & Taxation
301 W Preston St, Baltimore,
MD 21201, USA
Online
| Link | Online |
| Fees | $25 |
| Processing Time | Instant |
Maryland Secretary of State Contact
For any queries, you can contact the SOS at 410-767-1184 during business hours.
Reference:
Last Updated: 25/08/2018
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