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Missouri Business Entity Search

Missouri’s Corporations Unit, part of the Secretary of State’s Business Services Division, runs the business entity search on its Business Services portal. Name search, results and details were free and needed no login or CAPTCHA in our review.

Official agency: Missouri Secretary of State, Business Services Division, Corporations Unit

Open Official Government SearchOpens bsd.sos.mo.gov in a new tab. This is the official government site, not EntityLocator.

Direct links on the official site

Search methods offered

  • Business NameRequired name field, a “Includes names” selector (Starting With, All Words, Any Word or Exact Match) and an Only Active Corporations checkbox.
  • Registered Agent – individualRequired Last Name, optional First Name and the same “Includes names” choices.
  • Registered Agent – organizationRequired Organization field and the same “Includes names” choices.
  • Charter No.Required Charter Number field.
  • Name AvailabilityA separate mode in the selector. We didn’t inspect it.

How to search

  1. Open the Missouri name search using the button above, or choose Search by Name from the portal.
  2. Select Business Name, enter the name and pick a matching method. For Exact Match, include corporate designations and punctuation. For the other methods the form recommends leaving them out.
  3. Tick Only Active Corporations if that fits your search.
  4. Select SEARCH.
  5. Compare the name, charter number, type, status, created date and registered agent in the results, then select a business name or charter number to view details.
  6. For other lookups, change the Search selector to Registered Agent or Charter No. and fill in the fields above.

What you can expect to find

  • The results table has the columns Business Name, Charter No., Type, Status, Created and Registered Agent Name. Results include current and previous names.
  • A detail page can show the Name(s), Principal Office Address, Type, Charter No., Domesticity, Home State, Registered Agent and address, Status, Date Formed, Duration and Report Due. It has General Information, Filings and Principal Office Address tabs. We didn’t inspect the Filings tab.
  • Statuses seen across results included Good Standing, Active, Voluntarily Dissolved, Forfeited, Term/Cancel, Admin Diss/Cancel - Report, Inactive - Merged and Fictitious Expired. We didn’t verify definitions, so don’t assume Active and Good Standing mean the same thing for every entity type.
  • A very broad search showed a warning that more than 1,052 records were found and only 1,052 were shown, with an instruction to refine the query. That limit applied to that search and is not a verified general maximum.

Limitations, fees and notices

  • Name search, results and details were free to view. The login fields on the portal do not stop a public search.
  • The detail page separates ORDER COPIES/CERTIFICATES from the public information. The official forms page links a fee schedule and e-payment convenience fee information. We did not confirm copy or certificate prices or the ordering account requirements, so no prices are listed.
  • Under a law effective August 28, 2024, Family Trust Company responsibilities and records moved to the Missouri Division of Finance, so the Secretary of State portal shouldn’t be assumed to cover those current records.
  • A regular entity lookup is not name approval. The Name Availability mode wasn’t inspected.

Sources and research notes

Sources reviewed: . Official sites change; always confirm current details on the government site.

Research for this guide used the official Missouri sites in a web browser. A name search, a registered agent form, a charter number form and one corporation record were inspected.

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