Georgia Business Search
Georgia business search
Quick answer. A Georgia business search uses eCorp, the Corporations Division portal from the Georgia Secretary of State. Search a business name or a control number. The free record is the Division’s file, not a name reservation. Annual registration is a separate filing, due between January 1 and April 1.
Official office
Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division
Phone: (404) 656-2817
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE, Suite 313, Floyd West Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334
eCorp search is online. Phone (404) 656-2817 or toll-free (844) 753-7825.
Steps
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Open the eCorp business search
The inquiry is at ecorp.sos.ga.gov/BusinessSearch. The page says you can search by business name, control number, registered agent, officer, or designated agent. The office address printed on eCorp is 2 MLK Jr. Drive, Suite 313, Floyd West Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334.
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Choose starts-with, contains, or exact
The form offers those three match types. A contains search for a short word returns a long list. Exact match is right when you already know the legal name, including the LLC ending.
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Open the control number
Every entity in eCorp has a control number. Copy it. Annual registration, certificates, and later searches are easier with that number than with a name that several companies almost share.
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Read status and the last registration year
A Georgia secretary of state business search shows whether the entity is active, dissolved, or revoked, and whether annual registration is current. The annual registration guide covers the January 1 to April 1 window.
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Order a certificate only if you need one
The business-search instructions say the screen is the entity’s information of record, and that certificates and copies are ordered from the home area of eCorp. A screenshot is not a certificate of existence. See good standing.
What a Georgia corporation search returns
The Corporations Division file includes corporations, limited liability companies, and the other entity types the Division registers. A georgia corporation search and a georgia llc lookup are the same eCorp index. The result lists the name, control number, type, status, and the agent on file.
The search page states it is not a name-availability search. Finding no row is a clue, not a reservation. Availability still depends on the Division’s name rules at the moment you file.
GA SOS business search and the downtown office
“GA SOS business search” and “Georgia SOS business search” both mean this Corporations Division tool, not the elections side of the Secretary of State’s office. Phone numbers published on the eCorp footer are (404) 656-2817 and toll-free (844) 753-7825. Use those for filing questions. This website cannot see a record eCorp has not posted.
Common mistakes
- Treating the business search as a formal name clearance. The page says it is not.
- Searching a trade name used on a sign and missing the legal name that was actually filed.
- Ignoring annual registration because the original articles are still visible. A visible history is not the same as a current registration.
Questions
Is eCorp the official Georgia business entity search?
Yes. eCorp is the Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division system. The business search is the public lookup.
What is a Georgia control number?
It is the identifier eCorp assigns to the entity. You can search by it, and annual registration asks for it as an alternative to the business name.
Does a Georgia business name search reserve the name?
No. The business-search instructions say the tool is not a name-availability search. A reservation, if you need one, is a filing of its own.
Where do I see officers?
Officer name is one of the search fields, and officer information is part of the entity record the search page says it displays. Corporations and LLCs do not publish the same management details. Read the record you opened.