Note: You may not wish to open a business bank account in Ohio if you already have one in another state. They accept legal mail, official notices, and communication from the Secretary of State on behalf of your business. Your statutory agent needs to be a resident of Ohio or a business entity with an address in Ohio. It protects the identity of your business and is backed by federal law. Register for a trademark or service mark Registering for a trademark or a service mark is an optional but valuable step you can take. For example, you're a sole proprietor but don't want to use your name as your company name. The second option is registering a trade name (also known as a DBA name) or a fictitious name if you'll be using different names. The first option is to reserve your name for 180 days by filing a Name Reservation with the Ohio Secretary of State. Claim your name If your business name is available after doing the two checks above, it's time to claim it.

REGISTER A BUSINESS NAME IN OHIO ONLINE HOW TO

Check out Namecheap's How to check a domain's history before buying it to discover why this kind of research is essential and how to do it right. You'll then need to go over the domain's history. Let's say that your domain name is available. Once you hit enter, the system will show you if the domain is available or not. Just go to Google Domains and type in the name you like in the search bar. Domain name search It's now rare for a business not to have a company website, which means you must verify if your chosen business name is still available online. Use the Ohio Secretary of State Business Search to confirm. In other words, no other business should bear the same name. Is it available for use in Ohio, and is it available for use online? Ohio business name search As the business owner, you must ensure that your potential business name is unique. After you register your business in Ohio, you must select your business name. Make sure you choose the structure that best fits your business needs. Each of these structures will govern how you pay business taxes, how you operate the business, and your level of risk for personal liability.

You could form your company as a sole proprietorship, a general partnership, a limited liability company, or a corporation. Selecting the legal structure of your business is the next important step. Step 2: Choose a legal business structure. Do you have special skills that make this the logical choice? Are you passionate about your product or service? What are the chances of success in your industry? To get clear on the answers, complete a business plan (see page 13 of Starting Your Business in Ohio). Look at why you want to start your own business. If you're starting from the beginning, you need to make sure that you research business ideas before taking concrete steps to establish a business. You might not plan on starting a business website today, but you may want to prevent others from acquiring your URL.Step 1: Choose a business idea. We recommend checking if your name is available as a web domain (URL). Words that imply that the business is connected with a government agency of Ohio, another state, or the United States.Any of the following words without prior approval from the Superintendent of Financial Institutions: bank, banker, banking, trust, or words of similar meaning in any other language.Profanity or words or phrases that are generally considered a slur against an ethnic group, religion, gender, or heredity.Any business entity suffix, such as LLC, Incorporated, Corp, etc., unless the business is actually an LLC, corporation, etc.Next, review the Ohio naming requirements. Ohio trade names must be unique and must also meet Ohio’s business name requirements.įirst, visit the Ohio Secretary of State's Business Name Search website and search for your new DBA name to make sure it isn’t already in use.

Register a business name in ohio online