Nevada Secretary of State
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FAQs
Expand/Contract Questions and Answers
- Benefit corporations, governed by NRS Chapter 78B, are for profit entities that consider the society and environment in addition to fiduciary goals in their decision-making process, differing from traditional corporations in their purpose, accountability, and transparency. The purpose of a benefit corporation is to create general public benefit, which is defined in 78B.040 as “a material positive impact on society and the environment, taken as a whole, as assessed against a third-party standard, from the business and operations of a benefit corporation.”
- In its articles of incorporation, or through an amendment, a benefit corporation states that it is a benefit corporation and identifies one or more specific public benefits as an additional purpose, such as, though not limited to, the following examples:
• Providing low-income for underserved individuals or communities with beneficial products or services.
• Promoting economic opportunity for individuals or communities beyond the creation of jobs in the ordinary course of business.
• Preserving the environment.
• Improving human health and promoting the arts, sciences or the advancement of knowledge. - DBA's are filed at the county level, not with the Secretary of State. Please contact the clerk or recorder's office in the county where you wish to file.
The Secretary of State does NOT provide a name availability service. Name availability can be checked by:
- Requesting a name be reserved by Going to the Secretary of State website's Business Entities Search page. You may also reserve a name on our website by going here and clicking on "Name Reservation."
Or, by:
- Submitting a completed name reservation form, with the $25 filing fee. You may expedite your name reservation by including an additional $25. Be sure to request "expedited service" in your cover letter.
- Status information can be obtained, free of charge, on the Secretary of State website's Business Entities Search page. You can also call the Secretary of State's Customer Service Division at 775-684-5708.
The Secretary of State's office does not have information regarding old stock certificates. However, you can request a search for information on the company that may have issued the certificate by sending a copy of the corporate stock certificate and the $50 payment via U.S. mail, email, or fax.
Click Here for Customer Order Instructions and fees for Copies and Certificates.
How can I obtain the forms to file my Articles of Incorporation, or any other Commercial Recordings documents?
You can download the forms from the Forms Library, under Resources on the homepage, then submit by fax, email, or by mailing your request to:
COMMERCIAL RECORDINGS DIVISION
401 North Carson Street
Carson City, NV 89701Or, dropping by one of our offices. Many forms can be filed online.
- You may view officers of a corporation on the Business Entities Search page.
- A customer that has not received their filing documents or copy order must notify the Secretary of State's office within 60 days of original order; otherwise, the customer must order replacement copies and certificates. Please see our fee schedule.
If the account hosts a credit of $15.00 or more, a written request for the refund must be made within one year of payment pursuant to NRS 353.115. Amounts not used or refunded within one year are not available for use or refund. Written requests may be submitted via email at sos-trust@sos.nv.gov, by fax at 775-684-5630, or mailed to:
Secretary of State
Attn: Accounting
401 North Carson Street
Carson City, Nevada 89701-4201Please include any relevant information, such as date of refund, amount of refund, check number and/or name, or job number.
Yes, ceremonial charters and certificates are available, printed on the Secretary of State’s beautifully illustrated charter paper, and are suitable for framing. Ceremonial charters and certificates may be ordered through our Copies Division via email, fax, or mail. The cost for each ceremonial charter or certificate is $100. Ceremonial charters and certificates may also be ordered at the time formation documents are processed. Customers must indicate on their order instructions the number of ceremonial charters or certificates they wish to purchase, accompanied by $100 for each requested.
Click Here for more information on Ceremonial Charters and Good Standings Certificates.
Click Here for Customer Order Instructions for Copies and Certificates.
BASIC COPY ORDER INSTRUCTIONS:
All orders must be accompanied by payment and in writing using the Copies Order Form, a letter, and submitted to the Secretary of State's Carson City office:
To order by mail:
Secretary of State Francisco V. Aguilar
401 North Carson Street
Carson City, Nevada 89701-4201To order via online:
Please visit https://www.nvsilverflume.govTo order via fax:
Fax a detailed request, along with credit card information to 775-684-5645.Are there any restricted words that cannot be used in an entity's name or purpose without prior authorization?
There are certain words that require prior authorization by the appropriate regulatory authority for use in the name and/or purpose of any organizational document or amendment filed with the Secretary of State. Prior authorization is required, regardless if the word stands alone or if the word is "part" of a word. Failure to receive and provide proof of authorization will result in the rejection of the document. Please click here to be taken to the restricted word list.- Yes. These lists may be filed online at SilverFlume. Click on the "Manage Your Business" tab to begin.
- Set up an account and use online services by registering first on SilverFlume.
- Documents and certificates ordered or processed online are available in the “Documents” tab for 365 days from the date of purchase. Log back into SilverFlume, and click on “Documents” at the top of the page. The documents should be available to download. If a document requires staff review, it will be uploaded into the documents tab upon approval to download.
- When submitting your documents directly to the Secretary of State, please make out checks to: Secretary of State. When submitting through a Registered Agent, please check with that Registered Agent.
Filings are rejected for many reasons including, but not limited to the following:
- Name not available
- Document was not signed
- Insufficient fees for filing
- Statutory requirements not included
- Document is illegible
- Document in such poor condition that cannot be scanned
- Credit card declined
- Entity not in good standing or not on file with this office
- Required documents not included
Yes. Trademarks, trade names and service marks can be searched online. Click here for Business Entity Search page, and search by the mark or entity name.
The results will reflect any trademark, trade name or service mark on file, along with the business entities with that name.
- Documents are scanned into our processing system at the time of receipt and the scanned documents become the official record. If the filing is accepted and processed, filed stamped copies will be sent back. If a filing is rejected, copies of the documents will be sent back with a rejection letter. The Secretary of State destroys payment information after a filing is either processed or rejected. New payment information will need to be submitted if no credit is on file.
- Yes. For an additional fee you may have your documents processed and orders filled on an expedited basis. We offer 1-, 2-, and 24-hour expedited service for most processes. Click here for the expedite schedules and additional information.
- Contact the IRS for federal tax information, or the Nevada Department of Taxation for questions regarding state taxes.
To order online:
Click Here and select "Good Standing Certificate"To order by mail:
Send a letter with the name of the entity for which you are requesting the certificate, along with a check, money order, or credit card authorization for $50.00 made payable to "Secretary of State" to:Secretary of State Francisco V. Aguilar
401 North Carson Street
Carson City, Nevada 89701-4201To order fax:
Fax a detailed request, along with credit card information to 775-684-5645.The Secretary of State's office accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover Card for all payments. Please note: For security and verification purposes, all credit card payments must include the 3 or 4-digit CVV2 code (VCode) number located on the back of your credit card. Failure to include this code will result in rejection of your filing or service request.
- Click Here and select "Verify Good Standing Certificates"
- You may file a reinstatement by utilizing the "Reinstatements & Revivals" under "Existing Business" on the SilverFlume home page. There is a Menu off to the left side of the page where the selection "Reinstatements and Revivals" is listed. Select "Reinstatement" and perform an entity search, from there you will be able to complete your filing. SilverFlume will calculate the appropriate filing fees. Reinstatements done online are instantly filed and the entity will display a status of active.