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Contents
Search Available Business NamesUse an Alternate Business NameDoing Business As (DBA) for Out-of-State BusinessReserve a Business Name
Your business name is the name you will use to represent your business. The process of registering your business name differs depending on your business structure, also known as a legal structure.
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Recent Regulations and Resources
Search Available Business Names
If you are an LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp, LP, or LLP you should check if your business name is available with the New Jersey Department of Treasury. If your name is available, you will reserve your name when you submit your business formation documents. You will need your business Certificate of Formation to officially register your business name.
If you are a sole proprietor or a general partnership and you do not want to use your personal name as your business name, you can register a business name at your local clerk’s office.
Once you have found your business name, check out our business registration guide.
Use an Alternate Business Name
After a business entity has been established or receives authorization to do business in New Jersey, it may legally do business under an alternate name once the alternate name is registered. For example, ABC Food and Beverage LLC could get an alternate name called John’s Pizza and put that on their storefront. Franchises often do this or businesses who want to publicly go by a different name.
Doing Business As (DBA) for Out-of-State Business
Doing Business As (DBA) names are for out-of-state business ONLY.
If your business is already registered in New Jersey and you’re looking to get an alternate name, please refer to the Alternate Name information above.
An out-of-state business that is looking to register in New Jersey must first check to see if the exact name that is on the formation document in your home state is available. Check if your business name is available in New Jersey. If the exact name is available, that name MUST be used.
If your home state business name is not available in New Jersey, you need to establish a secondary or 'doing business as" name for New Jersey purposes. Search available DBA names. Once an available name is found, you can register the DBA name when you form your business.
Learn more about out-of-state business registration.
Reserve a Business Name
You can reserve a name with the New Jersey Department of the Treasury for 6 months. If you want to register that name before the 6-month period expires, you must submit a paper application.
Alternatively, you can form your business now and set the effective date (aka the formation date) for some point in the future.