Business Office, Idaho Secretary of State
Idaho Business Entity Search: What a SOSBiz Record Shows
SOSBiz is the Idaho Secretary of State’s own portal, not a third-party site: its Business Search covers every corporation and LLC registered in the state. Search Idaho business entities here by name, by a file number like 4070373, or by registered agent.
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Where Idaho’s registry differs
An Idaho Business Search in SOSBiz Starts With the First Word
The Idaho Secretary of State’s Business Search on SOSBiz asks for no fee and no login; a SOSBiz account is needed only to file. A single field accepts either a business name or its file number, and the screen warns that “Searching starts with your entered keyword”: a search for “technology” won’t find Micron Technology unless Contains is ticked under Advanced Search Options.
The same panel offers Search by Registered Agent, Active entities only and a filing date range; there is no official search by officer or member. Results list Form Info (the name, the file number in parentheses and the entity type, such as Limited Liability Company (D), where (D) marks an Idaho entity), Status, Filing Date and Agent. Merged, dissolved and revoked companies stay in the results. Idaho has no state business license (“Registering your business is a registration, not a license”); professional licenses come from the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses.
What the SOSBiz Side Panel Tells You
To look up an LLC in Idaho, open its row: a side panel lists Filing Type and Status, where it was formed, its principal and mailing addresses, when it first filed, its AR Due Date and its agent, flagged Commercial or Noncommercial with an agent number. An overdue AR Due Date turns red with an alert icon.
A record that reads “NO AGENT” and “AGENT RESIGNED OR INVALID” has lost its registered agent. The panel names no owners or officers. Micron Technology, Inc. reads Active-Good Standing and Chobani, LLC reads Active-Existing; both are active statuses. Inactive ones include Merged Out, Dissolved, Withdrawn, Forfeited and Revoked (Administrative).
The Idaho File Number Appears Without Zeros
SOSBiz shows the file number in parentheses after the name, with no leading zeros, as in 4070373 or 361021, while the state’s data stores it on ten digits. The search on this page takes either form and adds the zeros itself; a dash makes it fail.
| File number | Record |
|---|---|
4070373 | Micron Technology, Inc., foreign business corporation, Active-Good Standing |
361021 | Micron Technology Asia Pacific, Inc., Idaho corporation, Active-Good Standing |
238025 | Micron Technology, Inc., foreign business corporation, Inactive-Revoked (Administrative) |
414999 | Chobani, LLC, foreign LLC, Active-Existing |
Two Micron Technology, Inc. files, one revoked and one active, show why the number matters more than the name. It is not an EIN: “An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS),” no Idaho record lists one, and finding another company’s EIN means looking elsewhere.
Idaho DBA Filings: Owners Named, No Renewal
“What is the difference between a DBA and an ABN? There is no difference.” Idaho asks for an assumed business name certificate, filed with the Secretary of State through a SOSBiz account before any business is done under that name: $25 online or $45 on paper, one certificate per name. It never needs renewing and stays active until the owner cancels it, which is free online.
The certificate must give “the true names and business addresses of every person who has a financial or control interest” in the business, so an ABN names its owners, unlike a company record. Until it files one, the business can’t maintain a lawsuit in Idaho courts. Business.Idaho.gov sets the scope: “All businesses except sole proprietors who use their full name as the business name need to register a name and entity type with the Idaho Secretary of State’s office before conducting business.”
ABNs sit in the Secretary of State’s database: to check one, search its name in SOSBiz and, if nothing comes up, ask the Business Office at (208) 334-2301. An ABN is not a license and can’t act as a registered agent.
Idaho’s Annual Report Costs Nothing
The Idaho Code’s fee schedule reads “Annual report … No fee.” Each report falls due at the close of the entity’s formation or registration month, a year after formation and every year after; it names at least one governor and is filed online in SOSBiz.
A missed report, or 60 days in a row without a registered agent, lets the Secretary of State dissolve an Idaho entity administratively after notice and 60 days to cure. Reinstatement costs $30, is possible for ten years and takes effect as if the dissolution never happened, but “Only Idaho entities may reinstate their business”; a foreign entity registers again. The steps are in the Idaho LLC annual report guide.
$10 for a Certificate of Existence, Checked by ID
Idaho calls it a Certificate of Existence: “Click the ‘Request Certificate’ button at the top of the window. Fill out the online form and pay the $10 fee.” Its authenticity can be confirmed by typing the certificate ID, printed bottom left, into SOSBiz’s Verify Certificate page. Idaho Code § 30-21-208 calls the same document a certificate of good standing, and any person can request one.
“A certificate of existence is not required to do business in Idaho,” and the Secretary of State warns that scam websites and mailings “offer to provide one at a high markup.”
Behind an Idaho Company: Governors, Agents, No Owner List
“Business registrations are public records,” but an Idaho record lists no members, and “The Secretary of State does not maintain records of stock ownership or shareholders.” Annual reports list at least one governor. The search above lists officers named in Idaho filings without saying who is still in office.
An Idaho registered agent needs an Idaho street address, no P.O. box, and “You can serve as your own registered agent if you have an Idaho address.” SOSBiz’s Lists menu publishes a 14-day list of newly appointed registered agents.
Six Months Into Administrative Dissolution, an Idaho Name Frees Up
Idaho’s test is whether a new name is “distinguishable on the records of the secretary of state”; LLC, Inc., Corp. and the like are ignored. Once an entity has sat in administrative dissolution for more than six months, its name stops blocking new filings, even though that entity can still reinstate for ten years. SOSBiz has no separate name availability tool; the Secretary of State’s FAQ points to the Business Search.
Reserving a name costs $20 online and lasts 4 months. In a corporation’s name, “company” can’t follow “and” or “&”. Forming an LLC takes a $100 Certificate of Organization online (see how to start an Idaho LLC). For federal trademarks and domains, run a fuller LLC name check.