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North Dakota Business Entity Search

North Dakota’s FirstStop Portal has a Business Search by name or system ID, with an Advanced panel for matching and active entities. Search and a company’s details were free and needed no login in our review.

Official agency: North Dakota Office of the Secretary of State, Business Services (FirstStop Portal)

Open Official Government SearchOpens firststop.sos.nd.gov in a new tab. This is the official government site, not EntityLocator.

Direct links on the official site

Search methods offered

  • Search by name or system IDOne combined text box with the placeholder format ###-#####.
  • AdvancedContains (selected at first) or Starts with, and an Active entities only checkbox (unchecked at first).

How to search

  1. Open the FirstStop Business Search using the button above.
  2. Enter a business name or the system ID the form asks for.
  3. For more control, open Advanced, choose Contains or Starts with, and optionally tick Active entities only.
  4. Select Search in Advanced, or use the normal Execute search control. Clear Filters resets the form.
  5. Review the name, filing type, SOS Control ID#, Status, Standing and Filing Date.
  6. Select the business name button to open its detail panel.
  7. Review the status and standing, initial filing date, addresses and registered agent information.

What you can expect to find

  • The results table has the columns Form Info (name and filing type), SOS Control ID#, Status, Standing and Filing Date. A search for a large company returned seven results, including corporations and a Trade Name.
  • The detail panel for a foreign corporation showed the business name and filing type, Status, Standing - AR, Standing - RA, Standing - Other, Formed In, Term of Duration, Initial Filing Date, Principal Address, Mailing Address, AR Due Date and the Commercial Registered Agent’s name and address. It had Request Certificate and View History buttons.
  • We did not open View History, and the AR, RA and Other abbreviations are not explained here beyond the displayed labels. Other entity types may show different fields.
  • The portal also has separate searches for Trademark, Contractor, Lobbyist, Charitable Organizations and Notary. A Business Search result does not confirm a license or a charitable solicitation registration.

Limitations, fees and notices

  • Search and the company detail were free and needed no login. A Login button is visible but optional. No CAPTCHA appeared in our test, which doesn’t guarantee that for every visitor.
  • A status and standing display is not a purchased certificate. A Certificate of Good Standing is $20, requested separately through FirstStop. Certificates of Fact are $15 for trade names and fictitious partnership names and $20 for other business structures, per the official verification instructions. Filing and amendment fees are separate and vary by business structure.
  • We did not confirm current copy prices or a separate name availability inquiry fee.
  • The placeholder system ID format differs from the zero-padded SOS Control ID# shown in results. We didn’t test entering an ID, so don’t rely on a particular format.
  • We saw no registered agent, officer, address, date range or entity type search in the advanced panel. A search with no results is not a reservation or an official name approval.

Sources and research notes

Sources reviewed: . Official sites change; always confirm current details on the government site.

Research for this guide used the official North Dakota sites in a web browser. A name search and one corporation’s detail panel were tested; no certificate was ordered.

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