Performing a Michigan SOS corporation search is easy, as the state has developed a more streamlined online method that allows you to search for a business entity by a number of search criteria.

You can search for a corporation easily on Michigan's Secretary of State website.

  1. Navigate to the corporation search page on the Michigan SOS website.
  2. If searching by name, select the topmost option on the webpage, enter the business name, and click "search."
  3. Your search will most likely return a list of the corporations that meet the search criteria. You will need to scroll through the results to find the entity you are looking for.
  4. Select the correct entity, and you will be able to view all of the public details and records of the company.

You can also use the search page to search for corporations by keyword or by the corporation ID number.

You can also use the Michigan Secretary of State corporation search website to search to see if the name you would like to use for your corporation is available. To search for the availability of your business name, you will need to do the following:

  1. Navigate to the Michigan Secretary of State webpage.
  2. Type the proposed name into the search field and select the type of entity you would like to search for from the drop-down menu.
  3. Click "search."
  4. If the name is available, you will receive a result of "no conflict found." If the name is not available, you will be taken to another window.

The filings for corporations in the State of Michigan are handled by the Corporations Division of the Corporations, Securities, & Commercial Licensing Bureau, which falls under the domain of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The registry is responsible for maintaining the filing records of all of the business entities in the state.

The registry will hold records for the following types of business entities:

There are many reasons to perform a business entity search. Some of the most common reasons people perform a business entity search include the following:

  • To check the availability of a business name for your LLC
  • To look up a business and check its status with the state or obtain specific business info
  • To determine if your business has been officially formed as an LLC in your state
  • To perform administrative tasks that are required for your business

If you need help with a Michigan SOS corporation search, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel's marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.