Delaware Business License Application (CRA): Filing, Fees, and Renewals

To apply for a Delaware business license, complete the Combined Registration Application (Form CRA) through the Delaware One Stop portal at onestop.delaware.gov or by mailing a paper form to the Division of Revenue, and pay the license fee, which starts at $75 per year for most business types. If you apply online, you can print a temporary license right after payment and begin operating; the permanent license arrives by mail within about 10 working days.¹

Who Has to Apply

Every person or entity carrying on a trade or business in Delaware needs a state business license. That covers corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and sole proprietors, and it applies to brick-and-mortar stores, mobile operations, and online businesses alike. Even a business physically located in Delaware that sells only to out-of-state customers has to be licensed.¹

Skipping the license is a criminal offense. Anyone who conducts a licensed business without first obtaining the proper license owes the unpaid fees plus a fine of up to $3,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both. Corporate officers and directors can be held personally liable.²

One boundary worth naming: this is the general business license under Title 30. Regulated professions like medicine, engineering, accounting, and cosmetology are licensed separately under Title 24 through their own oversight boards, with their own education and examination requirements.³ Regulated goods like tobacco or alcohol may require additional endorsements on top of the general license.

What to Have Ready Before You Start

The application will move faster if you gather these first:

Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN). Required for all business entities. Sole proprietors without employees may use a Social Security Number instead. If you don’t have an FEIN, you can apply on IRS.gov and get one immediately.⁴
Legal entity name, exactly as it appears on your formation documents filed with the Delaware Division of Corporations. A mismatch causes rejection.
Trade name (DBA), if you operate under a name different from the legal entity name. Delaware trade names don’t expire; they stay valid until you file a termination.
Delaware physical address. A separate mailing address for correspondence is fine.
A description of your business activity. The paper form asks you to describe the specific nature of the business; the online portal walks you through selecting a category.
Contact and residency information for all owners or corporate officers.

If you’ll have employees working in Delaware, the same Combined Registration Application registers you as a withholding agent at the same time. No separate form is needed.

What It Costs

Most Delaware business licenses run $75 per year, plus $25 for each additional branch or business location. That base rate covers retailers, wholesalers, and most of the occupational categories in Chapter 23 of Title 30, including advertising agencies, brokers, photographers, real estate brokers, movers, and general service businesses.⁵

Some categories carry different fees:

Hotels: $25 per room, $30 per suite
Motels: $25 per room
Finance or small loan agencies: $450
Travel agencies: $225
Circus exhibitors: $750
Headquarters management corporations: $5,000

Most licenses are prorated when a business starts mid-year, so your first payment may be less than the full annual amount. The Division of Revenue’s Public Service Office can confirm your prorated figure.¹

You can also pay three times the annual fee at renewal to cover a three-year term. That simplifies your calendar, but it does not lock in the rate if fees change during the period.⁶

Filing Online Through Delaware One Stop

The fastest route is onestop.delaware.gov. Create an account, select your business type, and follow the guided registration; the system can register your business license and related state obligations at the same time. Payment goes through the Go DE secure gateway by credit card or electronic check.⁷

Once payment clears, you can print a temporary license from your computer and start operating right away while the permanent license is processed.¹

Filing by Mail

If you prefer paper, download Form CRA from the Division of Revenue website. Fill it in completely, have an owner or officer sign and date it (unsigned forms are rejected), and mail it with the full license fee to:⁴

Division of Revenue
P.O. Box 8750
Wilmington, DE 19899-8750

Paper filings take several weeks to process, and you don’t get a temporary license in the meantime. That’s the main reason most applicants file online.

After Approval

Permanent licenses are generally mailed within 10 working days of approval.¹ Once yours arrives, Delaware law requires you to display it in a conspicuous location at your principal place of business. Failing to display it carries a fine of up to $100 per responsible individual, meaning each partner in a firm or each officer of a corporation.²

Renewals and Changes

Delaware business licenses expire on December 31 each year, or December 31 of the third year if you paid for a three-year term.¹ To renew, log in to the One Stop portal, enter your business license number, choose a one-year or three-year term, and complete payment.⁸

You can update a physical address, ownership, or key staff at no charge through the portal’s “Update Trade Name” flow. If the taxpayer identification number tied to the business changes, typically because of a change in entity type or a complete ownership transfer, you’ll need to submit a new registration.⁹

One More Thing to Plan For

Delaware has no sales tax, but licensed businesses owe a gross receipts tax on total revenue from goods sold or services rendered in the state. Rates vary by activity, a monthly exclusion of at least $100,000 applies before tax is due, and returns are filed electronically at tax.delaware.gov. New businesses start out as quarterly filers.¹⁰ Check your specific rate before you set prices, because the tax comes out of your revenue, not the customer’s receipt.¹¹

1
Division of Revenue – State of Delaware. Business Licenses FAQs
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Delaware Code Online. Delaware Code Title 30 Chapter 21 – General Provisions Concerning Licenses
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Delaware Code Online. Delaware Code Title 24 – Professions and Occupations
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Division of Revenue State of Delaware. Combined Registration Application for State of Delaware Business License and/or Withholding Agent
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Delaware Code Online. Delaware Code Title 30 Chapter 23 – Cost of Occupational Licenses and Fees
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Business First Steps. General Business License
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Delaware One Stop. Delaware One Stop
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Delaware One Stop. Add, Renew, or Modify Licenses
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Delaware One Stop. Delaware One Stop Frequently Asked Questions
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Delaware Division of Revenue. Gross Receipts Tax FAQs
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Division of Revenue – State of Delaware. Detailed List of Division of Revenue Licenses and Tax Rates