How to Get a DBA in Oklahoma: Form 0013, Fee, and Renewal

To get a DBA in Oklahoma, file a Trade Name Report (Form 0013) with the Oklahoma Secretary of State and pay a $25 filing fee. You can submit it online or by mail, but before you do either, search the state’s records to confirm your chosen name is available and distinguishable from every other business name on file.¹

Oklahoma calls a DBA a “trade name,” and the filing works the same way for every kind of business.

Who Needs a Trade Name Filing

Any corporation or business entity doing business in Oklahoma under a name other than its legal name must file a Trade Name Report with the Secretary of State.² If you formed “Smith Holdings LLC” but want customers to see “Smith’s Coffee Shop,” you need this filing. Corporations operating brands that differ from their charter name are in the same position.

Sole proprietors and general partnerships file the same report. Because those structures don’t involve any formal entity filing with the state, the Trade Name Report is the only registration available to them through the Secretary of State’s office.³ If you’re a freelancer or sole owner operating under anything other than your personal legal name, this is your filing.

Step 1: Confirm the Name Is Available

Start with a name availability search on the Secretary of State’s business portal at oklahoma.gov.¹ Filing a name that’s already taken means the office will reject the report, and you lose time.

The Secretary of State will not accept a trade name that is the same as or indistinguishable from any existing business entity name, trade name, fictitious name, or reserved name already on file.⁴ That check covers Oklahoma-formed entities, foreign entities authorized to do business here, and reserved names. The records reach back three years, so a recently dissolved business can still block your name.²

There’s a workaround if the name you want is close to one already on record. You can get written consent from the current holder to use the same or a similar name, so long as you add one or more words that make yours distinguishable in the state’s records. If the consenting entity is about to change its name, wind down, or withdraw from Oklahoma, the extra words aren’t required.⁴ A court decree establishing your prior right to the name also works.

Step 2: Gather the Required Information

The Trade Name Report asks for a specific set of details fixed by statute:²

The exact trade name you’ll operate under.
The full legal name of the business entity or individual owner.
The jurisdiction where the entity was formed.
A brief description of the kind of business conducted under the trade name.
The address where the business will be carried on.

Get the legal name exactly right. For an LLC or corporation, it must match the Secretary of State’s existing records character for character. The business description can be short, along the lines of “retail coffee sales” or “residential plumbing services,” but it should honestly reflect what you do under the trade name. The statute asks for the location where business is actually conducted, so use a physical street address rather than a PO box.

Step 3: File Form 0013 and Pay the Fee

Submit the Trade Name Report electronically through the Secretary of State’s online portal or mail Form 0013 to the office in Oklahoma City.¹ Online filing is faster and gives you real-time status updates. Both methods are equally valid.

The filing fee is $25 per trade name report.⁵ Online payments are made by credit card. For mail filings, include a personal check, company check, or money order payable to the Secretary of State.⁶ Wrong or missing payment gets the paperwork returned unprocessed.

Once the report is approved, you get a file-stamped copy back. That document is your proof that the trade name is officially registered, and you’ll need it to open a business bank account under the trade name or sign contracts under that brand. Online filings are typically processed within a few business days.

What a Trade Name Filing Doesn’t Do

A trade name registration puts a public record of your business alias on file with the state. That is all it does, and the limits catch business owners off guard.

It Doesn’t Protect You From Liability

Filing a trade name does not create a separate legal entity or shield you from personal liability. A sole proprietor operating under a trade name is still personally responsible for all business debts and legal claims. Only formal entity structures like LLCs and corporations provide liability limitations from lawsuits.³ Registering “Joe’s Plumbing” as a trade name gets you a sign, not a legal shield.

It Isn’t a Trademark

A state trade name registration is not a trademark. Oklahoma handles trademark registration separately under Title 78 of the Oklahoma Statutes, and federal trademark protection requires a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Your trade name filing prevents another business from registering the identical name with the Secretary of State, but it won’t stop a competitor in another state from using the same name and won’t carry you through a trademark dispute on its own.

You Don’t Need a New EIN

Registering a trade name doesn’t change your business structure, so the IRS does not require a new Employer Identification Number. This applies whether you’re a sole proprietor, corporation, partnership, or LLC. Changing your business name or adding a trade name is not a triggering event for a new EIN.⁷ You keep using the EIN you already have, or your Social Security Number if you’re a sole proprietor without one.

Keeping the Registration Active

Trade name registrations in Oklahoma are not permanent. Under Title 18, Section 1140, the business must file a Renewal of Trade Name Report every ten years to keep the registration in force. If it lapses, the name becomes available for someone else to claim. The state does not send reminder notices, so track your filing date and calendar the deadline well in advance. The renewal fee is $25, the same as the original filing.⁵

If your business address changes, your legal name changes, or any other information on the original report needs updating, file an amendment with the Secretary of State before the ten-year renewal comes due. That keeps your records clean and avoids discrepancies when you renew or sign contracts under the trade name.

When you stop operating under a trade name, file a Withdrawal of Trade Name Report to formally remove it from the state’s records. The withdrawal report asks for the trade name being abandoned, the legal name of the entity, the entity type, and the jurisdiction of formation, and it must be signed by an authorized officer. The withdrawal fee is $25.⁸ Leaving an unused name on file clutters the records and can block someone else from registering it, which occasionally leads to disputes you’d rather avoid.

What Happens If You Skip the Filing

Operating under an unregistered trade name creates practical problems. Without a filing, you have no official record linking your business identity to your legal name, which makes it harder to open bank accounts, sign leases, or enter contracts under the trade name. Lenders and landlords routinely ask for proof of trade name registration.

For a foreign corporation doing business in Oklahoma without complying with state filing requirements, the consequences reach further. The state can impose fines, revoke the corporation’s authority to do business after thirty days’ notice, and assess daily penalties for continued non-compliance.⁹ Set against those risks, the $25 filing fee is the easiest compliance step you’ll take.

1
Oklahoma.gov. Register Your Business
2
Justia. Oklahoma Statutes Title 18 – Section 18-1140 Trade Names
3
Oklahoma Department of Commerce. Starting a Small Business
4
Justia. Oklahoma Statutes Title 18 – Section 18-1141 Prohibition on Use of Same or Indistinguishable Names Exceptions
5
Justia. Oklahoma Statutes Title 18 – Section 18-1142 Filing and Other Service Fees
6
Oklahoma Legal. Oklahoma Code 18-1142 Filing and Other Service Fees
7
Internal Revenue Service. When to Get a New EIN
8
Justia. Oklahoma Statutes Title 18 – Section 18-1140.1 Withdrawal of Trade Name
9
Justia. Oklahoma Statutes Title 18 – Section 18-1134 Violations and Penalties