The site at bsd.sos.mo.gov is the Missouri Secretary of State’s Business Services portal, where you form LLCs and corporations, file annual registration reports, register fictitious names, order certificates of good standing, and look up any business entity on file in the state. Nearly every routine interaction between a Missouri business and the Secretary of State’s office runs through this portal, from the day you organize through every year you stay active.
What the Portal Lets You Do
The portal handles formation and ongoing filings for general business corporations, limited liability companies, nonprofit corporations, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships. You can also file fictitious name registrations, submit Uniform Commercial Code filings that record security interests in personal property pledged as collateral, and register state-level trademarks and service marks, which run for ten years per registration.1Missouri Secretary of State. Uniform Commercial Code2Missouri Secretary of State. Trademarks and Service Marks
The business entity search is free and open to anyone. Use it to verify whether a company is in good standing, see its registered agent and formation date, review its filing history, or check whether a name you want is already taken. It’s the same tool you’ll want to pull up before signing a contract with an unfamiliar company, and the same one to check after you file your own annual report to confirm your status still reads as active.
What You Need Before You File an LLC or Corporation
Gather everything before you open the online form. Sessions can time out, and incomplete or inaccurate filings get rejected.
- A business name that is distinguishable from every other entity already on file. Run a search on the portal before you commit.3Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 351.110 – Corporate Name Requirements
- A registered agent in Missouri. This can be an individual who lives in the state or a business authorized to operate there. The agent’s office address becomes your registered office, and the agent receives lawsuits and legal notices on behalf of the entity. Every corporation and LLC must keep one continuously.4Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 351.370 – Registered Office and Registered Agent5Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 347.030 – Maintenance of Office and Agent for Service of Process
- The principal office address where you actually conduct operations.
- Names and addresses of the organizers (LLC) or incorporators (corporation).
- Business purpose and duration (perpetual or set period).
- For LLCs, whether the company will be member-managed or manager-managed. This has to be stated in the articles of organization and determines who can bind the company.6Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 347.039 – Articles, Contents
Paper copies of the forms are posted on the Secretary of State’s forms page, and skimming the relevant one is a quick way to see every field you’ll meet online.7Missouri Secretary of State. Fees and Forms
Filing Fees
Corporation filing fees in Missouri are tied to authorized capital stock rather than a flat rate. The base is $50 for the first $30,000 of authorized shares, plus $5 for each additional $10,000 or fraction. Add a $3 certificate-of-incorporation fee and a $5 Technology Trust Fund fee. A small corporation with $30,000 or less in authorized capital pays a $58 minimum.8Missouri Secretary of State. Starting a Business9Missouri Secretary of State. Schedule of Fees and Charges Shares with no par value are assessed at $1 per share when calculating authorized capital.
LLC formation fees and the full menu of other filing fees are set out on the schedule PDF linked from the forms page.7Missouri Secretary of State. Fees and Forms Fictitious name registration is $7.10Missouri Secretary of State. Fictitious Name Registration FAQ The portal accepts credit cards and electronic checks.
Submitting a Filing
Create an account on bsd.sos.mo.gov with a user ID and password. The account stores your submissions and gives you one place to handle later amendments and annual reports. Pick the filing type, enter your information, and move to payment. The system issues a confirmation with a tracking number, and many online filings process immediately on submission.11Missouri Secretary of State. Contact Information Once approved, your certificate lands in your account for download.
Annual Reports and Staying Active
Formation is the start, not the finish. Missouri corporations must file an annual registration report. For corporations formed or qualified on or after July 1, 2003, the report is due by the end of the anniversary month of incorporation or qualification. A late report draws a $15 penalty for each 30-day period past the deadline.12Missouri Secretary of State. Other Filings Required of General Business Corporations
Letting the report lapse is the quickest route to serious trouble. If a corporate registration report is more than 90 days overdue, the Secretary of State has grounds to begin administrative dissolution. The same statute lists other triggers, including going 30 or more days without a registered agent, failing to pay franchise tax, and failing to file corporate income tax returns.13Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 351.484 – Administrative Dissolution Grounds Administrative dissolution ends the entity’s authority to do business and can expose owners to personal liability, because courts may decline to respect the corporate shield of a dissolved entity. Keep the registered agent current and the reports on time.
Ordering a Certificate of Good Standing
A certificate of good standing is the Secretary of State’s official confirmation that your entity is active, has filed what it owes, and is authorized to do business. You can order one through bsd.sos.mo.gov at any time, and certificates ordered online carry a verification number anyone can use to confirm authenticity.14Missouri Secretary of State. General Services and Filings
Banks ask for one when you open a business account or apply for a loan. You’ll also need it to register your Missouri entity in another state, sign some government contracts, negotiate certain commercial leases, or satisfy investor due diligence. Pull a fresh copy before you need it rather than during a closing.
Registering a Fictitious Name
If your business operates under a name different from its legal name, Missouri requires you to register that trade name as a fictitious name, often called a DBA. A sole proprietor named Jane Smith operating as “Smith Consulting Group” needs to register that name, and the same applies to an LLC or corporation using a brand name different from its filed entity name. Registration is $7 through the portal or by mail.10Missouri Secretary of State. Fictitious Name Registration FAQ A fictitious name registration doesn’t create trademark rights and doesn’t shield you from liability. It records the connection between the trade name and the owner. If you want to stop others from using the name, that’s a separate trademark filing.
What the Portal Doesn’t Handle
The Secretary of State creates your entity under state law, but federal and local obligations sit outside the portal. The IRS issues Employer Identification Numbers through its own site, and it recommends forming your entity with the state first, because applying too early can delay the process.15Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number Online EIN applications are free and immediate.
Beneficial ownership reporting has shifted. The Corporate Transparency Act originally required most domestic entities to report ownership to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, but as of March 2025 FinCEN exempted all U.S.-formed entities. The reporting obligation now applies only to foreign entities registered to do business in a U.S. state.16Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting A domestic Missouri entity currently has nothing to file there, though this area has moved several times and is worth watching.
Check your city or county too. Many Missouri municipalities require a local business license on top of state registration, with their own fees and renewal cycles.