Sunbiz is the public website of the Florida Division of Corporations, the office within the Florida Department of State that keeps the official record of every business entity registered in Florida. It is where companies are formed, where their filings are stored, and where anyone can look up a Florida business for free.1Florida Department of State. Division of Corporations If you are starting a company, checking on one, or keeping an existing entity in good standing with the state, Sunbiz is the portal you will use.
What You Can Do on Sunbiz
The Division of Corporations uses Sunbiz to receive business filings electronically across a wide range of entity types, including corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, fictitious name registrations, trademarks, and Uniform Commercial Code liens.2Florida Senate. Florida Code 15-16 – Reproduction of Records, Electronic Receipt and Transmission of Records Every document that comes in is indexed, preserved, and made available to the public.
In practice, people use Sunbiz for four main things:
- Forming a new entity (LLC, corporation, partnership, or fictitious name).
- Searching existing businesses to see who owns them, where they are located, and whether they are active.
- Filing the annual report that keeps an entity in good standing.
- Reinstating an entity that has been administratively dissolved.
The Division also reviews incoming filings for the minimum statutory requirements and rejects documents that fall short, tracks annual report compliance, processes name changes and amendments, and maintains the official record of who controls each business registered in the state.
Searching Business Records
Anyone can search the Sunbiz database at no cost. You can look up a Florida business by entity name, by officer or registered agent name, or by document number. A typical entity record will show you:
- The registered agent and their address, which is the person or company designated to accept legal documents for the entity.3Florida Department of State. Corporation Records – Search Guide
- The current officers and directors, with their titles and addresses.
- The principal office address.
- The federal Employer Identification Number, if one has been reported.
- Digital images of the formation documents, amendments, annual reports, and other filings over the life of the entity.
Records also show previous entity names, status changes, and dissolution history, and they go back decades, so even inactive entities remain searchable. That makes Sunbiz useful for vetting a vendor before signing a contract, confirming that a company is authorized to operate in Florida, or tracing the history of a business name.
Forming a Business Through Sunbiz
Most new Florida businesses are created by filing formation documents through the Sunbiz portal. The paperwork and the fees depend on the type of entity.
LLCs
A Florida limited liability company is created by filing Articles of Organization. The total cost is $125, broken into a $100 filing fee and a $25 registered agent designation fee.4Florida Department of State. LLC Fees The filing must meet the requirements of Florida Statutes section 605.0201.5Florida Department of State. Instructions for Articles of Organization
Corporations
A for-profit corporation files Articles of Incorporation. The required fees total $70, split between a $35 filing fee and a $35 registered agent designation fee.6Florida Department of State. Fees – Division of Corporations Nonprofit corporations pay the same $70.7Florida Department of State. Florida Non-Profit Corporation
Limited Partnerships
Limited partnerships and limited liability limited partnerships are more expensive. The Certificate of Limited Partnership costs $965, plus a $35 registered agent fee, for a required total of $1,000.8Florida Department of State. Florida Limited or Limited Liability Limited Partnership
Fictitious Names
A fictitious name registration, often called a DBA, costs $50 and is valid for five years, expiring on December 31 of the final year. Renewal is another $50.9Florida Department of State. Fictitious Name Renewal A fictitious name does not create a separate legal entity. It only registers a trade name that an existing person or business plans to operate under.
Every filing must use a name that is distinguishable from entities already on record. Sunbiz has a free name search tool so you can check availability before you file. Registering a name through Sunbiz reserves it only within Florida’s corporate database. It does not give you trademark protection.
Registered Agent Requirements
Every entity formed or qualified to do business in Florida must designate a registered agent and keep a registered office in the state.10Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 607-0501 – Registered Office and Registered Agent The agent’s job is to accept service of process and forward legal documents to the company. Lawsuits, government notices, and tax documents all reach a business through this address.
The agent can be a Florida resident, a domestic entity authorized to serve as an agent, or a foreign entity qualified to do business in the state. The registered office must be a physical street address in Florida, not a P.O. box. Many owners name themselves as agent, which works if you are reliably available at that address during business hours. If not, commercial registered agent services handle the role for an annual fee. You have 30 days to notify the Division if your agent resigns or your registered office changes.
The Annual Report
Once your entity is active, Florida requires an annual report filed through Sunbiz every year between January 1 and May 1. This applies to corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, and foreign entities authorized to transact business in the state.11Justia. Florida Statutes 607-1622 – Annual Report for Department The first report is due in the calendar year after your entity is formed.
The annual report is not a financial statement. It confirms or updates your officers, directors, principal address, mailing address, and registered agent. The LLC annual report fee is $138.75.4Florida Department of State. LLC Fees Corporation and limited partnership fees are set out separately in the Division’s fee schedule.6Florida Department of State. Fees – Division of Corporations
Miss May 1 and a $400 late fee is added, which pushes an LLC’s total to $538.75. The deadline that really matters, though, is the third Friday in September. If the report and fee are not in by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time that day, the Division can begin administratively dissolving the entity. May 1 is when it gets expensive. September is when your business is at risk of losing its legal existence.
Administrative Dissolution and Reinstatement
Administrative dissolution means the state has revoked your entity’s authority to operate. A dissolved entity can no longer legally conduct business in Florida and can only take the steps necessary to wind up its affairs. The most common cause is simply forgetting to file the annual report. Other triggers include operating without a registered agent for more than 30 days or failing to respond to inquiries from the Department of State.
Reinstatement is handled through Sunbiz. You bring the entity information current, confirm the registered agent, and pay the outstanding annual report fees plus the reinstatement fee. If the entity has been dissolved for less than one calendar year, online reinstatements paid by credit card post immediately. Entities dissolved for more than a year take two to three business days because the Division has to verify that the entity name is still available.12Florida Department of State. File Reinstatement Reinstatement generally relates back to the date of dissolution, treating the entity as though it was never dissolved.
What Sunbiz Does Not Handle
Sunbiz is a state system, so it does not issue federal tax identification numbers. After forming your entity, you will typically apply for an Employer Identification Number directly from the IRS. The IRS offers the application for free online, limited to one per responsible party per day, and the responsible party supplies their Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.13Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number Third-party sites that charge for an EIN are not necessary.
Sunbiz also does not grant trademark rights. A company holding a federal trademark through the USPTO could still challenge your use of a similar name even if Sunbiz accepted the filing.
Finally, federal beneficial ownership reporting with FinCEN is separate from any Sunbiz filing. Under an interim final rule published in March 2025, entities created in the United States are exempt from the beneficial ownership information reporting requirement; as of 2026, only entities formed under the laws of a foreign country and registered to do business in a U.S. state are considered reporting companies.14FinCEN. Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting A standard Florida LLC or corporation formed through Sunbiz does not currently need to file a FinCEN beneficial ownership report, though this area has shifted more than once and is worth checking before you rely on it.