Sunbiz is the public website of the Florida Division of Corporations, and it is used for four main things: searching existing business records, registering new business entities, filing the annual reports that keep those entities active, and recording financial filings such as UCC financing statements and judgment liens. More than 3.5 million business entities are on file with the Division, and almost every interaction the public has with those records runs through this one portal.1Florida Department of State. Division of Corporations – Florida Department of State
Looking Up a Florida Business
The single most common use of Sunbiz is checking whether a business exists and who stands behind it. You can search by entity name, by an officer or registered agent’s name, by federal EIN, by street address, by zip code, or by the entity’s unique document number.2Florida Department of State. Search Records – Division of Corporations Each record shows the exact legal name, current status (active, inactive, or dissolved), principal address, and the registered agent authorized to accept legal documents for the business.
That information carries real weight. Before signing a contract, a quick lookup tells you whether the company you are dealing with is a real registered entity in good standing. Attorneys pull these records before filing suit to confirm they are naming the correct legal entity. Landlords, lenders, and prospective partners use them for the same reason.
Ordering a Certificate of Status
Sometimes a search result on screen is not enough. Banks, government agencies, and out-of-state partners often ask for an official Certificate of Status, Florida’s version of a certificate of good standing. You can order one through Sunbiz. The fee is $8.75 for corporations and most partnerships, $5.00 for LLCs, and $10.00 for fictitious name registrations.3Florida Department of State. Certificate of Status – Request by Mail
Forming a New Florida Business
Sunbiz is the gateway for creating a legal entity in Florida. The two filings most people use are Articles of Organization for a Limited Liability Company, governed by Chapter 605 of the Florida Statutes, and Articles of Incorporation for a corporation, governed by Chapter 607.4Florida Department of State. Limited Liability Company – Division of Corporations – Florida Both can be filed electronically through the portal. Before you start, you need a compliant entity name, a Florida registered agent, and the names and addresses of your initial officers or managers.
The name must be distinguishable from every other entity already on file. Florida ignores suffixes like “Inc.” or “LLC,” articles like “the” and “a,” the difference between “and” and “&,” singular versus plural forms, and punctuation when deciding whether two names are the same.5Florida Department of State. Division FAQs Run a name search on the portal before paying anything.
The registered agent is the person or company that will accept lawsuits and official government notices for your business. The agent must have a physical Florida street address and must consent to the role, and their name and address become part of the public record.4Florida Department of State. Limited Liability Company – Division of Corporations – Florida You can act as your own agent if you have a Florida address, or hire a commercial service.
Mandatory formation fees are modest. An LLC costs $125 total ($100 filing fee plus a $25 registered agent fee).6Florida Department of State. LLC Fees A profit corporation costs $70 total ($35 filing fee plus a $35 registered agent designation).7Florida Department of State. Fees Optional add-ons include a certified copy at $8.75 and a Certificate of Status. Online filers pay with a credit card, debit card, or a prepaid Sunbiz E-File account; paper filers send a check or money order to the Florida Department of State.8Florida Department of State. Florida Limited Liability Company
Registering a Fictitious Name
If you plan to operate under any name other than your legal entity name or your own personal name, Florida requires you to register that name as a fictitious name (commonly called a DBA) through Sunbiz. The registration fee is $50.9Florida Department of State. Fictitious Name Registration Instructions
There is a step most people miss. Before you file, you must advertise your intention to register the fictitious name at least once in a newspaper, as defined by Florida law, in the county where your principal place of business is located.10Official Internet Site of the Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 865.09 – Fictitious Name Registration The filing itself asks you to certify that this happened. Registering a fictitious name does not reserve it or stop someone else from registering the same name. Its only legal purpose is to tell the public which person or entity is doing business under that name.
Qualifying an Out-of-State Business
A business formed in another state that wants to operate in Florida uses Sunbiz to file for a Certificate of Authority, sometimes called foreign qualification. The fees match the domestic formation fees: $70 total for a foreign corporation and $125 for a foreign LLC.7Florida Department of State. Fees You also need to appoint a Florida registered agent, the same as a domestic entity would.4Florida Department of State. Limited Liability Company – Division of Corporations – Florida
Skipping this step carries a real cost. A foreign entity that transacts business in Florida without qualifying can lose the ability to bring lawsuits in Florida courts until it complies.
Filing Your Annual Report
Every active Florida entity must file an annual report through Sunbiz between January 1 and May 1 each year. This is not a financial statement. It confirms or updates the state’s records on your officers, directors, registered agent, and principal address.11Official Internet Site of the Florida Legislature. Florida Code 607.1622 – Florida Business Corporation Act You need your entity’s document number to access the form.
Fees vary by entity type. Profit corporations pay $150, LLCs pay $138.75, and nonprofit corporations pay $61.25.7Florida Department of State. Fees
Missing May 1 triggers a $400 late fee on top of the regular filing fee. The penalty applies to profit corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, and limited liability limited partnerships. Nonprofits are not subject to it.12Florida Department of State. File Early Florida – Annual Report Filing Deadline on May 1
If the report still is not filed by the third Friday of September, the state administratively dissolves or revokes the entity at the close of business on the fourth Friday of September.12Florida Department of State. File Early Florida – Annual Report Filing Deadline on May 1 A dissolved entity loses its legal authority to operate: no enforceable contracts in its name, no lawsuits in Florida courts, no holding itself out as an active entity.
Getting back to active status takes a reinstatement application and payment of accumulated fees, and the price climbs the longer you wait. A profit corporation reinstating by December 31 of the dissolution year owes at least $750, rising to $900 after January 1. An LLC owes at least $238.75 by December 31 and $377.50 after January 1. A limited partnership or LLLP owes $1,000 if filed by December 31 and $2,000 after.13Florida Department of State. Reinstatement Filing Instructions This is the strongest argument for a March calendar reminder.
Updating Your Business Records
When your details change, the public record needs to change too. Common updates include a new entity name, a new registered agent, or a change in officers or directors. Some updates can be handled inside the annual report. Formal changes to the original formation documents require a separate amendment filing.14Florida Department of State. Update Your Information The amendment fee for a profit corporation is $35.15Florida Department of State. Profit Filing Help – Division of Corporations You will need your current entity name, your document number, and the exact wording of the change.
Recording UCC Filings and Judgment Liens
Sunbiz is not only for business formation. It also serves as Florida’s filing office for Uniform Commercial Code financing statements and judgment lien certificates.
A UCC financing statement is how a lender publicly records a security interest in a borrower’s personal property, such as equipment, inventory, or accounts receivable. The filing must include the debtor’s name, the secured party’s name, and a description of the collateral, and getting the debtor’s legal name exactly right is critical because errors can make the filing ineffective against other creditors.16Official Internet Site of the Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 679.5021 – Contents of Financing Statement A standard UCC filing lasts five years and can be extended by a continuation statement filed in the six months before expiration.17Legal Information Institute (LII) at Cornell Law School. U.C.C. 9-515 – Duration and Effectiveness of Financing Statement
Judgment creditors use Sunbiz too. If you win a money judgment and the debtor does not pay, filing a judgment lien certificate through Sunbiz creates a public record of the judgment and establishes a lien on the debtor’s personal property in Florida.18Florida Department of State. Judgment Lien – Division of Corporations – Florida Department of State The filing puts anyone considering business or credit with that debtor on notice.