Wyoming DBA registration is handled by the Secretary of State, which calls the filing a trade name registration. You mail in a notarized one-page application with a $100 fee, and the registration lasts 10 years. State law says you “may” file rather than “shall,” so registration is technically voluntary, but banks, payment processors, and vendors routinely ask for proof of a registered trade name before they’ll do business with you under anything other than your legal name.
What a Wyoming Trade Name Covers
A trade name lets you operate under a name that isn’t your legal name. A sole proprietor named Jane Doe can register “Bighorn Bookkeeping” and accept payments, advertise, and sign contracts under that name. An LLC called “Mountain Holdings, LLC” can register “The Cowboy Grill” and run a restaurant under that label without forming a second entity. The underlying person or entity keeps all liability and tax responsibility; the trade name is just the public-facing label.
Sole proprietorships, general partnerships, LLCs, and corporations can all register. If the applicant is an entity rather than an individual, that entity must already be registered and in good standing with the Wyoming Secretary of State before it can file for a trade name.1Wyoming Secretary of State. Trade Name Registration Application
One boundary matters up front: a Wyoming trade name is not brand protection. The filing doesn’t stop another business, in Wyoming or elsewhere, from using the same name, and if someone federally trademarks it you could be forced to rebrand no matter how long you’ve used it. If protecting the name itself matters, that’s a separate federal trademark application through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Pick a Name and Check That It’s Available
Wyoming requires that you already be using the trade name before you apply. You cannot register a name you only plan to use later.2Justia. Wyoming Code 40-2-104 – Application for Registration If you want to lock a name in before you’re operating, use the name reservation process described further down.
Search the Secretary of State’s business database at wyobiz.wyo.gov before you file. The state will reject any trade name that is the same as, or deceptively similar to, a trademark, service mark, or trade name already on record.3Justia. Wyoming Code Title 40 Chapter 2 – Trade Names Registration A couple of naming rules trip people up:
- A sole proprietor cannot include entity-type words like “LLC,” “Corporation,” or “Inc.” in a trade name, because those imply a business structure you haven’t formed.
- Words tied to regulated industries, such as “bank,” “insurance,” “trust,” “attorney,” or “CPA,” typically require authorization from the relevant licensing board or regulatory agency.
It’s also worth running the name through the USPTO’s trademark database at tmsearch.uspto.gov. Wyoming’s search only shows what’s filed in Wyoming, and a name that clears here can still collide with a federal trademark.4United States Patent and Trademark Office. Search Our Trademark Database
Fill Out and Notarize the Application
The application is a PDF on the Secretary of State’s website. It is not an online form; you print it, complete it, and mail it. Wyoming statute requires four pieces of information:2Justia. Wyoming Code 40-2-104 – Application for Registration
- Your full legal name or entity name and a physical street address. P.O. boxes are not accepted. Corporations list their state of incorporation; general partnerships list the names and addresses of all partners.
- The exact trade name, spelled the way you intend to use it.
- A brief description of the business activity you conduct under the trade name.
- Your signature, made in front of a notary public. An un-notarized application is rejected.
Check every field before you sit down with the notary. Once the form is notarized, fixing a typo means printing a new form and visiting a notary again.
Mail It In With the $100 Fee
Mail the notarized application and a $100 check or money order, payable to the Wyoming Secretary of State, to:1Wyoming Secretary of State. Trade Name Registration Application
Wyoming Secretary of State
Herschler Building East, Suite 101
122 W 25th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020
You can also drop the application off in person at the same address. The office does not accept trade name filings by email or through an online portal, and the $100 fee is non-refundable.
Processing takes up to 15 business days from the day the office receives the application. There is no expedited option; filings are worked in the order they arrive, and you can see which day’s filings are currently being processed at wyobiz.wyo.gov.1Wyoming Secretary of State. Trade Name Registration Application
Once approved, the Secretary of State mails back a stamped duplicate of your application as confirmation.2Justia. Wyoming Code 40-2-104 – Application for Registration If you included an email address on the application, you’ll also get an electronic Certificate of Evidence.5Wyoming Secretary of State. Electronic Certificate of Evidence Hold onto both. Banks and vendors ask for them.
Reserving a Name Before You Open
Because Wyoming won’t let you register a name you aren’t using yet, there’s a separate reservation process for anyone who wants to claim a name while they get the business off the ground. A reservation application and a $30 fee hold the name for your exclusive use for 120 days. It cannot be renewed, so you need to start using the name and file the full registration within those four months. You can also transfer the reservation to someone else by filing a notice of transfer.6Justia. Wyoming Code 40-2-103 – Reservation
Renewal, Cancellation, and Changes
A Wyoming trade name registration lasts 10 years. To keep it active, file a renewal application during the six-month window before it expires, with a $50 fee. Earlier or later won’t be accepted. Miss the window and the registration lapses, which means filing a fresh application at the full $100.7Justia. Wyoming Code 40-2-105 – Duration and Renewal
If you stop using the name, file a Cancellation of Trade Name form with a $10 fee to clear it from the public record.8Wyoming Secretary of State. Cancellation of Trade Name Form
Wyoming’s trade name statutes don’t include a procedure for amending an existing registration. To change the name itself or correct other details on the record, cancel the old registration and file a new application at the full $100, which starts a new 10-year term.
Updating the IRS After You Register
A Wyoming filing doesn’t update your federal tax records. If the trade name differs from the legal name the IRS has on file, notify the agency so your returns and notices line up with how you operate. How you do that depends on the business:9Internal Revenue Service. Business Name Change
- Sole proprietors send a letter signed by the business owner to the IRS address where you file your return.
- Corporations filing a current-year return check the name change box on Form 1120 (Page 1, Line E, Box 3) or Form 1120-S (Page 1, Line H, Box 2). After filing, send a written notice signed by a corporate officer.
- Partnerships filing a current-year return check the name change box on Form 1065 (Page 1, Line G, Box 3). Otherwise, send a letter signed by a partner.
In some situations a name change also requires a new Employer Identification Number. IRS Publication 1635 explains when the existing EIN can stay and when you need a new one.9Internal Revenue Service. Business Name Change