DBA means "Doing Business As".  If you are an Individual Sole Proprietor and want to do business under a name which is different from your legal name then you have to Register a DBA Name with the New Hampshire Secretary of State.

If you are a Corporation or LLC and want to do business under a name which is different from the name which is registered with the New Hampshire Secretary of State then you have to Register a DBA Name with the New Hampshire Secretary of State.

In New Hampshire a DBA Name is called a Trade Name.

In New Hampshire a DBA Name is called a Trade Name. Other names for a New Hampshire Trade Name include:

• New Hampshire Alternate Name
• New Hampshire Assumed Business Name
• New Hampshire Assumed Name
• New Hampshire Business Name
• New Hampshire Fictitious Name

A New Hampshire Trade Name cannot be the same or similar to other business names which have been registered with the NH Secretary of State. Also, a NH Trade Name cannot be deceptively similar to the name of a governmental authority political party of the state of New Hampshire.

Yes. You can Register a Trade Name with the New Hampshire Secretary of State.

The New Hampshire Secretary of State requires any business doing business under a different name to register a Trade Name.  Registering a Trade Name also lets the business open bank accounts under the Trade Name and legally prevents other NH businesses from registering the Trade Name for their own use.

Yes. You can register a New Hampshire Trade Name with the NH Secretary of State for a New Hampshire Corporation or a New Hampshire LLC.

Before a New Hampshire Corporation or LLC can register a DBA Name, the NH Corporation or NH LLC must be in good standing with the New Hampshire Secretary of State.

Yes. You can register a New Hampshire Trade Name even if you have not formed a New Hampshire Corporation or LLC. In fact that's what most skilled craftsman and professionals do when they want to use a business name other their own name.

You Register a DBA Name with the New Hampshire Secretary of State for an existing New Hampshire business.

You Reserve a Company Name with the New Hampshire Secretary of State for use with a New Hampshire business that will be formed and legally registered with the NH Secretary of State sometime in the future.


When you Register a Corporation or LLC with the New Hampshire Secretary of State there are certain tax and administrative obligations which must be met to keep the company in Good Standing.  Failing to keep up with those obligations can result in the administrative dissolution of your New Hampshire company by the New Hampshire Secretary of State.

The New Hampshire state fees for Registering a DBA Name are less than the fees for Registering a Corporation in New Hampshire or Forming a LLC in New Hampshire and there are no tax or reporting obligation for a Registered New Hampshire DBA Name.

No. The New Hampshire Secretary of State will not issue a good standing certificate (Certificate of Existence) for a registered New Hampshire Trade Name. New Hampshire good standing certificates are issued only for companies which have registered with the New Hampshire Secretary of State as a Corporation, LLC or LP.

You can renew the New Hampshire Trade Name before the expiration date if you want to retain ownership of the New Hampshire Trade Name.

A New Hampshire Trade Name registration is valid for 5 years from the date of issuance.  A NH Trade Name registration is renewable.