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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota Secretary of State then you have to Register a DBA Name with the North Dakota Secretary of State.

Other names for a North Dakota DBA Name include:

• North Dakota Alternate Name
• North Dakota Assumed Business Name
• North Dakota Assumed Name
• North Dakota Business Name
• North Dakota Fictitious Name
• North Dakota Trade Name

Yes. You can Register a DBA Name with the North Dakota Secretary of State.

Yes. You can register a North Dakota DBA Name with the ND Secretary of State for a North Dakota Corporation or a North Dakota LLC.

Before a North Dakota Corporation or LLC can register a DBA Name, the ND Corporation or ND LLC must be in good standing with the North Dakota Secretary of State.

Yes. You can register a North Dakota DBA Name even if you have not formed a North Dakota 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 North Dakota Secretary of State for an existing North Dakota business.

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


When you Register a Corporation or LLC with the North Dakota 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 North Dakota company by the North Dakota Secretary of State.

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

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

You can renew the North Dakota DBA Name before the expiration date if you want to retain ownership of the North Dakota DBA Name.