There are many companies that do business in the state of North Carolina and each has a unique Business Name for their North Carolina Company.

If you have an idea for a Business, the Name of your North Carolina Company can be very important for a number of reasons.  The right Name for your North Carolina Company can increase sales and make your North Carolina Business more credible.

Reserving a name for your North Carolina Company could reduce the processing time for your application to form a North Carolina Corporation or LLC with the North Carolina Secretary of State.

North Carolina Company Name Reservation protects a Business Name by giving the owner exclusive rights to the use of that Company Name during the time the North Carolina Company is being organized and afterward while doing Business in the state of North Carolina.

We can Reserve your North Carolina Company Name with the North Carolina Secretary of State for only $29 + North Carolina state fees.

We will check to make sure that your North Carolina Company Name is available and conforms to all state of North Carolina Business Naming regulations.

You can easily Reserve a North Carolina Company Name by choosing one of the North Carolina Business Type options in the North Carolina Company Name Reservation Cost Estimator just to the right; then clicking on the Order Form link.

Please note that the availability of a North Carolina Company Name can change at any time so if you're worried that someone else may snatch your North Carolina Company Name you might want to Reserve that North Carolina Company Name online today.

You need to use a North Carolina Company Name which is not the same or too similar to the Business Name of any other entity operating in the state of North Carolina.  The North Carolina Secretary of State will not approve a North Carolina Company Name which is so similar to another North Carolina Company Name (Corporation or LLC) as to be likely to be mistaken for it.

Your North Carolina Company Name can identify the type of products and/or services your North Carolina Corporation or North Carolina LLC will provide; or it may be the name of the founder; or it can be a combination of the two or even something else.

In any case, the North Carolina Company Name that you choose must be distinguishable from the name of any other registered North Carolina Business entity and the name must also be different from any Reserved Company Names on record with the North Carolina Secretary of State.  Your North Carolina Company Name must not imply that it was formed for a purpose other than that stated in your formation documents and your North Carolina Company Name must not be a name that is likely to mislead the public.

If you are planning on starting a North Carolina Corporation then your name must include the words "Incorporated", "Corporation", "Inc." or "Corp.".  If you are planning on starting a North Carolina LLC then your name must include the words "LLC" or "Limited Liability Company".

Here are some general guidelines to keep in mind when you come up with your North Carolina Company Name:

• Your North Carolina Company Name must include only English letters and numbers or Roman numerals.
• Punctuation DOES NOT make North Carolina Company Names distinguishable from each other.
  For example, "A.B.C., Inc." is not distinguishable from "ABC, Inc."
• Plural forms of the same word DO NOT make the North Carolina Company Names distinguishable from each other.
• A suffix added to a word or any other deviation from or derivative of the same word DOES NOT make North Carolina Company Names distinguishable from each other.
• North Carolina Company Names are NOT DISTINGUISHABLE if the only difference is the abbreviation of a word in the name.  For example, "NC Auto Store, Inc." is not distinguishable from "North Carolina Auto Store, Inc."
• North Carolina Company Names are NOT DISTINGUISHABLE if the only difference is a phonetic spelling of the same word.  For example, "Boyz, Inc." is not distinguishable from "Boys, Inc."

It's important to choose a good name for your North Carolina Business because if you want to change it after you form your North Carolina Company you will have to file amended formation documents with the North Carolina Secretary of State (and pay a fee).

Exclusive rights gives the person who Reserved a Company Name for a North Carolina Business the exclusive right to the use of that name.

An exclusive right means that no one else may use the North Carolina Company Name which you Reserved for your North Carolina Business.  This includes both the time during which you are forming your North Carolina Corporation or LLC and afterward when you are doing Business in the state of North Carolina.

To find out how much it will cost to Reserve a North Carolina Company Name, choose a North Carolina Company Option on one of the North Carolina Company Name Reservation Cost Calculators on this web page.  The total cost will be displayed automatically.

Processing times for new North Carolina Company Name Reservations vary depending on the work load of the Secretary of State's staff.  We've found that normal processing of a new North Carolina Company Name Reservation takes the state around 5-7 business days.

We are dependent on, and have no control over, the staff and systems of the North Carolina Secretary of State.

In our experience 5-7 business days is the time it usually takes the North Carolina Secretary of State to process a new North Carolina Company Name Reservation.  We get your North Carolina Company Reservation request to the NC Secretary of State ASAP.  Once it is at the state we have no control over the new North Carolina Company Name approval process.

Once you Reserve a Name for your North Carolina Company it is valid for 120 days.  You must file your North Carolina Business formation documents (Articles of Incorporation for new Corporations or Articles of Organization for new LLCs) with the North Carolina Secretary of State within that time period.

If you don't use the North Carolina Company Name which you have Reserved you can Reserve it again unless some other North Carolina Business has Reserved the Name before you do.

If you are ready to Reserve a North Carolina Company Name Online now, simply fill in the Company Name Reservation Order Form below and press the Place Order button. If you have any questions you can call us at 855-771-2477 or email us.