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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Your Rhode Island Company Name can identify the type of products and/or services your Rhode Island Corporation or Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Company Name that you choose must be distinguishable from the name of any other registered Rhode Island Business entity and the name must also be different from any Reserved Company Names on record with the Rhode Island Secretary of State.  Your Rhode Island Company Name must not imply that it was formed for a purpose other than that stated in your formation documents and your Rhode Island Company Name must not be a name that is likely to mislead the public.

If you are planning on starting a Rhode Island Corporation then your name must include the words "Incorporated", "Corporation", "Inc." or "Corp.".  If you are planning on starting a Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Company Name:

• Your Rhode Island Company Name must include only English letters and numbers or Roman numerals.
• Punctuation DOES NOT make Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Company Names distinguishable from each other.
• Rhode Island Company Names are NOT DISTINGUISHABLE if the only difference is the abbreviation of a word in the name.  For example, "RI Auto Store, Inc." is not distinguishable from "Rhode Island Auto Store, Inc."
• Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Business because if you want to change it after you form your Rhode Island Company you will have to file amended formation documents with the Rhode Island Secretary of State (and pay a fee).

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

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

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

Processing times for new Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Company Name Reservation takes the state around 7-10 business days.

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

In our experience 7-10 business days is the time it usually takes the Rhode Island Secretary of State to process a new Rhode Island Company Name Reservation.  We get your Rhode Island Company Reservation request to the RI Secretary of State ASAP.  Once it is at the state we have no control over the new Rhode Island Company Name approval process.

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

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

If you are ready to Reserve a Rhode Island 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.