Mississippi Business Entity Search: How to Look Up Any LLC or Corporation on the Secretary of State Site

Before you sign a contract, wire a deposit, or hire a contractor, you should be able to check the company on paper. The Mississippi Secretary of State's Business Services Division keeps the public filing records for LLCs, corporations, and other registered entities. A working knowledge of the mississippi secretary of state business search lets you confirm that a company is on file, see whether its records are current, and find its registered agent in a few minutes. This guide covers the same ground whether you search as a vendor, a landlord, a buyer, or a job applicant, and it shows where to go when the state record cannot answer your question.

This is informational content, not legal or tax advice. For a deal with significant money or liability at stake, talk with a qualified attorney or CPA.

What the Secretary of State search is, and what it is not

The Business Services Division is the state office that receives formation documents and annual reports for businesses. Its portal at corp.sos.ms.gov is where entities file, and where the public searches what has been filed. General information about the division is on the Business Services page.

A record on this portal is a registration, not a license. Mississippi issues no general statewide business license. An entity that appears in the search has been formed or registered with the state. That tells you the company exists on file. It does not tell you the company holds the licenses its trade requires, and it does not confirm that the business is operating where it says it is. Those answers come from the sources covered later in this guide.

Lookup and name availability are separate tasks. If you want to know whether a name is free, or you want to reserve one for 180 days for $25, use the live name search page, which handles availability and reservation. This page is about finding and reading a company that already exists.

Step-by-step: searching for an LLC or corporation

The steps below work for any mississippi business search, whether you are looking for an LLC, a corporation, or a nonprofit.

1. Open the business search page on corp.sos.ms.gov. Use the entity name first.
2. Start with the most distinctive word in the name. Leave off the entity ending, such as LLC or Inc., on your first try. A shorter search returns more near matches, which helps when you are not sure how the company wrote its name.
3. If you already have a business ID number from an invoice, letter, or prior filing, search by that number. An ID number points to one record and removes the guesswork that comes with similar names.
4. Scan the results before you open anything. Common words produce many matches. Compare the city, the registered agent, and the formation date to make sure you have the right company.
5. Open the record and read it section by section, using the guide in the next part of this page.
6. Save a copy or print the record with the date you pulled it. Records change over time, and a dated copy shows what the state had on file when you checked.

Many people search the state the way they would search a national business database, then get frustrated when a name shows up in another state or not at all. If the company is based outside Mississippi, it may be registered in its home state and only appear here if it has filed to do business in Mississippi. Check the company's home state records if the Mississippi search comes up empty.

How to read a Mississippi business record

Each record is a snapshot of what the state has on file. Check these items in order:

• Entity name and type. Confirm whether the record is an LLC or a corporation. Mississippi LLC names must include the words "limited liability company" or the abbreviation "LLC" or "L.L.C." They may include the name of a member or manager. If a company calls itself an LLC but the state record shows a different entity type, stop and ask questions before you go further.
• Status. The status line tells you whether the entity is active on the state's records. Read the exact label shown on the record. If the status shows anything other than an active entity, ask the company for an explanation before you commit money or work.
• Registered agent and office. Every Mississippi LLC must continuously maintain a registered office in the state and a registered agent for service of process. This is the person or company that receives legal papers for the business. Note the agent's name and the street address. A physical Mississippi street address is required.
• Formation date. This is the date the entity was formed on the state's records. A company that claims decades of history but shows a formation date from last year is worth a direct question.
• Annual report standing. Mississippi LLCs and profit corporations must file an annual report each year by April 15, and it must be filed online. Nonprofit corporations file by May 15. Look for the most recent report and its year. A missing report can matter, because failure to file an LLC annual report can lead to administrative dissolution.
• Filed documents. The filing history shows the original formation document, such as the Certificate of Formation (Form F0100) for an LLC or the Articles of Incorporation (Form F0001) for a corporation, along with later filings. Compare what the company tells customers about its name, purpose, or address with what it actually filed.

Finding the registered agent and the owners

The registered agent is the easiest name to find, because it appears on the record. You can use the agent's name and address to reach the company for legal papers, and to check that the address is a real office.

Mississippi law sets rules for who may serve as an agent. Under Miss. Code Ann. 79-29-113, the agent must be an individual resident of Mississippi, or a domestic or authorized corporation, nonprofit corporation, or LLC whose business office is identical with the registered office. Commercial registered agents, which are companies that act as agent for many businesses, file a listing statement with the Secretary of State for $100 and appear on the state website. A commercial agent must accept or decline a representation within 14 days. A noncommercial agent is not registered with the state, so the company must have that person's permission before naming them.

Owners are harder to find. The state record may not name every member or manager, and an LLC name can include a member's or manager's name, which is a clue but not proof of ownership. If an owner is named on a filed document, you can match that name to the company's own disclosures. If the owner is not visible, the state record will not tell you who they are. Ask the company for written confirmation of its ownership, and have an attorney review the arrangement before you rely on it for a large contract or a partnership.

Searching corporations and nonprofits

The same search covers corporations. Their records follow the same structure, with a few differences you should know:

• The corporate annual report (Form F0008) carries a $25 fee and is due April 15 for profit corporations. Nonprofit corporations file by May 15.
• The original Articles of Incorporation (Form F0001) cost $50 to file.
• A corporation may owe Mississippi corporate income tax and the state franchise tax. The franchise tax for tax year 2026 is $0.50 per $1,000 of capital in excess of $100,000, with a $25 minimum, and it steps down to $0.25 for 2027 and is repealed effective January 1, 2028. An LLC taxed as a partnership does not pay this franchise tax. Confirm current rates with the Department of Revenue before you rely on a figure.

If you are searching for a company name you expect to be a corporation, but the record shows an LLC, the business may have changed its structure. Ask for the filing that made the change.

When the Secretary of State record is not the answer

The portal answers one question: is this entity on file, and what has it filed? It does not answer whether the business is licensed to do the work. A complete mississippi business lookup usually means checking several places. The table below shows where each question belongs.

Question	Where to look
Does the city or town require a business license?	The city or town clerk. Mississippi has no statewide general business license. Every city, town, and village issues its own privilege license under Miss. Code 27-17. Counties license only businesses outside municipalities.
Does the business make retail sales and need a sales tax permit?	The Mississippi Department of Revenue. The sales tax permit carries no fee, although a bond may be required for applicants with no permanent Mississippi location. The state sales tax rate is 7%, with no county add-on. City levies apply only in Jackson and Tupelo.
Does the trade require an occupational or industry license?	The state board that licenses that trade. Confirm the license is active on the board's roster. Do not assume a Secretary of State registration covers it.
Is the business using a name other than its legal name?	A fictitious (assumed) business name is filed with the Secretary of State, not the county. The registration fee is $25 under Form F0070, so check the state record for the name.

A quick checklist before you rely on a company

• Search the exact name and a shortened version, then confirm the match by city or agent.
• Confirm the status is active and that the most recent annual report is current.
• Note the registered agent's name and street address.
• Ask the company for its ownership, its city privilege license, and any state board license its trade requires.
• Keep a dated copy of the record in your file.

Keep your records current

The lookup is only as useful as the date you ran it. Entity status can change after an annual report is missed, and the registered agent can change. If a deal runs for months, pull the record again before major payments and before you sign. The same check helps you track your own company's filings. Calendar April 15 for your LLC or profit corporation annual report, and May 15 if you are a nonprofit corporation.

Disclaimer: This guide is informational only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Entity rules, fees, and deadlines can change. Confirm current figures with the Secretary of State at sos.ms.gov or the Department of Revenue at dor.ms.gov, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA for complex situations.