Register a Trade Name (DBA)

File online at the West Virginia One Stop Business Portal for the fastest, most convenient filing method. Complete the two-step process below to register a trade name (DBA).

1. Check Name Availability

   • Individual, sole proprietorship or general partnership — To conduct a name search for these entity types, contact:

     West Virginia State Tax Department
     1124 Smith Street
     Charleston, WV 25301
     Toll free: 1-800-982-8297
     Phone: (304) 558-3333
     https://tax.wv.gov/

   • Corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, voluntary association or business trust — To conduct a name search for these entity types, search the Secretary of State's Business Organizations Search database. For more information on name guidance, visit the Name Availability and Requirements page.

     Note: For the name to be available, a trade name must: (1) be "distinguishable" from any other active registered name in the Secretary of State's organizations database, and (2) exhibit no "likelihood of confusion" between the proposed name and previously registered name.

     The following criteria do not make the name distinguishable:

     • corporate name endings (Company, Corporation, Inc., Ltd., LLC, etc.)
     • word separators such as "The," "A," "And," "&," "-", etc.
     • singular vs. plural words ("Food" vs. "Foods")
     • use of apostrophe(s) ("Farmer's" vs. "Farmers")
     • separated vs. combined words of the same name ("Cut Above" vs. "CutAbove")
2. File the registration — The fastest, most convenient way to register a trade name (DBA) is to file online at the West Virginia One Stop Business Portal.

We also provide paper forms to file the trade name registration. Select the form below based on your entity type.

For further assistance filing a trade name registration, contact the Business Division.