EIN Registration

North Carolina Business Search

Look up any North Carolina company in the state's official business search.

Find any North Carolina LLC or corporation, check whether it is active, and see where to get proof of good standing. The state's search is also known as NCSOS.

Last updated November 5, 2026

Look up a North Carolina company

Search North Carolina records

North Carolina only allows its search on its own site, so this opens in a new tab. It finds the company, not usually its EIN.

What the North Carolina business search shows

The North Carolina Secretary of State business registration search finds a company by entity name, registered agent or company official. It finds a company by entity name, registered agent or company official. Use it to confirm a company exists and is active, not to get its federal number.

The North Carolina SOSID

The North Carolina Secretary of State, Business Registration Division gives every company an SOSID when it is formed. It identifies the company in state records, and it is not the company’s EIN.

Check if a North Carolina LLC is active

Search the company in the North Carolina business search and open its record. The status tells you whether the state counts the company as active. Words such as dissolved, revoked, forfeited, inactive or delinquent mean it is not in good standing, usually because an annual filing or fee was missed, and the company may need to be reinstated before it can do business there.

To prove a company is in good standing to a bank, a lender or another state, order a Certificate of Existence from the North Carolina Secretary of State, Business Registration Division. Our LLC status check reads the status from public data where a state publishes it.

Good to know in North Carolina

  • North Carolina identifies every entity by a SOSID, a plain sequential number the Secretary of State assigns at filing and prints on the filed articles. The annual report, certificate requests, and the public search all key off it, and it is the number a bank's compliance team looks up to confirm the LLC exists.
  • North Carolina LLC annual reports all fall due on the same calendar date, April 15, regardless of when the company was formed, with the first one due the year after formation. Owners used to anniversary-month deadlines in other states miss it, and the Secretary of State administratively dissolves companies that stay delinquent.
  • North Carolina has no general state business license. Tax registration is a separate filing with the Department of Revenue, Form NC-BR, which cannot be completed without the federal EIN; that is the step most new North Carolina owners are actually blocked on when they search for the state license.

Found your North Carolina company but it has no EIN yet? We prepare and file the application and email you the number.

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Questions

How do I search for a business in North Carolina?

Use the North Carolina Secretary of State business registration search, which finds a company by entity name, registered agent or company official. Search by the main words of the name, without LLC or Inc, so small differences do not hide the company.

Does the North Carolina business search show a company's EIN?

Generally not. The EIN comes from the IRS, and North Carolina's business records are kept for the state's own purposes. A Form W-9 from the company is the reliable way to get it.

How do I check if a North Carolina LLC is active?

Search the company by name and open its record. The status shows whether North Carolina counts it as active. Words like dissolved, revoked, forfeited, inactive or delinquent mean it is not in good standing, often because an annual filing or fee was missed.

How do I get proof that a North Carolina company is in good standing?

Order a Certificate of Existence from the North Carolina Secretary of State, Business Registration Division. Banks, lenders and other states ask for it as proof the company exists and is current.

What is a North Carolina SOSID?

It is the number the North Carolina Secretary of State, Business Registration Division gives a company when it is formed, and it identifies the company in state records. It is not the company's EIN, which comes from the IRS.

More for North Carolina companies

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