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How to Find Business Records in Texas
Searching for Business Records in Texas
In Texas, the Secretary of State is responsible for maintaining a
multitude of business records. This article explores which records are
maintained by the Texas Secretary of State, and the methods you can use
to obtain them.
What Records Are Maintained by the Texas Secretary of State?
The Texas Secretary of State maintains certain business records
pertaining to business entities such as corporations, limited
partnerships, limited liability companies, and limited liability
partnerships. These business entities must file documents when they form
and must also provide periodic status updates and notification of
changes. These records are matters of public record and members of the
public may inquire about them. When searching, it is important to bear
in mind that a business may not necessarily be incorporated in the State
of Texas, since businesses often elect to incorporate in different
states to take advantage of different laws. If that is the case, the
business will be incorporated with a different state entirely. If a
business has incorporated in a state other than Texas, the Texas
Secretary of State may still have some record of the business if the
business has filed documents pertaining to doing business in Texas as a
�Foreign Corporation.�
Many states including Texas maintain a state trademark registry, and
Texas is no exception. This registry permits Texas business owners to
file documents within the State of Texas claiming their trademark
publicly. This state registry should not be confused with the national
registry maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Finally, UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) forms and federal liens are
recorded by the Secretary of State. UCC records document security
interests that a party may have in a debtor�s collateral.
How Can I Search for Records Maintained by the Texas Secretary of State?
If you wish to obtain information about Texas business entities for
free, there are a couple of options to do so. First, you may simply
telephone the Texas Secretary of State�s office and inquire over the
telephone about the business entity in question. To contact the Texas
Secretary of State�s office by telephone, call them at 512-463-5555.
Another free option is to email the Secretary of State�s website with
your question about Texas business entities. You may contact the Texas
Secretary of State by email for this purpose at [email protected].
Unfortunately, at this time the telephone and email inquiry options are
the only free alternatives offered by the Texas Secretary of State. If
you prefer to make your inquiry in writing by regular mail, you may do
so by writing to Corporations Section, Secretary of State, P.O. Box
13697, Austin, Texas 78711-3697. However, be aware that a regular mail
inquiry is not a free service and you will be required to pay a fee of
five dollars per entity for this service.
Similarly, you may elect to make your request by fax. This is permitted,
and written requests for information about Texas business entities may
be transmitted by fax to 512-463-5709. However, as with regular mail
inquiries, it will be necessary to pay a fee of five dollars per entity
for this service.
If you wish to search for Texas business entity information online, be
aware that it will first be necessary to subscribe to the search system
used by the Secretary of State�s office, called SOSDirect. This system
will permit you to access online information about Texas business
entities for a low price. At the time of the writing of this article,
the price is one dollar per search. To begin your search for business
information in the State of Texas, begin at the Texas Secretary of
State�s website, found at
http://www.sos.state.tx.us/ . Then select the option �file and
search business documents online� from the options listed at the right
of the page. This will take you to a page titled SOSDirect. By scrolling
to the bottom of the page, you will see a button marked �enter site.�
Clicking on this button will take you to a login page. Ignore the login
request and click on the link marked �request for SOSDirect Account.�
This will permit you to request a subscription to the online service to
permit you to perform searches online.
Order right now and get Unlimited Access to
sources for Texas Business Records, Corporate Registry Files, Due Diligence,
Background Checks and more!
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