Delaware DBA (Doing Business As) Registration

Do you have a business where you think a DBA would be appropriate? For example, do you need to open a bank account in a name other than your corporate name? If so, we would be glad to help you with that filing.

IncNow® will send you a Delaware DBA form for your signature and notary acknowledgement. When you return the original form to our office, we will file it with the New Castle County Prothonotary (Clerk of the Superior Court in Delaware) and return the original to you. This DBA does not expire or require annual fees. To assist you in this, we can prepare a fictitious name (D.B.A. – ‘Doing Business As’) in New Castle County, Delaware for $214.

Can You Add a DBA to an LLC?

Yes, you can add a DBA to an LLC. In fact, most states require you to register a DBA if your LLC is doing business under a different trade name. You can do this with a corporation as well.

DBA Examples

Case 1, Traditional LLC with divisions: For example, if you have formed a company called Cool Breeze LLC and want to open Alec’s Surf Shop under that name, then the DBA filing would appear as “Cool Breeze LLC, DBA Alec’s Surf Shop”. If Alec also has a cafe, he can file “Cool Breeze LLC, DBA Alec’s Cafe”.

Case 2, Series LLC: In the case of a series LLC, where you want each series name to have its own bank account and your series LLC is named: “Umbrella Up, LLC” then your surf shop could file a DBA under the name “Umbrella Up, LLC, Surf Shop Series DBA Alec’s Surf Shop”.

Case 3, Internatonal: Where some foreign governments need to see original signatures and government seals, the DBA is one of the only forms left in Delaware that is a “wet ink” original signature and stamp. This provides some additional confidence to foreign officials when dealing with a business incorporated in Delaware. This could be “Exploration Development, LLC DBA North Atlantic Wind Farm”.

How Many DBAs Do I Need?

Please note this is not a “new entity” filing. This is a service for entrepreneurs who have already incorporated. This lets entrepreneurs with multiple business names under one corporate umbrella who want to provide public notice that their business name is actually incorporated under a different name. It is also possible to have a DBA without being incorporated, but in that case, you will not have the corporate protection of an entity. If you wish to be “unincorporated” and just have a tradename as a “sole proprietor” we can also assist. This saves the cost of incorporating, but it provides no asset protection if you are not already incorporated.

Multiple DBAs can be issued if there are multiple trade names, though a DBA is not sufficient to change the name of the entity where an amendment would be needed instead. There is no limit for how many DBAs a parent company may be assigned.

The Delaware DBA form requires:

1. The name and address of your corporation or LLC
2. Your corporation or LLC’s phone number
3. Date of formation
4. Nature of business
5. The DBA name
6. The owners/partners of the business and their addresses
7. The date and signature of the principal or agent
8. Notarized in the state and county where filed

We would be glad to help you with this simple and fast one-time filing. Once we have the original document, the filing should be shipped to you within 48 hours.