You must submit a DBA (Doing Business As) application in Virginia if you want to run your company under a name different than your legal one. A DBA, commonly referred to as a fictitious name or trade name, enables you to carry on business under a name other than your legal name. We will walk you through the application procedure for a DBA in Virginia in this article.
Step 1: Pick a Name for Your Company
Choosing a name for your firm is the first step in Virginia DBA filing. The name must be original and unclaimed by any other Virginian company. Using the Business Entity Search tool provided by the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC), you can look up already-used company names. As soon as you’ve decided on a name, ensure sure it complies with Virginia’s naming regulations.
Step 2: Verify the Name’s Availability Make sure the name you want to use is available before applying for a DBA in Virginia. Through the Virginia SCC’s online portal, you may determine whether the name you want is available. If the name is accessible, move on to the following action.
Step #3: Submit a DBA Declaration You must submit a DBA declaration to the Virginia SCC in order to register a DBA in that state. An authorized officer of your company must sign the declaration, which must also contain the following details:
– Your name and title – The name you intend to use as your DBA – The name of your company – The sort of business you run – the address of your main office – the date you began using the DBA, if applicable – the name of your company.
The Virginia SCC website offers both online and mail submission options for the declaration. Every five years, it must be renewed, and the filing price is $10. The fourth step is to publish a notice. A notice of your DBA must be published in a newspaper with general distribution in the city or county where your principal place of business is located after your DBA declaration has been filed. For two weeks in a row, the notice must be published once each week. Within 60 days of the final publication, you must submit an affidavit of publication to the Virginia SCC.
A DBA is also known as a fictitious name certificate. You must submit a DBA declaration to the Virginia SCC as described in the stages above in order to obtain a fictitious name certificate in Virginia. What does a DBA Declaration mean? You can run your business under a name other than your legal name if you have a DBA declaration, which is a legal document. It contains details like your company’s name, the name you intend to use as your DBA, and the address of your main place of business. What is the procedure for registering a business name in Virginia? If you intend to conduct business in Virginia under a name other than your legal name, you must submit a DBA declaration to the Virginia SCC in order to register your business name. You do not need to register your business name if you intend to run it under your legal name.
What Distinctions Exist Between an LLC and a DBA? A DBA enables you to conduct business under a name other than your legal name, whereas an LLC (Limited liabilities Company) is a distinct legal entity that shields your company from liabilities. In order to operate as an LLC, you must submit your articles of organization to the Virginia SCC and pay annual fees.
You must register your DBA (doing business as) name with the Virginia State Corporation Commission if you intend to conduct business in Virginia using a name other than your own. Therefore, if you intend to use a name other than your given name for your business, you must register it in Virginia.