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Acquiring a unique name for branding purposes or separating your personal name from your sole proprietorship in Arizona is very straightforward by filing a DBA. We make this process easier with our 2-step DBA guide.
Important! Please keep in mind that DBA is not a business structure, so it won’t protect you from liabilities, lawsuits, or any other unforeseen situations. DBA stands for Doing Business As. – often precedes the name under which a business operates, which is not the legal name of the business.
Therefore, before starting, make sure you understand the difference between informal business structures such as sole proprietorship and formal ones like corporations and LLCs.
To register or renew the trademark, trade name, or service mark for your company in Arizona you need to file the application to the Secretary of State. Here is what you need to do:
Arizona Business Entity Search
Your company’s trade name should be unique and have not been acquired by any other entity in Arizona. Moreover, this name must also meet the business name requirements of Arizona.
First, visit the Arizona Secretary of state’s website and search for the DBA that you wish to have for your business. Here, make sure, this name isn’t already in use.
Note: You can also find a complete guide on business name search here.
Once you are done searching, the next step is to review the naming requirements of the state of Arizona. Words that are commonly used by a government agency such as Treasury, FBI, State Department, or names related to banking should not be a part of your trade name. Your DBA should not include:
- Bank, banco, banker, banking, banc, banque, credit union, savings association, deposit, savings and loan association, building association, building and loan association, savings bank, trust, thrift, trust company, etc.
- Symbols such as !, @, %, #, $, &, ? .
- Entity designators such as Corp., Incorporation, Corporation, LLC, Limited Liability Company, etc.
Register Your Arizona DBA ($10)
You can file Arizona DBA online. Online filing for Trade Names and has been fully implemented in Arizonaand and PDF forms are no longer accepted.
The following information must include in the Arizona trade name form:
- Your business name
- Entity type (eg; LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation)
- Trade name’s description
- Owner’s contact information
- Date on which the name was first used
Top Tip:
Instead of doing it yourself, save some time by hiring a reliable formation service like ZenBusiness. You can see editors’ Review on ZenBusiness to decide if it’s the best choice for your company.
Renew Your Trade Name with the State ($10)
Arizona trade name registrations expire after five years. To renew your DBA, you can apply online.
Editor’s Insight
Filing an Arizona fictitious business name, aka an Arizona DBA (doing business as), is an easy and straightforward process. If you want to save time and effort, LLC filing companies like LegalZoom and ZenBusiness can help you get that at a fraction of the cost.
However, if you are interested in DIY, you just need to follow the above-mentioned step-by-step guide or see how to Get a DBA in any of the 50 states.
Aisha Noreen is an owner of a small business with more than 9 years of experience in the marketing industry. With the wisdom of an old soul, she always seeks innovation and mind-blowing ROI techniques. Her unique approach helped many small businesses thrive and she can surprise you in many ways as well. Believe it or not, her energy, passion, and creativity are contagious enough to transform your business and take it to another level.
