North Dakota Trade Name

A North Dakota trade name is a type of DBA, or Doing Business As—meaning that an individual is doing business as a name other than his or her legal name. (If the last name of the individual appears in the business name, a North Dakota trade name registration is not required; this type of business would be a Sole Proprietorship.)

The North Dakota trade name registration form, which should be filed with the Secretary of State's office in Bismarck, will contain the following information:

  1. Trade name
  2. Address of the trade name, in North Dakota
  3. Nature of business
  4. Who the trade name is owned and used by (Individual/Husband and Wife/Corporation/LLC/Other; a corporation or LLC must be registered to transact business in North Dakota as a domestic or foreign entity in order to file for a trade name)
  5. Phone number of owner
  6. EIN/SSN and address of the owner
  7. Owner's dated signature
  8. Contact information for someone who can answer questions about the trade name form

The registration fee for a trade name in North Dakota is $25; the trade name registration lasts for five years, at which time the trade name must be renewed if the owner intends to continue using it (unlike a corporation or LLC, where the business can exist perpetually).

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Other types of businesses in North Dakota

If registering a trade name in North Dakota doesn't meet your needs, there are a few other types of businesses available that provide a higher degree of legal protections and perpetual existence. For more information, take a look at our North Dakota Startup overview, or the more specific information contained in the links below.