Georgia business entity information, including entity name, type, control number, and formation date, is available through the Georgia Secretary of State business search portal. This online database provides immediate access to the details you need for onboarding, compliance, or business transactions.

Below, we walk you through exactly how to search the Georgia database, where to find each piece of information, and what format each data point takes in Georgia's system.

Summary table: finding your Georgia entity information

This table shows where to find each data point, what it looks like, and any formatting notes specific to Georgia.

How to search for Georgia business entities

The Georgia entity search portal lives at ecorp.sos.ga.gov/BusinessSearch. No login is required. Select your search criteria from the available input fields. Georgia's system offers four search fields: "Business Name," "Control Number," "Registered Agent Name," and "Officer Name."

When searching by business name, Georgia supports three filter options: "Starts With," "Contains," and "Exact Match." The advanced filtering helps avoid confusion when multiple entities have similar names.

While the system returns results with partial matches, using your complete legal name as registered produces the most precise results.

Click your entity name or control number in the results to view complete details, including your control number, formation date, registered agent information for Georgia entities, NAICS code (displayed as descriptive text rather than a numeric code), and officer information. Georgia's portal provides entity information in a single view across three sections: Business Information, Registered Agent Information, and Officer Information.

What you'll see in search results

• Legal entity name (exact spelling and punctuation)

• Entity type (LLC, Corporation, Limited Partnership, Professional Corporation, Benefit Corporation, etc.)

• Control number (Georgia's unique identifier format)

• Date of Formation / Registration Date

• Current status (Active/Compliance, Active/Noncompliance, Admin Dissolved, Voluntarily Dissolved, Withdrawn, Merged, etc.)

• Principal office address

• Registered agent details

• NAICS Code and NAICS Sub Code (descriptive text labels, not numeric codes)

• Last Annual Registration Year

How to find your control number in Georgia

Your Georgia control number, officially labeled "Control Number" by the Corporations Division, follows one of three confirmed formats and was assigned by the Georgia Secretary of State when your entity was formed. The term "Business Registration Number" does not appear in standard Georgia SOS materials.

Where to locate your Georgia control number

1. Georgia business search (fastest method)

• Located: Prominently displayed in search results as a clickable link

• Labeled as: "Control Number"

• Format: K712916 (older entities with letter prefix) or 19093748 (newer 8-digit numeric format)

2. Articles of Organization for Georgia LLCs

• Usually at the top of the document

• Usually labeled as "Control Number"

• Stamped or assigned by the Georgia Secretary of State

3. Annual reports and state correspondence

• Appears on all official Georgia Secretary of State documents

• Used as your account identifier for annual registrations

• Required for all subsequent filings and amendments

Georgia control number format

Georgia control numbers follow three confirmed formats based on when the entity was registered:

• Format A, letter prefix (legacy entities): 1 letter + 6 digits, for a total of 7 characters (e.g., K712916, confirmed from a 1997 entity)

• Format B, zero-padded numeric (early 2000s): 7 characters with a leading zero (e.g., 0052088, confirmed from a 2000 entity)

• Format B, 8-digit numeric (current standard): 8 digits (e.g., 19093748, 23045576), confirmed across entities from 2013 to 2023+

• Pattern note: For the 8-digit format, the first two digits appear to correspond to the registration year (e.g., 13xxxxxx for 2013, 23xxxxxx for 2023). This is an observed pattern from confirmed records, not an officially documented specification by the SOS.

How to find your entity type in Georgia

Georgia recognizes multiple business entity types, which are listed with consistent official names in business search results and formation documents.

Where to find your Georgia entity type

1. Georgia business search (most accessible)

• Displayed in search results under the "Business Type" column

• Listed using full legal designations such as "Domestic Limited Liability Company," "Domestic Profit Corporation," "Domestic Nonprofit Corporation," "Limited Partnership," "Professional Corporation," and "Benefit Corporation"

• Typically shown with full legal designations rather than abbreviations

2. Articles of Formation/Organization/Incorporation

• At the top of your formation document

• May state "Articles of Organization of [Entity Name], a Georgia Limited Liability Company" or similar

• Uses formal legal language matching state filing requirements

3. Georgia annual report filing details

• Listed in entity information section

• Cannot be changed without formal amendment filing

• Must match the entity type specified in your original formation documents

Georgia entity types recognized by the SOS

The SOS online services guide confirms seven domestic formation types: Limited Liability Company (LLC), Limited Liability Limited Partnership (LLLP), Limited Partnership (LP), Nonprofit Corporation, Profit Corporation, Professional Corporation (PC), and Benefit Corporation. All domestic types have foreign equivalents registrable with the SOS, and Foreign LLP is available as a foreign registration under O.C.G.A. § 14-8-46. Domestic LLP is not a standalone formation option; existing general partnerships may elect LLP status under O.C.G.A. § 14-8-62.

Georgia does not recognize Professional Limited Liability Company (PLLC) as a distinct entity type. It does not appear in the SOS filing menu, the SOS Administrative Rules, or O.C.G.A. Title 14. Professional service entities in Georgia should use a Professional Corporation (PC) instead.

How to find your formation date in Georgia

Your formation date (when the Georgia Secretary of State officially filed and approved your business entity) appears in Georgia business search results on the entity detail page of the eCorp portal.

Where your Georgia formation date appears

1. Georgia business search (easiest access)

• Listed as: "Date of Formation / Registration Date" (combined label with both terms joined by a slash)

• Location: Displayed on the detailed entity information page

• Format: MM/DD/YYYY (e.g., 7/8/2019, 11/16/2018)

2. Articles of Formation/Organization/Incorporation

• Top of the document

• May say "Filed on [date]" with Georgia Secretary of State stamp

• Sometimes includes both filing date and effective date if different

3. Annual registration confirmations

• References original filing date

• Used to calculate annual registration due dates and compliance requirements

Formation date vs. effective date

Georgia allows businesses to specify a future effective date when filing, creating two different dates:

• Date of Formation / Registration Date: When the entity was formed or registered with the Georgia Secretary of State (use this one)

• Effective date: When your entity officially began operations (if you specified a later date)

Per the official instructions for Form CD 030 (Articles of Organization for LLC), articles of organization are effective upon filing with the Secretary of State absent a specified delayed effective date. A delayed effective date may not be later than 90 days after the filing date, consistent with O.C.G.A. § 14-2-123(b). Most Georgia entities have the same formation and effective dates since delayed effective dates are rarely used.

Georgia annual registration requirements

Georgia annual registration deadlines vary by entity type, per the SOS annual registration guide. Corporations must file by April 1 (with a January 1 filing window opening), and LLCs, LPs, and LLLPs file between January 1 and April 1. Online filings submitted through the eCorp portal typically process within minutes; paper filings must be postmarked by the applicable deadline.

Current fee schedule

Confirm current fees against the official fee schedule before filing, since online and paper service charges may differ.

Non-compliance consequences

A $25 late penalty applies after the filing deadline passes. From there, the administrative dissolution process unfolds in stages under Georgia Rule 590-7-7: the entity is marked "not in good standing" and a notice of nonpayment is issued. If not cured within 60 calendar days, a notice of intent to administratively dissolve or revoke follows. If that second notice goes unaddressed for another 60 calendar days, the entity is administratively dissolved or revoked. Reinstatement costs $260.

Multi-year filing

Entities may file annual registrations for up to 3 calendar years at once through the eCorp One-Click Annual Registration portal. According to SOS portal policy, annual registration fees are typically not refunded if an entity is dissolved, cancelled, terminated, merged, withdrawn, or revoked prior to the end of a pre-paid registration period. Confirm refund policy with the SOS before pre-paying for multiple years.

Automate Georgia entity compliance with Discern

You have what you need from Georgia's system: business name, entity type, control number, and formation date. Discern takes those details and handles annual report filings, deadline tracking, registered agent coordination, and compliance management across all your jurisdictions. The platform pre-fills forms using your centralized entity data and automatically creates filings in advance of due dates, so Georgia's annual registration deadlines never catch you off guard.

For firms managing entities across multiple states, Discern provides a single platform for registered agent services, annual report filings, entity formations, and foreign registrations in 51+ jurisdictions. Customers with 200+ registrations spend 5 to 10 minutes annually on compliance, and automated payment systems eliminate hundreds of manual invoices while providing full visibility into compliance status across every entity.

Schedule a demo with Discern today.