Pennsylvania entity search: how to find your entity name, number, type, and formation date

Pennsylvania business entity information, including entity name, type, entity/file number, and formation date, is available through the Pennsylvania Department of State's free business search portal. The database is public and free, and according to the Pennsylvania Business Guide, no account is required to search; registration is needed only when you file.

The registry covers the more than 2.4 million companies that do business in the Commonwealth, per a January 2025 DOS announcement. That includes every record you need for compliance tracking or business transactions.

Summary table: finding your Pennsylvania entity information

The table below shows where each piece of entity information lives and what it looks like when you find it.

How to search for Pennsylvania business entities

Go to Pennsylvania's business entity search to look up any registered business by name or entity/file number. Those are the only two indexes the Bureau maintains; you cannot search by officer, owner name, tax ID, or business address. There is also no registered agent search, because Pennsylvania uses registered office addresses rather than registered agents, as the DOS FAQ page explains.

Enter your business name in the search field, or enter the entity/file number if you have it. For the most precise results, use your entity name exactly as it appears on your registration.

The Advanced option adds more control. Per the Pennsylvania Business Guide, advanced search lets you find names that contain certain words and filter by record type, status, and filing date. Click any entity in the results to open its record, including the entity/file number, formation date, registered office, and filing history.

What you'll see in search results

Selecting a record opens a slide-out drawer that displays six fields, per the Customer Portal Overview:

• Filing Type

• Entity Type

• Status

• Formed in (State)

• Registered Office

• Initial Filing Date

The full entity record adds the entity/file number, exact entity name, filing date, effective date (if applicable), general partners or fictitious name owners, and officers when available. A complete filing history is accessible through the "View History" option in the same drawer.

For status, the portal uses "Active" for entities that must file annual reports, while inactive records carry a variant label (Dissolved, Terminated, Merged Out, Withdrawn, or Cancelled), per the DOS annual reports page.

How to find your entity/file number in Pennsylvania

Your entity/file number is the unique identifier the Department of State issues when your entity is formed. The Business Guide describes it as an entity number that "serves only as an internal file number." When the Department switched filing systems from PennFile to Business Filing Services, the entity number was replaced with the "File Number," according to the BFS Help Center, and official annual report forms use "entity/file number." All three labels refer to the same identifier.

Where to locate your Pennsylvania entity/file number

1. Pennsylvania business search (fastest method)

• Located: in parentheses next to the business name in search results

• Labeled as: "File Number" in the Business Filing Services system

2. Initial registration document

• Your Certificate of Organization (LLC), Articles of Incorporation (corporation), or Certificate of Limited Partnership

• The Department's annual report form instructions confirm the number can be found on the initial registration filed with the Department

3. Annual reports and state correspondence

• A required field on annual report form DSCB:15-146

• Appears on official Pennsylvania Department of State documents and serves as your account identifier for future filings

Pennsylvania entity/file number format

Official Pennsylvania sources do not publish a fixed digit count or an assignment pattern for entity/file numbers. Record the number exactly as it appears in your search results or on your initial registration.

How to find your entity type in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania recognizes multiple business structures under Title 15: business corporations, nonprofit corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships (including LLLPs), limited liability partnerships, professional associations, business trusts, and restricted professional companies. Note the last one: Pennsylvania uses "restricted professional company" rather than "PLLC" for LLCs that render restricted professional services such as law, medicine, dentistry, or public accounting, per DOS LLC guidance.

Where to find your Pennsylvania entity type

1. Pennsylvania business search (most accessible)

• Displayed: in the "Entity Type" field of the search results slide-out drawer, alongside the separate "Filing Type" field

2. Formation document

• At the top of your Certificate of Organization, Articles of Incorporation, or Certificate of Limited Partnership

• If you completed forming a Pennsylvania LLC, the document reads "Certificate of Organization"

• Uses formal legal terminology

3. Annual reports

• Your Pennsylvania annual report filings list the entity type in the entity information section

• Cannot be changed without a formal amendment filing

How to find your formation date in Pennsylvania

Your formation date appears in Pennsylvania business search results and on your formation document.

Where your Pennsylvania formation date appears

1. Pennsylvania business search (easiest access)

• Listed as: "Initial Filing Date" in the slide-out drawer

• Format: MM/DD/YYYY

2. Formation document

• Top of the document with the Department of State filing stamp

• Under 15 Pa.C.S. § 136 subsection (a), the Department endorses each document with the fact and date of filing

• May include both a filing date and an effective date if they differ

3. Annual report confirmations

• Reference the original filing date

Formation date vs. effective date

Pennsylvania law creates two potentially different dates. Section 136(c) gives filers three effective date options: on delivery to the Department, on the date of delivery at a later time specified in the document, or at a specified delayed effective date and time (12:01 a.m. if no time is specified).

• Formation date (filing date): when the Pennsylvania Department of State processed your paperwork

• Effective date: when your entity legally came into existence, if you specified a delayed date

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Frequently asked questions

Here are answers to common questions about searching Pennsylvania's business entity records.

Is the Pennsylvania business entity search free?

Yes. The database is public and free, and no account is required to search. You only need to register on the Business Filing Services platform when you submit a filing.

Can I search by registered agent, owner, or officer name?

No. The Bureau indexes records by entity name and entity/file number only. Pennsylvania does not use registered agents; every entity maintains a registered office address in the state, which can be satisfied through a Commercial Registered Office Provider under 15 Pa.C.S. § 109, per the Department's CROP guidance page.

Is "Active" status the same as good standing?

No. "Active" is the portal's display status, while good standing is a separate determination reflected in a Subsistence Certificate, which costs $40 per the DOS fee schedule.

When are Pennsylvania annual reports due?

Under Act 122 of 2022, annual reports began in 2025. Corporations file by June 30, LLCs by September 30, and all other associations by December 31, with a $7 fee for business entities and no fee for nonprofits, per the DOS annual reports page. Failure to file can lead to administrative dissolution, termination, or cancellation, though under 15 Pa.C.S. § 381 those enforcement proceedings apply only to reports due on or after January 4, 2027.