Do you have the perfect name idea for a new business entity in the state of New Hampshire, but you’re not quite ready to form your company?
New Hampshire allows you to reserve a business name until you’re prepared for the business formation process, but how does the reservation process work and how long will the state reserve the name for you? In this guide, we’ll run down all the important details of reserving a business name in New Hampshire.
Rocket Tip: If you’d rather officially incorporate in New Hampshire rather than file the extra paperwork to register a business name, there are many good incorporation services that can do it for you.
How to Reserve a Business Name in New Hampshire
The first step is to determine if your desired business name is even available in New Hampshire to begin with. The Secretary of State’s QuickStart Business Search Tool provides a quick way for you to check the availability of your business name. Once you’ve determined the availability of your desired name, you can begin the process of reserving it with the state.
In order to reserve your business name with the New Hampshire Secretary of State, you will need to file the Application for Reservation of Name. All business types (corporation, LLC, partnership, etc.) can file the same form. In any case, you will need to provide the following information: Corporation Division, NH Dept. of State 107 N Main St, Rm 204
Concord, NH 03301-4989 State House Annex, 3rd Floor, Rm 317
25 Capitol St
Concord, NH 03301
The filing fee for the Application for Name Reservation is $15. Checks should be payable to the “State of New Hampshire.” When you have provided payment and finished filling out the application, you can mail all of the paperwork to this address:
How Long Is My Business Name Reserved For?
Filing the above application will reserve your business name for a period of 120 days in New Hampshire. You must file your formation paperwork during this time to ensure that you don’t lose the name to someone else.
Conclusion
Just because you aren’t ready to form your New Hampshire business entity doesn’t mean you can’t lock down your desired business name.
New Hampshire’s QuickStart Business Tool makes it easy to see which names are available in the state, and the process to reserve a name is simple and inexpensive.