Filing a DBA in Oregon seems complicated, but this guide will show you the easy and straightforward way. In this DBA OR guide, you’ll find out how quickly it is possible and what essential information every applicant needs for filing an assumed business name in Oregon.
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 Oregon you need to file the application to the Secretary of State. Here is what you need to do:
Oregon Business Entity Search
Your company’s trade name should be unique and have not been acquired by any other entity in Oregon. Moreover, this name must also meet the business name requirements of Oregon.
First, you have to search the Oregon Secretary of State’s Business Name Search portal for the DBA, Business, & Fictitious names. Check the portal thoroughly to know whether the name that you wish to have for your business has already been taken by someone or not. 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 Oregon. In general, your DBA should not include:
- Words such as LLC, Incorporated, Corp, or any business entity suffix, unless the business is actually an LLC, corporation, etc.
- Any terms related to financial institutions, including: “bank,” “banco,” “banc,” “banque,” “banker,”savings and loan association,” “credit union,” “trust company,” “savings bank,” or other similar words.
- Special characters such as backslash (/); “at” sign (@); asterisk (*); caret (^); left brace ( { ); right brace ( } ); “equal to” sign (=); dollar sign ($); number sign (#); “greater than” sign (>); “less than” sign (<); plus sign (+); percentage sign (%); tilde (~); and underscore (_).
- Words that suggest in any way that the business is an agency of the state or any of its political subdivisions. However you can use such words after approval.
Register Your Oregon DBA ($50)
You can file an Oregon Assumed Business Name online or by downloading the Assumed Business Name registration form and sending it to:
DBA Filing Mail Address:
Secretary of State
Corporation Division
255 Capitol St. NE, Suite 151
Salem, OR 97310-1327
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The following information must include in the Oregon trade name form:
- Your business name and adress
- Owners/partners of the business and addresses
- Entity type (eg; LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation)
- Trade name’s description
- Counties where you want to register the name
Renew, Change or Withdraw Your Oregon DBA
Renew Your Fictitious Name With the State ($20)
After every two years, the Certificate of Oregon Assumed Business Name expires. So for the renewal of DBA in Oregon you can file renewal application online.
Change Your Fictitious Name ($20)
If you wish to make changes in your Oregon assumed business name, you can do it by completing the respective Assumed Business Name amendment form and sending it to the address given below:
Mail Address:
Secretary of State
Corporation Division
255 Capitol St. NE, Suite 151
Salem, OR 97310-1327
Withdraw Your Fictitious Name ($20)
You can cancel your Oregon assumed business name by completing the Cancellation of Assumed Business form and sending it to the address mentioned in the amendment section.
