California Entity Search
California entity number
Quick answer. The California entity number is the identifier bizfile assigns to a corporation, LLC, or limited partnership. It is on the detail record and on filed documents. The Secretary of State says newly established entity numbers must be searched with the letter B included.
Official office
California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division
Phone: (916) 653-6814
1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Business search is free and does not require an account. Phone support: (916) 653-6814.
Steps
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Copy it from the bizfile detail page
Run a name search, open the correct entity, and copy the entity number exactly. That value is what a Statement of Information, a certificate order, and a later search should use.
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Include B on newer numbers
The bizfile overview page says searching will not change, but newly established entity numbers need the letter B as part of the ID. If a number you were given fails, add B before you assume the filing was rejected.
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Keep it apart from the EIN
A federal employer identification number is issued by the IRS. It will not retrieve a California record. Banks sometimes label both as “the company number.” Ask which agency printed it.
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Use it when names were amended
A name change does not issue a new entity number. If marketing materials use a new name and the contract uses an old one, the entity number shows they are the same filing.
Numbers from other states
A Delaware file number or a Nevada entity number does not search bizfile. A foreign entity receives a California number when it registers. Quote the California number to the Secretary of State and the home-state number to the home state.
If the number is refused
Check for a dropped letter, a corporation number used in an LLC field, or a number that belongs to a trademark rather than an entity. The search tips page describes ordering a status report if a careful search still fails. That is a paid request, not a second opinion from this website.
Common mistakes
- Stripping letters so the value is digits only.
- Searching a Statement of Information file number as if it were the entity number.
- Giving a vendor the SOS file number when they asked for the EIN, or the reverse.
Questions
Where is the entity number on a California business search?
On the bizfile detail record after you open the entity. It is also printed on the filed articles and on Secretary of State receipts.
Why does my new California entity number start with B?
The Secretary of State’s bizfile page says newly established entity numbers need the letter B when you search. Include it.
Does a conversion get a new number?
Read the current bizfile record. The history shows the conversion. Use the entity number printed on that current record, not a number from a pre-conversion PDF, if the two differ.