How to File a DBA in Missouri
In Missouri a DBA is a Fictitious Name registered statewide with the Secretary of State for a $7 fee, with no newspaper publication. Attorney review available.
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Introduction
For a $7 fee, one of the lowest anywhere, Missouri registers a DBA it calls a Fictitious Name: the public filing that lets a person or business use a name different from the owner's true legal name. Missouri does not file DBAs at the county level. You register the fictitious name statewide with the Missouri Secretary of State, and it is unlawful to transact business under a fictitious name without first registering it (RSMo 417.200). The state uses a single form, Registration of Fictitious Name (Corp. 56), and the filing fee is $7 (Missouri Secretary of State Schedule of Corporation Fees and Charges). Registration should be filed within five days after you begin doing business under the name (RSMo 417.210). Registering a fictitious name does not create a corporation or an LLC, does not shield the owner from liability, and does not give a trademark or an exclusive right to the name. Unlike some states, Missouri does not require you to publish a notice of the fictitious name in a newspaper, so there is no publication step or affidavit to file. A Missouri fictitious name registration remains active for five years and expires at the end of the five-year period unless you file a renewal, which you can file within six months before the expiration date (RSMo 417.210). DocDraft builds your Missouri fictitious name registration from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.
Key Things to Know
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Registered statewide with the Missouri Secretary of State rather than any county, a DBA here is called a Fictitious Name: a public registration that lets you use a business name different from the owner's true legal name, and it creates no separate legal entity.
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You register the fictitious name statewide with the Missouri Secretary of State, not with a county. It is unlawful to transact business under a fictitious name without first registering it (RSMo 417.200).
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Missouri uses one statewide form, Registration of Fictitious Name (Corp. 56), and the filing fee is $7 (Missouri Secretary of State Schedule of Corporation Fees and Charges). Cancellation of a registration has no fee.
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Missouri does not require newspaper publication of a fictitious name. There is no publication step and no affidavit of publication to file, unlike states such as California.
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A Missouri fictitious name registration remains active for five years and expires at the end of that period unless you file a renewal within six months before the expiration date (RSMo 417.210).
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A DBA does not give you any ownership of or exclusive right to the name, and it does not limit your liability. A sole proprietor with a fictitious name is still personally responsible for the business.
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You should register the fictitious name within five days after you begin doing business under it (RSMo 417.210), and the filing lists every party owning an interest in the business.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a DBA (Doing Business As) in Missouri, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The DBA (Doing Business As) guide walks through them.
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Missouri Requirements for DBA (Doing Business As)
In Missouri a DBA is a Fictitious Name registered statewide with the Missouri Secretary of State, not with a county (RSMo 417.200). It is unlawful to transact business under a fictitious name without first registering it.
Missouri uses one statewide form, Registration of Fictitious Name (Corp. 56), for creation, renewal, correction, and amendment. The filing fee is 7 dollars under the Missouri Secretary of State Schedule of Corporation Fees and Charges, and cancellation has no fee.
The exact fictitious name to register. It must not include a word such as Corporation, Incorporated, LLC, or Limited unless the registrant is that type of entity, and registration is required whenever the business name differs from the true legal name of the owner.
The full legal name and address of the registrant, the type of registrant, and the name and residence or business address of every party owning any interest in the business (RSMo 417.210). Every owner is listed on the registration.
The physical business address at which business is conducted under the fictitious name. Missouri also asks that the registration be filed within five days after you begin doing business under the name (RSMo 417.210).
Missouri does not require you to publish a fictitious name in a newspaper. There is no publication step and no affidavit of publication to file, which is different from states such as California.
A Missouri fictitious name registration remains active for five years and expires at the end of that period unless a renewal is filed (RSMo 417.210). You can file the renewal within six months before the expiration date using the same Corp. 56 form.
A Missouri DBA is only a name registration. It creates no separate legal entity, gives no exclusive right or trademark in the name, and does not limit the personal liability of a sole proprietor or general partner.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Missouri a DBA is a Fictitious Name, a public filing that lets a person or company do business under a name different from the owner's true legal name. You register it statewide with the Missouri Secretary of State using the Registration of Fictitious Name form (Corp. 56), because it is unlawful to transact business under a fictitious name without first registering it (RSMo 417.200). It connects the name to you on the public record. It does not create a separate legal entity, protect the name, or limit your liability.
In Missouri a DBA (fictitious name) is only a name registration you file with the Secretary of State for $7; it creates no new entity and gives no liability protection. A Missouri LLC is a separate legal entity you form by filing Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State, and it shields the owners' personal assets. You can have both, since an existing Missouri LLC can register a fictitious name to run a brand under another name. Choose based on whether you need liability protection or just a name.
You register a Missouri fictitious name statewide with the Missouri Secretary of State, not with a county (RSMo 417.200). Missouri uses one form, Registration of Fictitious Name (Corp. 56), which you can file online or by mail. The filing fee is $7 under the Missouri Secretary of State Schedule of Corporation Fees and Charges, and there is no fee to cancel a registration. Filing under the same form covers creation, renewal, correction, and amendment.
No. Missouri does not require you to publish a notice of your fictitious name in a newspaper. Registering the name with the Missouri Secretary of State completes the public-notice function, so there is no publication step, no successive-week schedule, and no affidavit of publication to file. This is different from states such as California, which require four weeks of newspaper publication after filing.
A Missouri fictitious name registration remains active for five years and expires at the end of the five-year period unless a renewal is filed (RSMo 417.210). You can file the renewal within six months before the expiration date, and a renewal continues the registration for another five years. Use the same Registration of Fictitious Name form (Corp. 56) to renew, and track the five-year date so your registration does not lapse.
You need a Missouri fictitious name registration if you do business under any name other than your own true legal name (RSMo 417.200). Under RSMo 417.210 you should file within five days after you begin transacting business under the fictitious name. Registering a company brand or a sole-proprietor trade name that differs from the legal name is the common trigger, and failing to register a fictitious name is treated as a misdemeanor under RSMo 417.230.
No. A Missouri fictitious name registration is a public record connecting a name to the person using it, but it gives no ownership of or exclusive right to the name, so another business could use a similar name. It also creates no separate legal entity, so a sole proprietor registering a fictitious name remains personally liable for the business. For exclusive name rights you would seek a trademark, and for liability protection you would form an LLC or corporation.
A Missouri Registration of Fictitious Name lists the fictitious name, the physical business address, and the name and residence or business address of every party owning any interest in the business (RSMo 417.210). For a partnership or a jointly owned business, each owner and their interest is listed. Filing the complete owner information with the Secretary of State is what makes the registration valid statewide.