Overview
Louisiana business registration runs through the Secretary of State (SOS), specifically its Commercial Division, which keeps the official record of entities formed or registered to do business in the state. Filings go through the state's one-stop portal, geauxBIZ, and the free public record sits in the Commercial Database, the search system most people know by its name CORA.
Louisiana stands apart from every other US state in one respect that matters for KYB work: it is a civil-law jurisdiction. Its private law descends from the French and Spanish codes rather than English common law, so some entity terminology differs from the rest of the country. The clearest example is the partnership in commendam (société en commandite), which is Louisiana's version of the limited partnership. The state has nonetheless adopted modern LLC and corporation statutes that track other states closely, so most counterparties resolve to familiar forms.
Louisiana operates an annual report requirement. Corporations, LLCs, nonprofits, and partnerships file a report each year, and the due date is the anniversary of the entity's formation or qualification rather than a fixed calendar date. The report keeps the officer, director, member, manager, and registered agent data on the public record current.
Louisiana has no state-level beneficial ownership register. At the federal level, the Corporate Transparency Act (2021) created a BOI registry run by FinCEN, but a March 2025 interim final rule lifted the obligation for all U.S. companies and U.S. persons. Only foreign reporting companies remain subject to it.
For KYB and AML work, the free SOS search returns an entity's status, charter number, registered agent, principal office, and the officers, directors, or managers named in its filings. Louisiana surfaces more management detail than many states, since both corporate officers and LLC members or managers appear in the public record.
Official Registers
Secretary of State (Commercial Database)
The SOS Commercial Division maintains the official register through its Commercial Database. It records domestic and foreign corporations, LLCs, nonprofit corporations, professional corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, and general partnerships, along with registered trade names.
Search and access. The Commercial Database, hosted on the CORA system at coraweb.sos.la.gov, is free and needs no account. Search by entity name, charter number, trade registration number, officer or agent name, or name reservation number. Each record shows the entity name, charter number, type, status, registration date, registered agent name and address, principal office address, and the officers, directors, members, or managers on file. Filing and document orders run through the geauxBIZ portal, which does require an account.
Charter number. Louisiana assigns each entity a charter number at formation, an eight-character code of seven digits followed by a letter. It is the primary identifier for the entity across the register and the key most lookups run on.
Filings. Formation documents go in online through geauxBIZ or by mail. Articles of Organization for domestic LLCs cost $100. Articles of Incorporation for domestic for-profit corporations cost $75. Foreign corporations file an Application for Authority at $100; foreign LLCs file at $125. A small state service charge applies on top of the base fee when filing online.
Certificates. Certificates of Good Standing and certified copies of filed documents are available from the SOS for a fee.
Registration and Publication Requirements
Corporations
All domestic and foreign for-profit corporations must register with the SOS and maintain a registered agent at a Louisiana address.
Annual report. Corporations file an annual report with the SOS, due on the anniversary of their formation or qualification. The fee is $30, with a small additional service charge for online filing. The report carries the entity name, principal office, registered agent name and address, and the names and addresses of the directors and officers. Those officers and directors are part of the public record.
Failing to file leaves the corporation in a delinquent state. After three consecutive years without an annual report, the SOS revokes the corporation's articles. A revoked corporation then has three years from the revocation date to reinstate, by filing a reinstatement application with a $60 fee and bringing its overdue annual reports current at $30 each.
Financial statements. There is no public financial disclosure requirement.
LLCs
All domestic and foreign LLCs must register with the SOS and maintain a registered agent in Louisiana. Domestic formation costs $100; foreign registration costs $125.
Annual report. LLCs file an annual report on the same anniversary schedule as corporations, at $30 plus the online service charge. The report lists the members or managers and the registered agent, so management data for LLCs is part of the public SOS record. An LLC that misses three consecutive annual reports has its articles revoked and then has three years from revocation to reinstate, with a $75 reinstatement fee plus the overdue reports.
L3C. Louisiana is one of a small group of states that recognise the low-profit limited liability company (L3C), a form organised mainly for a charitable or social purpose with profit as a secondary aim. An L3C registers like any other LLC, with the designation stated in its Articles of Organization and reflected in its name.
Nonprofit corporations
Nonprofits file Articles of Incorporation with the SOS and file an annual report each year at $10. Directors and officers appear on the public record. Federal 501(c) status comes from the IRS; the state filing does not grant it.
Professional corporations
Professional corporations register and report like for-profit corporations, with the added requirement that their shareholders or members hold the relevant Louisiana professional licence. Officers and directors appear on the public record.
Partnerships
Louisiana's partnership in commendam is its limited partnership, registered with the SOS under the Civil Code. Registered limited liability partnerships also register with the SOS. Both file an annual report. General partnerships may register but are not always required to, so some do not appear in the Commercial Database.
Sole proprietors
Sole proprietors do not register as entities with the SOS and do not appear in the Commercial Database. A sole proprietor operating under an assumed name may register a trade name, which is held on file separately.
Summary table
| Entity type | Register with SOS | Annual report | Management data public |
|---|---|---|---|
For-profit corporation | Yes ($75) | Yes ($30, on formation anniversary) | Officers and directors |
Professional corporation | Yes ($75) | Yes ($30, on formation anniversary) | Officers and directors |
LLC / L3C | Yes ($100 domestic / $125 foreign) | Yes ($30, on formation anniversary) | Members and managers |
Nonprofit corporation | Yes | Yes ($10) | Directors and officers |
Partnership in commendam (LP) | Yes | Yes | Partners on file |
LLP | Yes | Yes | Partners on file |
General partnership | Optional | Where registered | Partners on file |
Sole proprietor / trade name | No (trade name on file only) | No | No |
With Topograph
Topograph queries Louisiana's Secretary of State system to return structured company data for entities registered in the state.
Available Data
Company Profile
- Louisiana charter number
- Entity name
- Entity type and state of formation
- Current status
- Registration date
- Registered agent name and address
- Principal office address
Officers and Management
- Officers and directors as reported in the corporation's filings
- Members and managers as reported in the LLC's filings
Available Documents
| Document type | Comment |
|---|---|
Trade Register Extract | A Topograph-generated extract of the entity's SOS record: charter number, entity name, type, state of formation, status, registered agent, principal office, and the officers, directors, members, or managers most recently reported. |
Financial statements aren't filed publicly in Louisiana. Domestic companies are also exempt from federal BOI reporting following the March 2025 FinCEN rule.
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