Business Registers in Washington State: Corporations & Charities Filing System

Overview

Washington State's business registration is managed by the Corporations Division of the Office of the Secretary of State. The central platform for company filings and lookups is the Corporations & Charities Filing System (CCFS), which provides free online access to business entity records.

All formal business entities (corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), limited partnerships (LPs), and limited liability partnerships (LLPs)) must register with the Secretary of State. Businesses operating in Washington must also obtain a Unified Business Identifier (UBI), a nine-digit number issued upon successful registration and used across state agencies for tax, licensing, and regulatory purposes.

Washington does not maintain a state-level beneficial ownership register. At the federal level, the Corporate Transparency Act (2021) established a beneficial ownership information (BOI) registry operated by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), but an interim final rule issued in March 2025 removed the reporting requirement for U.S. companies and U.S. persons. Only foreign reporting companies remain subject to federal BOI reporting obligations.

For KYB and AML due diligence, Washington provides baseline company data (registration details, officers, and filing history) free of charge through the CCFS portal. Financial statements and beneficial ownership information are not part of the public register.

Official Registers

Corporations & Charities Filing System (CCFS)

The CCFS is the Secretary of State's online portal for searching, filing, and managing business entities in Washington. It covers corporations (profit and nonprofit), LLCs, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, and foreign entities registered to do business in the state.

Search and access. The portal is publicly accessible and free to search. Users can look up entities by name, UBI number, or registered agent. Each entity's record displays the legal name, UBI, entity type, registration date, status (active, inactive, dissolved), registered agent, principal office address, and a history of filings including annual reports.

Identifiers. The primary identifier for Washington entities is the UBI (Unified Business Identifier), a nine-digit number assigned at registration and shared across state agencies, including the Department of Revenue and the Department of Labor & Industries.

Filing and updates. Entity creation documents (Articles of Incorporation, Certificates of Formation, etc.) are filed through the CCFS, either online or by mail. Subsequent changes, such as amendments to articles, changes in registered agent, or mergers, are also filed through this system. The portal reflects filings promptly after processing.

Additional services. The Secretary of State's office provides apostille services, trademark filings, and registered agent filings. Same-day in-person service is available at the Olympia office for a $150 expedite fee.

Department of Revenue: Business Licensing

While not a corporate register in the traditional sense, the Washington State Department of Revenue administers business licensing. Out-of-state businesses that establish nexus sufficient for tax liability must register with the Department of Revenue. The Master Business Application (BLS-700-028) serves as a unified filing for multiple state and local licenses.

Federal: FinCEN Beneficial Ownership Information Registry

The U.S. Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Registry, operated by FinCEN under the Corporate Transparency Act (2021), began accepting reports in January 2024. However, in March 2025, FinCEN issued an interim final rule removing the BOI reporting requirement for all U.S. companies and U.S. persons. Only foreign companies that meet the revised definition of a "reporting company" and do not qualify for an exemption must still report. As a result, there is no operational domestic beneficial ownership register applicable to Washington-formed entities.

Registration and Publication Requirements

Corporations, LLCs, and partnerships

All corporations (profit and nonprofit), LLCs, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships must register with the Secretary of State by filing their formation documents. Corporations file Articles of Incorporation (filing fee: $180 online); LLCs file Certificates of Formation. A registered agent with a physical address in Washington is required for all entity types. Since January 20, 2026, filings are rejected unless they include an email address for both the registered agent and the principal office.

Initial report. Under SHB 2248 (signed March 2026), domestic business and nonprofit corporations, LLCs, and partnerships must file an initial report with the Secretary of State within 120 days of formation. This is a one-time filing, separate from and in addition to the recurring annual report.

Annual reports are mandatory for all registered entities. Reports are due by the last day of the month in which the entity was originally incorporated or registered. The filing fee is $70 for profit entities and $10 for nonprofit corporations; late filing incurs a $25 delinquency penalty. Failure to file can lead to administrative dissolution or revocation of authority to do business.

There is no general obligation to file financial statements publicly. Washington's annual report collects updated administrative information (address, officers, registered agent) rather than financial data. Private companies are not required to disclose their accounts to the Secretary of State or any other public register.

Beneficial ownership: Following the March 2025 FinCEN interim final rule, domestic companies are exempt from federal BOI reporting. Washington has no state-level UBO filing requirement.

Sole proprietors

Sole proprietors are not required to register with the Secretary of State. A sole proprietorship does not constitute a separate legal entity and therefore is not present in the CCFS. However, sole proprietors earning $12,000 or more annually must register with the Department of Revenue for tax purposes and obtain a UBI. Sole proprietors operating under a trade name may file a trade name registration at the local level.

There is no requirement for sole proprietors to file financial statements publicly, and UBO obligations do not apply.

Nonprofit corporations and associations

Nonprofit corporations must file Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State and are recorded in the CCFS alongside for-profit entities. They are subject to annual report requirements.

Charitable organisations that solicit donations in Washington must also register with the Charities Program of the Secretary of State. This registration is separate from corporate formation and involves additional disclosure.

Associations may register as nonprofit corporations to acquire legal personality. Unincorporated associations are not recorded in the CCFS.

Summary table

With Topograph

Topograph queries the Washington Secretary of State's Corporations & Charities Filing System to return structured entity data for Washington-registered businesses.

Available Data

Company Profile

• Legal name
• UBI (Unified Business Identifier), nine-digit primary identifier
• Entity type and status (active, inactive, dissolved)
• Registered agent name and address
• Principal office address
• Date of incorporation or registration
• Jurisdiction of formation (for foreign entities)

Officers and Registered Agent

• Names and titles of governors / officers
• Registered agent name and address

Available Documents

Financial statements are not filed with the Secretary of State and are therefore not publicly available through the register. Articles of Incorporation and other formation documents, while filed through the CCFS, are not offered as separate downloads. Beneficial ownership extracts are not available at the state level, and the federal BOI registry does not apply to domestic companies following the March 2025 FinCEN rule change.

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