Hawaii LLC Name Search: Get That Perfect Name

Reasons to Perform an LLC Name Search

Checking for Hawaii LLC name availability is the most common reason to perform a search, but it’s far from the only one. Here are a few other reasons you might search for a name:

1) Finding Similar Names

You don’t want potential customers confusing you with another company, especially if that company is a competitor. Your proposed name might be available, but there could also be multiple businesses out there with deceivingly similar ones. If you don’t want your LLC getting mixed up with other businesses, this might prompt you to find a new name.

2) Checking Your Business Status

Once you’ve filed the Articles of Organization and started your Hawaii LLC, you can periodically check its status by searching for your existing name. This will confirm your business’ good standing with the state and provide your File Number, which you may need for future filings.

3) Registered Agent and Office Information

At some point, you might need to send a business service of process. Or, more positively, you might want to partner with them. In either case, you’ll need their Hawaii registered agent name and office address, readily available through a name search.

4) Maintaining Current Business Information

When modifying your LLC’s information – like changing your registered agent or principal address to a member or a registered agent service  – you will want to confirm the information that the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs already has on file. A name search will take care of this for you.

How to Perform a Hawaii LLC Name Search

Time to get down to business: searching for a business name. Regardless of whether you’re seeking name availability or specific business information, you’ll use the Hawaii Business Express search tool.

To check a name’s availability, choose “Begins with” from the dropdown box labeled “Search Mode.” Next, enter your desired name in the “Business Name” search bar. If there are any businesses already using that name, they will show up in the results, and you’ll have to think up a new name. If not, you’ll see a “no results” message and you’ll be free to reserve your name or use it on your Articles of Organization.

If you’re seeking a particular business, you can search either their full name or keywords. You can then click on any of the results to access the following information:

• Business Name
• Business Type (LLC, Corporation, etc.)
• File Number
• Status (active, revoked, etc.)
• Business Purpose
• State of Formation
• Registration Date
• Mailing Address
• Manager- or Member-Managed
• Registered Agent Name
• Registered Agent Address
• Annual Filing Dates
• Manager/Member Names
• Trade Names
• Other Filings

You won’t need all of this info if you’re simply checking a name’s availability, but it will be important later in the life of your LLC, whether you need to check in on your own business or find information on another one.

What if My Name Is Unavailable?

So, you went to the business search, plugged in your desired name, hit search, and there it was: your precious name, already in use. What now?

If your LLC is domestic (formed in Hawaii), your only option is to start brainstorming ideas for a different one. Just don’t use one that’s too similar. Then, when you’ve found an acceptable, available name, go ahead and either form your LLC or reserve the name for future use.

You may run a foreign LLC and operate under a certain name in other states. You are required to enter your LLC’s name (exactly as it appears on your Certificate of Existence) on your Application for Certificate of Authority when you foreign qualify. But if that name is already being used in Hawaii, you may need to apply for a trade name that you would use only in the state.

How to Make a Hawaii LLC Name Distinguishable

Remember that, like all other states, Hawaii has certain restrictions on what you can name your LLC. To follow them, your LLC name must:

• Use a signifier like “limited liability company,” “L.L.C.,” or “LLC”
• Be available and distinguishable in the DCCA records
• Not use the terms “financial institution,” “bank,” “banker,” “banking,” “banc,” “savings bank,” “savings and loan,” “savings association,” “financial services loan company,” “credit union,” “trust company,” “intrapacific bank,” “international banking corporation,” or “trust,” unless authorized by the state
• Not imply affiliation with a governmental agency (unless specifically permitted by that governmental agency)
• Not mislead the public as to the function of your business

Further, your business name must be distinguishable from every other name reserved or registered with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. But what makes a name distinguishable? The following changes, by themselves, are NOT considered enough:

• Spelling out numbers or using numerals
• Changing word spellings
• Changing the business type signifier (LLC vs. Ltd. Liability Company)
• Adding articles, certain prepositions, or their Hawaiian equivalents
• Changes in punctuation
• Making words singular, plural, or possessive
• Adding “Hawaii” or “HI”

Essentially, to create a fully distinguishable name, you must change the name itself, not just the syntax. Instead of the alterations listed above, try adding words or letters (other than a plural “s”), using synonyms, using a prefix/suffix that changes a word’s meaning, or rearranging the words. These strategies let you create a distinguishable name without changing it entirely.

What’s Next?

What you do next depends entirely on what your goal is. If you’re checking for name availability and your name is free in Hawaii, you can proceed to reserve it and use it on your Articles of Organization.

You can reserve your LLC name for 120 days by filing an application and paying a $10 fee. Or, if you’re ready to start your business, you can use that name on your Articles of Organization, which will register it automatically.