How to verify a New York business for KYB

New York's registry is free, fast and quite thin on people. The Department of State's Public Inquiry record confirms an entity's status, filing date, type, county and the address where legal process is forwarded, and it lists every filing by date. For corporations it can name a chief executive officer. For LLCs it names no members or managers, and the state's new beneficial ownership filings are confidential. This guide covers how to read a New York record, what it proves, and what to request. It is one of seven state guides built on our study of all 50 state registries and DC.

Step 1: Search Public Inquiry

The official search is the Department of State's Corporation and Business Entity Database at apps.dos.ny.gov/publicInquiry. It covers business and not-for-profit corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, LLPs and assumed name filings. There is no fee, no login and no CAPTCHA as of 2026-09-30.

You can search by entity name, DOS ID, assumed name or assumed name ID, filter by status (active, inactive, suspended), and choose how names match: base word, contains or begins with. Use "contains" when a first search fails. Registered names often carry a leading "The" or a suffix the applicant dropped, and a begins-with search on the applicant's version of the name can miss the entity entirely.

The results list shows each match's DOS ID, status, entity type, date of first filing and county. That alone often answers the first question: is there one entity with this name, or several?

Step 2: Read the entity record

A New York LLC record we opened on 2026-09-30 showed:

• Entity name, DOS ID, entity type and the section of law it was formed under.
• Entity status, the reason for status and any inactive date.
• Date of initial DOS filing and the effective date of that filing.
• Statement status and next statement due date: whether the entity's periodic statement with the Department of State is current.
• County and jurisdiction.
• Service of process address: the name and address to which the Secretary of State mails legal process served on it as the entity's agent.
• Chief executive officer's name and address, principal executive office, registered agent and primary location, each shown when the entity has provided it. On the LLC we checked, all four were blank.

Tabs lead to Name History, Filing History, Merger History and Assumed Name History. The filing history lists each document's date, type and page count. It does not show document images, so you order copies or ask the applicant.

Read the service of process address with care. For many small LLCs it is a member's home, an accountant or a law firm. It is where process goes, not proof of where the business operates.

Step 3: Check the LLC publication requirement

New York has a rule most states lack. Under LLC Law section 206, a new LLC must publish a notice of its formation once a week for six weeks in two newspapers designated by the county clerk, and file proof of publication with the Department of State within 120 days of formation. If it does not, its authority to carry on, conduct or transact business in New York is suspended from the end of that period. The statute adds that the failure does not impair the validity of the LLC's contracts.

For KYB, look in the filing history for the certificate of publication on any LLC more than four months old. If it is missing, ask about it. The entity still exists, but its authority to do business in the state may be suspended.

Step 4: Order copies or a certificate

New York's Department of State fees are set by Executive Law section 96. A plain copy furnished by the Division of Corporations costs $5 regardless of the number of pages, and a certified copy costs $10. Certificates under the department's seal that the law does not price elsewhere cost $25. Ask the applicant for a recent certificate of status as well, and confirm the details against the live record you captured. Our guide to what a certificate of good standing proves explains the limits.

Bulk data

New York publishes a free open dataset, Active Corporations: Beginning 1800, on data.ny.gov. It lists active entities with DOS ID, name, initial filing date, county, jurisdiction, entity type, the process address, and the CEO, registered agent and location fields where provided. The Department of State notes the process address may not reflect the physical location of the corporation or its officers, and the dataset excludes inactive entities. When we checked on 2026-09-30, its rows had last been updated on 2026-09-29.

What the New York registry proves, and what it does not

Red flags specific to New York files

No publication on an LLC older than 120 days. The authority to do business may be suspended under section 206.

Statement status not current. A lapsed statement suggests the entity is not keeping its record up to date.

Process address that is a home or a mail drop. Common and often innocent for small LLCs. It still leaves the operating address unproven. See registered-agent address.

Several entities with near-identical names. Use the "contains" search and compare DOS IDs, filing dates and counties. An applicant pointing at an established company's history while using a newer entity with a similar name is a classic mismatch.

Formation date versus claimed history. The initial DOS filing date is authoritative. Check Name History and Merger History for a predecessor before you ask.

Beneficial ownership assumed from a state filing. The applicant may have filed under the LLC Transparency Act. You cannot see it, so it proves nothing to you. Beneficial ownership must be evidenced in your own file.

What to request from a New York applicant

• Articles of organization or certificate of incorporation, with amendments.
• For an LLC, the certificate of publication, or an explanation if it was never filed.
• The operating agreement pages that establish members, percentages and managers, and a signed ownership chart down to natural persons. See operating agreement.
• Identity documents for owners above your threshold and for the people who will operate the account.
• Proof of the operating address, especially when the process address is a home or a professional's office.
• An EIN confirmation letter matching the registered name.

Costs at a glance

Fees are from Executive Law section 96, checked on 2026-09-30.

How Sweat AI handles New York files

Sweat AI is an AI-native BPO for banks and fintechs, starting with back-office workflows like KYB, onboarding and fraud reviews. On a New York applicant, our analysts capture the Public Inquiry record, check statement status and the LLC publication filing, and set the applicant's ownership and control documents against what the registry does and does not show. The evidence packet records each source and capture time, and one consolidated list names what is still missing. Your team makes the decision. See our KYB review service or the step-by-step verification guide.