How to Change Your Oregon Business Name

How to Get a New Business Name

Before changing your company’s name, you should consider a few things. A business name change in Oregon should not be rushed. Here we describe the steps you need to take to change the name of your business.

1) Choose a new business name

A business name change in Oregon is usually pretty straightforward. One good thing is that Oregon gives you some flexibility in choosing a name. That said, there are still rules that will need to be followed when you change your business name in Oregon. The new name will need to meet the following requirements:

• Include appropriate abbreviations or words that indicate what kind of business you run (e.g., LLC, corporation, etc.)
• The name of the company should be distinguishable from the names of other businesses filed with the Oregon Secretary of State

Picking a name that meets these requirements can be a bit tricky at times. That’s why we came up with the Business Name Checker as a means to assist you. Once you’ve got the name of your business picked out, lock it in with our Business Name Reservation Service. These tools were created to help take the hard work out of reserving a business name.

2) Gather information for filing your amendment

When you file Oregon Articles of Amendment for an LLC or Corporation, you will need to provide certain information to the Oregon Secretary of State and complete a few requirements. Some of the things you’ll need to provide are:

• The business’s current name
• The new name
• How the amendment was approved
• The filing fee
• The signature of an authorized officer

The requirements for amending a corporation or an LLC may be different. Make sure you check your business’s bylaws or other governing documents to determine who must approve name changes or amendments. 

3) File your Oregon amendment

You can file the Articles of Amendment with the Oregon Secretary of State’s office. An amendment is different from a DBA or trade name. DBAs allow you to use an assumed name but do not change your legal name. However, the Oregon Secretary of State also accepts amendments and trade name registrations.

After You Change Your Business Name

After you change a business name in Oregon, there may be some other items you need to take care of. A few things you may want to consider include:

• Making sure your name is updated with all applicable government agencies, both local and federal
• Updating banking information
• Changing your letterhead, email address, and other identifying items to the new name
• Ensuring that all your contracts (especially employment contracts) reflect the new name

Putting off these tasks after you get your new name may lead to issues and confusion down the road. If you change the name of your business, you might also want to inform your customers. Failure to inform customers and vendors might adversely affect your business.

We Can Help

Still not quite sure how to change a business name in Oregon? We make it easy to amend your business name even if it seems complicated. If you haven’t formed an Oregon entity yet, don’t worry. Our Oregon LLC and Oregon Corporation Formation Services make it easy for you to create your own entity.

You can keep your entity in compliance with our Worry-Free Compliance Service. Using this service, you can even file up to two amendments per year, so you can change the name of the entity or make other changes. It’s always a pleasure to help our customers achieve success. We can help you, whether you’re changing a name, forming a new entity, or securing your compliance needs.