- [Instructor] A DBA or a Doing Business As,
is essentially a nickname for your company.
In Florida, a DBA is also called a fictitious name.
DBAs are a great way to rebrand your company name
to add new brands to your company,
or to change your company name completely.
For sole proprietors and partnerships,
DBAs offer the ability to operate under a name
that isn't the business owner surname.
For more information on the specifics of what a DBA is
and how it can be used,
check out our other video linked below.
In this video, we will go over the steps you need to take
in order to form a DBA in Florida.
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There are two ways to form a DBA,
you can do it yourself
or you can hire a service to do it for you.
Let's take a look at both options and help you decide
how to go about forming your own DBA.
One, do it yourself.
If you want to save money you can form a DBA on your own.
Let's take a look at the steps
to forming a DBA in Florida on your own.
One, complete name searches.
When determining what you want your DBA name to be,
you'll want to make sure you follow
Florida naming requirements.
For more details, check out our video
how to name your business in Florida
or our naming guides linked below.
Next, you'll want to make sure
the name is available in Florida.
The first and most important search
is Florida sunbiz fictitious name search.
If the name is not available,
you'll have to adjust your name or use a different one.
We provide instructions
to search your business name in Florida
on how to start an LLC.com linked below.
Searching is free to learn more visit Florida naming guides
linked in the description below.
After confirming your name is available in Florida,
we recommend doing a domain search
to see if your name is available as a URL.
Even if you don't plan on making a website today,
we recommend buying your domain
in order to prevent others from acquiring it.
Two, publish a notice for your Florida fictitious name.
Florida requires that all new fictitious names
be published once in a newspaper
before the business name is registered.
You must publish your legal notice
of intent to file a fictitious name
with a newspaper in the county
where your principal location is located.
Start by contacting a newspaper
in the county of your principal location,
then request the newspaper publish a legal notice of intent
to file a fictitious name.
Check out our pages linked below for what the state
in the legal notice of intent to file a fictitious name.
The exact newspaper requirements
can be found in detail in chapter 50 of Florida Statutes
linked below, but the basic requirements
for the publishing newspaper are generally
25% of the publication's words must be written in English,
the publication must be printed or published
at least once a week.
The publication must be admissible as a periodical
in the post office in the county where it's published,
and it should be available and interesting to the public.
The publication must have been in existence
for at least one year,
and if publishing in a county without a newspaper
or publishing online,
see chapter 50 of Florida Statutes linked below.
When it comes to proof of publication,
Florida enforces a criminal variation of the honor system.
When you sign the form,
you're promising that you published the name already
and that you did it right.
The signature line of the application
for registration of fictitious name states,
I further certify that the intention
to register the fictitious name to be registered
has been advertised at least once in a newspaper
as defined in chapter 50, Florida Statutes.
I understand that the signature below
shall have the same legal effect as if made under oath,
and I am aware of that
false information submitted a document
to the Department of State constitutes a third degree felony
as provided for in s.817.155, F.S.
Three, register your DBA.
After you've chosen an available name,
you'll want to register your DBA.
For all business structures in Florida
registration is done through the Secretary of State.
This can be done online at the sunbiz
fictitious name portal
or you can complete the application
for registration a fictitious name form
and submit it by mail or in person.
The application will ask for your DBA name
and information about your business,
such as your business address,
principal place of business and EIN.
Filing fees vary, so check out our pages linked below
for more detailed information
and with that you'll have a DBA in Florida.
Keep in mind that your Florida DBA,
needs to be renewed by December 31st of the fifth year
after registration and every five years after that.
You can either renew on the sunbiz DBA portal
or by completing and mailing in the application
for renewal a fictitious name.
Option two.
The second way to form a DBA,
is to hire a professional service
to create your DBA for you.
Hiring a professional service to file your forms
and do name searches will cost you
an additional 50 to $150.
However, there are several benefits to working with a pro.
A hire professional files your DBA for you,
keeps you up to date with renewals
and assist with publications.
DBAs or Doing Business As are also known as trade names,
assumed names or fictitious names of the business.
In formal business structures like sole proprietorships
and partnerships can use DBAs as their business name
instead of their surnames.
Formal business structures like LLC and corporations
can use DBAs as a means to rebrand their name,
add new brands or change the name they're using
as their business name.
DBAs are not a business structure
and are not separate legal entities.
They also do not provide asset protection
or liability protection to informal business structures.
For state specific guides on how to form a DBA,
check out the pages linked below.
And for a more detailed guide, visit StartupSavant.com.
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Give the video a like if you found it useful
and subscribe if you'd like to see more.
And if you have questions or encounter any roadblocks,
leave a comment below.
Good luck and starting your small business.
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