How to search Maryland business entities online
Updated August 2026
Quick Answer
Maryland's business search is run by SDAT (not the Secretary of State) at egov.maryland.gov/BusinessExpress/EntitySearch. Search by name, Department ID, or EIN to open the entity profile with its resident agent, status, and filing history — free, no account needed. SDAT operates under the authority of the state comptroller, and the search page itself runs a brief automated bot check (Cloudflare Turnstile) before it loads results.
- Go to egov.maryland.gov/BusinessExpress/EntitySearch.
- Search by name, Department ID, or EIN.
- Open the entity profile to see the resident agent and filing history.
Not handled by the Secretary of State
Maryland's Secretary of State does not handle business entity registration — that function sits with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), which operates under the state comptroller's authority.
What the search covers
The database covers all entities registered with SDAT: domestic and foreign LLCs, stock corporations, nonstock corporations (nonprofits), professional corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, and statutory trusts. Trade names filed with SDAT are also searchable. County-level assumed name filings are held at the county circuit court, not SDAT.
How to search
The portal supports name, Department ID, and Employer Identification Number (EIN) searches. A Department ID — SDAT's unique entity identifier — retrieves a single precise record. Clicking into a result opens the full entity profile, which shows the formation date, entity type, current status, resident agent name and address, and a filing history, along with officer or director information when it has been listed on a recent annual report.
Certificates of Status (Maryland's equivalent of good standing) can be ordered directly from the entity search results. The standard certificate is available online through the SDAT Business Express platform.
Annual reports and processing time
Maryland annual reports are due April 15 each year, with a 60-day extension available on request. The fee is $300 for most business entities; nonprofits file at no charge. Online filings through SDAT Business Express carry a 3% technology fee applied to the total. Non-expedited paper filings currently take roughly eight weeks to process, while non-expedited online filings are typically reviewed during the second calendar month after submission.
Rush same-day service is available — $325 online if submitted by 2:30 p.m., $425 for hand-delivered or in-person filing — for entities that need processed documents on the day of submission. Expedited service must be specifically requested and paid at the time of filing.
What Maryland's Forfeiture status means
Maryland shows an entity as Not in Good Standing the moment any of several specific issues comes up: a missed Form 1 (the combined Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return, due April 15 whether or not the entity actually owns property), an unpaid late-filing penalty, a bounced payment, no active resident agent, or an unresolved issue flagged by the Comptroller's office or Department of Labor. It's a correctable flag, not a dead end — except in one specific case: an entity that voluntarily terminated shows Not in Good Standing permanently, since only active entities are eligible for good standing at all. Left unresolved long enough, Not in Good Standing escalates to Forfeited, which relinquishes the entity's right to do business in Maryland and use its name, and for a domestic corporation actually ends its legal existence.
Reversing either status is called revival in Maryland, not reinstatement, and the specific form depends on entity type — Articles of Revival for corporations, Articles of Reinstatement for LLCs, a Certificate of Reinstatement for LPs and LLPs. An entity that ever reported business personal property also needs a Tax Clearance Certificate from every county or city where it reported that property before SDAT will process the revival — one has to be specifically requested from each jurisdiction, it isn't generated automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Maryland's Secretary of State handle business entity registration?
No. Business entity registration is handled by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), not the Secretary of State, which is a separate agency. Maryland's business search runs through SDAT's Business Express platform at egov.maryland.gov/BusinessExpress/EntitySearch.
Can I search Maryland business entities by EIN or Department ID?
Yes. Maryland's SDAT portal supports name, Department ID, and Employer Identification Number (EIN) searches. A Department ID — SDAT's unique entity identifier — retrieves a single precise record.
When are Maryland annual reports due?
Maryland annual reports are due April 15 each year, with a 60-day extension available on request. Non-expedited paper filings take roughly eight weeks to process, while online filings are typically reviewed during the second calendar month after submission.
What's the difference between Maryland's 'Not in Good Standing' and 'Forfeited' statuses?
Not in Good Standing is a correctable compliance flag — a missed Form 1, an unresolved penalty, or no active resident agent, among other causes. Left unresolved, it escalates to Forfeited, which relinquishes the entity's right to do business under its name and, for a domestic corporation, ends its legal existence.
What does Maryland call reinstating a forfeited business?
Revival, not reinstatement — and the specific form depends on entity type: Articles of Revival for corporations, Articles of Reinstatement for LLCs, a Certificate of Reinstatement for LPs and LLPs. An entity that reported business personal property also needs a separately requested Tax Clearance Certificate from every jurisdiction where it reported.