Florida fictitious name renewal requirements.

What a fictitious name is

A fictitious name — often called a DBA, “doing business as” — is any name a business uses in Florida other than its own legal name. Florida law requires it to be registered with the Division of Corporations before the business uses it.

Until a business that’s required to register does so, it can’t bring a lawsuit in a Florida court on behalf of that business, and operating without registering is a noncriminal violation.

How long it lasts, and when to renew

• A registration lasts five years and expires on December 31 of its fifth year.
• It can be renewed from January 1 through December 31 of the year it expires — not earlier.
• Each renewal keeps the name registered for another five years, starting January 1 of the following year.
• The state fee for a renewal is $50. It isn’t refundable by the state.

If it isn’t renewed in time

If the renewal isn’t filed by December 31, the registration expires. An expired fictitious name can’t be renewed or reinstated — it has to be registered again from scratch.

A new registration requires certifying that the business has advertised the name at least once in a newspaper in the county of its principal place of business, then filing the registration with the $50 fee.

What the renewal contains — and what you can change

• Mailing address of the business — can be updated. A P.O. box is fine, and it can be out of state.
• County — the Florida county of the principal place of business. Can be updated.
• FEI/EIN — optional. Never a Social Security number.
• Owners — owners’ names and addresses can be corrected. Up to 5 owners can be filed online; more takes a call to the Division. An individual owner is listed by name and address. A company owner is listed exactly as registered with the Division, with its address and Florida document number.
• Email address — required. The state sends its confirmation and future notices there.

What a renewal can’t change:

• The fictitious name itself. A different name is a new registration (form CR4E001, $50, by mail).
• A change of ownership is treated by the state’s registration form as cancelling the old registration and registering again. If you add, remove or replace an owner, our team reviews it before filing and contacts you if a new registration is needed instead.

Who can sign

The renewal is signed electronically by one of the owners listed on it. For a company owner, a person authorized by that company signs with their name and title (for example, “Jane Doe, Pres.”). A typed name counts as a signature under Florida law; typing someone’s name without their permission is forgery, and knowingly filing a false document is a third-degree felony.

After it’s filed

The state processes online renewals daily and usually posts them within 24 to 48 hours, then emails its confirmation to the address on the renewal. When we file for you, we email you when it’s submitted and again when it shows in the state’s records.

How we handle it

• Florida requiresRenew between January 1 and December 31 of the expiration year.On our formEach fictitious name page shows its expiration date and the days left. Checkout only opens during the renewal year.
• Florida requiresThe name can’t change on a renewal.On our formThe name is shown but not editable.
• Florida requiresMailing address, county, FEI/EIN and owners’ details can be updated.On our formEach has an Edit button, prefilled from the state’s record.
• Florida requiresUp to 5 owners online; ownership changes may need a new registration.On our formAdding, removing or replacing an owner — or more than 5 owners — is flagged for our team to review before filing.
• Florida requiresSigned by one of the owners.On our formYou choose the signer from the owners on the renewal. For a company owner, you add the authorized person’s name and title.
• Florida requiresExpired names can’t be renewed.On our formExpired names don’t offer checkout; the page explains how to register again.

Before you pay, a short checklist confirms each of these is met. More questions?

Ready to file?

Find your business and we’ll fill in everything from the state’s record. Or file it yourself directly with the state and pay only the state fee.