Glossary
Name reservation
A paid filing that holds a business name for a limited time before the company is formed.
Also called: Reserved name, Application for reservation of name.
If you have a name but aren’t ready to form the company, most states will hold the name for you for a set period in exchange for a fee. How long the hold lasts, what it costs and whether it can be renewed all depend on the state.
A reservation isn’t required. Filing the formation documents registers the name anyway, so a reservation only helps when there will be a gap between choosing the name and filing.
Reserved names usually appear in the state search, so a name can be "taken" by a reservation even though no company exists yet.
Where you'll see it in a business search
As a record type or status such as "Reserved" in search results.