How to find your fictitious name information

1. Click the following link to open the DOS website in a new tab:
Department of State
2. Enter your Fictitious Name and click “Search”
3. Click on your fictitious name and you will see a page similar to the one below with your business information. This is all of the information you will need to complete our Fictitious Name Publishing Order Form.

Pennsylvania Fictitious Name Publishing Requirements

In accordance with the requirements of Pennsylvania Law, notice of each new fictitious name that is registered in the state of Pennsylvania must be published in two newspapers of general circulation, one a legal journal, in the county where the principal place of business is located.

A fictitious name which includes an individual party shall “officially publish” notice that it has filed or intends to file an application for registration of the fictitious name. In other words, if there is an individual listed in Box 4 of the Registration of Fictitious Name form [DSCB:54-311], advertising is required. If the registration does not list an individual, then advertising is not required.

You may have registered a fictitious name with the state of Pennsylvania, but you may not have published your fictitious name. Registering your fictitious name with the state of Pennsylvania and publishing your fictitious name in approved newspapers are not the same. When you registered your business name on the Pennsylvania Department of State website you certified that you published your fictitious name in two local approved newspapers. If you published your fictitious name in approved newspapers you should have received a notarized affidavit with a copy of the published announcement from each of the newspapers for your records. If you do not have these affidavits then you need to publish your fictitious name in approved newspapers.

If these legal notices are NOT published then you are NOT in compliance with the State of Pennsylvania Statute.

If a business fails to comply, the business may not be able to use the courts of Pennsylvania to enforce a contract entered into using the fictitious name. The court has the option of imposing a $500 penalty in instances where the entity seeks to enforce the contract and subsequently publishes a fictitious name in an untimely manner.

Evidence of these advertisements are not required to be sent to the Bureau, but should be kept with the business records.

In compliance with the Pennsylvania statutes, Business Name Publishing publishes the announcements with newspapers in the county where your principal place of business is located in accordance with Pennsylvania Law. Please complete the Pennsylvania Business Name Publishing form and we will publish your fictitious name so that you can be in compliance with the State of Pennsylvania Statute.