Instructions for Certificate of Assumed or Fictitious Name – Entity
Filing Requirements
Download from www.scc.virginia.gov/clk/formfee.aspx, complete,
print, and mail or deliver to below address.
Visit https://cis.scc.virginia.gov to complete, prepare, and file in
real time.
Include a check payable to State Corporation Commission.
DO NOT SEND CASH.
Pay online with a credit card or eCheck.
Instructions
• As of January 1, 2020, the Clerk’s Office of the State
Corporation Commission is the central filing office in
Virginia for all certificates of assumed or fictitious
name. A certificate of assumed or fictitious name must
be prepared on a form prescribed by the Commission.
• A fictitious name is a name that a person (individual or
business entity) uses instead of the person's true
name, usually in the course of transacting or offering
to transact business. It is sometimes referred to as an
"assumed name" or "trade name," and it is often
identified after a person’s true name with the
abbreviation "t/a" ("trading as"), "dba" ("doing
business as"), or "aka" ("also known as").
• No person may conduct or transact business in
Virginia under an assumed or fictitious name unless
the person files a certificate of assumed or fictitious
name in the Office of the Clerk of the Commission.
• No person may use an assumed or fictitious name in
the conduct of the person’s business to intentionally
misrepresent the geographic origin or location of the
person.
Signature Options
Use only one of the two signature options in the signature
area.
Option A is to be used when the person signing on behalf
of the entity filing the certificate is an individual who is a
part of the entity’s management.
Option B is to be used when the person signing on behalf
of the entity filing the certificate is another business entity
that is a part of the filing entity’s management, and the
person signing on behalf of the other entity is an individual
who is a part of that entity’s management.
Example: ABC, LLC
By: XYZ Corporation Manager
By: [signature]
John Doe President
Questions? Call (804) 371-9733 or 1-866-722-2551 (toll-free in Virginia)
Where To Submit Paper Documents
State Corporation Commission
Clerk’s Office
PO Box 1197
Richmond, VA 23218-1197
Courier Delivery Address:
State Corporation Commission
Clerk’s Office, First Floor
1300 E. Main St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Important Information
Complete this form in English, type or print legibly in black, and use solid white paper with no visible watermarks or background logos.
Do not include personally identifiable information, such as a Social Security number, in a business entity document submitted to the Office of the
Clerk for filing with the Commission. Information in these documents is available to the public. For more information, see Notice Regarding Personally
Identifiable Information at www.scc.virginia.gov/clk.
Form SCC59.1-70-BE (Eff. 01/20)
