Registration of a fictitious name allows individuals or businesses to operate under a name other than their legal name. Fictitious name registration establishes use of another name. Doing business under a different name comes with rules, requirements and renewal dates to track and manage. A key question is the decision to take a spouse’s name and make changes to identification.
A fictitious name certificate may also be referred to as a DBA (doing business as) registration or a fictitious name filing. While the terms sound different, they describe the same process.
Registration Process
To register a fictitious name in Florida, a form and $50 fee must be submitted with required information. Supported browsers include Chrome and others supporting HTML5. If your business uses a name not matching tax return filings, a fictitious name is required for legal protection and operations. Registration is where the business is located and may be filed in other counties if conditions are met.
Individuals using a false name for profitable business must file where the business is located. It may also be filed in other counties if conditions are met. A registered or legal name is your business tax ID number. A fictitious name is registered locally to show ownership. Recommend filing fictitious names in person, but can be done by mail.