How to search and claim an LLC name in New Mexico
- Search New Mexico's official entity records at no cost, leaving “LLC” off the name.
- Make sure the name ends with one of New Mexico's accepted endings, such as “Limited Liability Company” or “Limited Company”.
- File the Articles of Organization with the New Mexico Secretary of State for $50.
What a New Mexico LLC name must include
New Mexico accepts these endings for a limited liability company:
- Limited Liability Company
- Limited Company
- L.L.C.
- LLC
- L.C.
- LC
Six LLC endings are allowed in New Mexico: the full words “limited liability company” or “limited company”, or one of “L.L.C.”, “LLC”, “L.C.” and “LC”. Within the words, “Ltd.” can stand for “limited” and “Co.” for “company”. No list of restricted words could be confirmed from an official source.
How New Mexico decides two names are the same
Your LLC's name has to be distinguishable from the names already on the Secretary of State's records: other New Mexico LLCs, limited partnerships and corporations, out-of-state LLCs and corporations authorized here, and reserved names (NMSA 1978, § 53-19-3).
Where the rules are written. NMSA 1978, § 53-19-3 (LLC name); § 53-19-4 (reservation).
Searching for an LLC name in New Mexico
Look the name up for free in the Business Search on the New Mexico Business Portal. The same portal handles reservations, formation filings and certificate requests, because New Mexico takes business filings online only.
Open the official New Mexico entity search
Leave the ending off when you search, so every version of the name shows up, then compare each result word by word. If one matches apart from spacing, punctuation or a plural, change a real word in your name.
Holding the name: New Mexico LLC name reservation
Holding an LLC name lasts 120 days under NMSA 1978, § 53-19-4, and the request is made online in the Business Portal. The portal shows the fee during the filing; no public fee page we could load stated it.
Forming the LLC in New Mexico
The LLC is created by filing Articles of Organization in the Business Portal. The filing fee is $50 and isn't refunded if the filing is rejected.
File the Articles of Organization online
This filing fee isn't on a current official fee page that we could find, so ask the New Mexico Secretary of State to confirm it.
No newspaper notice is required after formation. Whether a New Mexico LLC owes a periodic report couldn't be confirmed on a current official page; a former state portal page said LLCs file none, unlike corporations, which report every two years. To show the LLC is in good standing, request a Certificate of Good Standing from the portal.
When the LLC trades under another name
No statewide trade name registry for LLCs turned up on the Secretary of State's pages. Trademark and service mark registration is offered there, but it protects a brand, not the name an LLC trades under.
Sources
- Business services, sos.nm.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Statutes governing business in nm, sos.nm.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- enterprise.sos.nm.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- User guides, sos.nm.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- Business online filing help (PDF), api.realfile.rtsclients.com, checked 2026-10-07
- Trademarks, sos.nm.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- 20180215 sos celebrates passage of sb225 (PDF), sos.nm.gov, checked 2026-10-07
- nmonesource.com, checked 2026-10-07
- File reports, businessportal.nm.gov, checked 2026-10-07
These are the official pages behind every fact above. If one of them now says something different, it's right and this page is out of date.
A few were read from search results, not the page itself, because the site refused direct requests; treat the facts they back as provisional until the New Mexico Secretary of State confirms them.
Free New Mexico templates
Look up an existing New Mexico LLC
To see who already holds a name, its status and registered agent, search New Mexico's registered companies on our sister site: New Mexico LLC and company lookup.
Common questions
Can two LLCs in New Mexico have the same name?
No. New Mexico accepts a new LLC name only if it can be told apart from every name on its record.
Does a new New Mexico LLC have to publish a notice?
No. New Mexico has no newspaper publication requirement for LLCs.
How much is the New Mexico LLC filing fee?
$50, paid when you file the Articles of Organization.