LLC Name Reservation Requirements in New Hampshire
At a glance
| Governing law and optional reservation scope | Optional domestic or foreign LLC name reservation under RSA § 304-C:27; separate from formation or foreign registration |
|---|---|
| Who may apply and for which LLC or series name | Prospective NH organizer; domestic or NH-registered foreign LLC changing name; foreign LLC intending NH registration; prospective foreign organizer intending NH registration (§ 304-C:27(I)); no series applicant listed |
| Name availability, designator, distinguishability, and consent | Secretary must find name available; LLC designator and distinguishability from listed entities/reservations; § 304-C:32 permits specified consent, name-change undertaking, judgment, or successor routes |
| Application, signer, form, and filing office | Applicant signs and files application specifying name with secretary of state; general typewritten/printed, English, signature-capacity, delivery and fee rules (§§ 304-C:27(II), 304-C:28) |
| Reservation, renewal, transfer, and cancellation fees | $15 reservation application and $15 transfer notice; § 304-C:191(II)(k) sets $15 for other Act papers without a different fee, including cancellation; repeat application carries application fee |
| Term, start date, and statutory exclusive use | Available name held for applicant's exclusive use for 120 days; § 304-C:27(III) gives no separate start formula; ordinary filed-document effect under § 304-C:29(I) |
| Renewal, filing window, and repeat limits | Same applicant may again reserve same name for successive 120-day periods; no advance window or numerical cap stated (§ 304-C:27(III)) |
| Transfer notice, signer, and transferee details | Applicant for whom name was reserved signs and files transfer notice naming reserved name and transferee's name/address; $15 (§§ 304-C:27(IV), 304-C:191(II)(a)) |
| Cancellation, withdrawal, revocation, and scope of name rights | Applicant or transferee may sign and file cancellation notice naming reservation and their name/address; § 304-C:27 states no separate revocation route; state entity-name hold does not settle other name rights |
Requirements one by one
Eligible applicant and name check
RSA § 304-C:27(I) lists four routes: a prospective New Hampshire organizer, an existing domestic or New Hampshire-registered foreign LLC proposing a name change, a foreign LLC intending registration, and a prospective organizer of a foreign LLC that intends New Hampshire registration. The secretary must find the name available. Under § 304-C:32, an LLC name needs the statutory designator and must be distinguishable from listed entity and reserved names. That section identifies narrow consent, name-change undertaking, judgment, and business-succession routes; it does not decide an individual applicant's name clearance.
Application, fee, and term
Section 304-C:27(II) requires an applicant-signed application specifying the name and filed with the secretary of state. The general document rules in § 304-C:28 require a typewritten or printed English document, signer name and capacity, delivery, and the proper fee. Under § 304-C:191(II)(a), the application fee is $15. An available name is held for the applicant's exclusive use for 120 days under § 304-C:27(III). The same applicant may reserve that name again for successive 120-day periods; the section specifies no advance window or numerical cap. Section 304-C:29(I) ordinarily makes an accepted document effective when filed or electronically accepted, subject to its stated timing options.
Transfer and cancellation
The named applicant may transfer the reservation to any other person by filing a signed notice identifying the name and transferee's name and address (§ 304-C:27(IV)); § 304-C:191(II)(a) charges $15. The applicant or transferee may cancel by filing a signed notice identifying the reservation and their name and address (§ 304-C:27(V)). Section 304-C:191(II)(k) sets a $15 general fee for an Act paper without a different specified fee; § 304-C:191 does not separately price cancellation.
What trips people up
Successive reservations are expressly available to the same applicant under § 304-C:27(III). A transferred reservation does not itself give the transferee that same-applicant history. The state entity-name hold does not form or register an LLC or determine rights to a trade name, trademark, domain, or actual business use; § 304-C:32(VII) says the Act does not control fictitious-name use.
Common questions
Can a foreign LLC reserve before registering in New Hampshire?
Yes, if it intends to register and adopt the name. Section 304-C:27(I)(c) expressly lists that route.
Does the application need an applicant address?
Section 304-C:27(II) specifies an applicant signature and the name to reserve, but does not list an address for the initial application. The transfer and cancellation notices have express name-and-address requirements in paragraphs IV and V.
Statutes and sources
The official New Hampshire Revised Limited Liability Company Act, accessed September 23, 2026, supplies the quoted current text of RSA §§ 304-C:27, :28, :29, :32, and :191.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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