Guide · Money, Taxes & Banking
How to Register a Business in New York
Sole proprietorship, DBA, or LLC — the paperwork, the fees, and where immigrant-owned businesses can get free help in New York.
Registering a business in New York can mean very different things depending on how you're structuring it. A sole proprietor operating under their own name barely has to file anything with the state. An LLC involves a state filing, a fee, and a publication requirement that surprises a lot of first-time owners. Here's what each path actually requires, and where to get free guidance instead of paying a formation service to explain the basics.
📋 Sole proprietorship and DBA vs. LLC
A sole proprietorship isn't filed with the state at all — but if you do business under any name other than your own legal name, you must file a Business Certificate, commonly called a DBA, with the county clerk in each county where you operate. That runs about $100 in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, and $25–$50 in most counties upstate. An LLC, by contrast, is formed by filing Articles of Organization with the New York Department of State for a $200 fee.
📰 The publication requirement — and ongoing costs
New York uniquely requires new LLCs to publish a notice of formation in two newspapers designated by the county clerk — one daily, one weekly — for six consecutive weeks, starting within 120 days of formation. Costs vary enormously by county: as little as $100–$300 upstate, but often $1,000–$2,000 or more in Manhattan. You then file a $50 Certificate of Publication with the state. After formation, every LLC owes a $9 Biennial Statement to the Department of State every two years, with a $50 penalty if it's filed late.
🤝 Free help for immigrant-owned businesses
The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) runs an Immigrant Business Initiative offering free one-on-one counseling and business courses, developed for Spanish, Haitian Creole, and several other language communities, to help immigrant entrepreneurs register, structure, and grow a business. It's a resource worth using before paying a private "business formation" company for services SBS provides at no cost.
Do this first: start at businessexpress.ny.gov, New York State's own business filing portal, and nyc.gov/site/sbs for free NYC counseling, before paying a third-party formation service.
Official source: New York Department of State, Division of Corporations, and NYC Department of Small Business Services.
Sources
1. New York Department of State, Division of Corporations, dos.ny.gov, accessed August 2026. 2. NYC Department of Small Business Services, Immigrant Business Initiative, nyc.gov/site/sbs, accessed August 2026.
Criollo News guides are practical explainers, not tax or legal advice — every case is different, and rules change. Confirm your situation with the IRS, a certified tax preparer (like NYC Free Tax Prep), or an accountant.