All legally registered business entities have a legal name; if an individual or company works under another name, it's considered a fictitious, trade, or assumed name. The acronym DBA stands for doing business as, which is the most commonly used formatting for tying a fictitious trade name to a legally registered business name filing.

All types of business structures use fictitious operating names. Whether any given client principal needs to list a DBA on their surety bond form depends on:

  • how the client principal legally registered their business name with their regulatory authority and/or the obligee requiring the bond
  • how the obligee requires client principal names to be formatted on the surety bond form

For a more in-depth overview on common business structures, review this U.S. Small Business Administration article.

If you haven't registered or finalized your business entity's legal name, you can still submit a surety bond request online 24/7. You can update your name at any point in the purchase process before submitting payment. Additionally, most markets allow client principals to update names listed on bonds after official documentation has been issued. 

If you have questions about setting up, licensing, or registering a new business entity, contact the regulatory authority in your jurisdiction. They'll also be able to explain any associated surety bond requirements.  

If you have questions about a new bond requirement or new submission, call 1 (800) 308-4358 or email customercare@suretybonds.com, and one of our friendly representatives will be happy to help.