1. A. The Department of State has developed and now offers a secure business filings (SBF) service designed to discourage fraudulent business filings in Louisiana. The service will notify a partnership via email whenever amendments are submitted on the partnership through geauxBIZ. The partnership will have the opportunity to review the filing and approve or reject further processing by the Department of State.
2. B. Any person who has a geauxBIZ account with a verified email address can enroll in the optional SBF service. The enrollment application must be authorized by a person who is a named officer, director, member, manager, or partner of record (the authorizing authority). The identity of the authorizing authority must be verified by completing a secure business filing service enrollment application authorization which must be verified by a licensed notary public in the state where the authorizing authority resides. A copy of the authorization form can be found on the department’s website. The authorization application is required for all SBF applicants, even if the applicant is the approval authority.
3. C. Business entities will have an opportunity to review the filing and approve or reject further processing by the Department of State. To approve a filing, the partnership must provide the PIN assigned to the partnership within five days of receiving notification of a pending file. If the partnership rejects a filing or if five days passes with no action performed, the filing will not be processed by the Department of State.
4. D. The partnership is responsible for PIN usage and security. The Department of State will not be responsible for unauthorized usage of the PIN or changes made to the partnership’s business record as a result of an unauthorized user entering the correct PIN. The department reserves the right to cancel the SBF service, change the PIN, remove an SBF enrollee, change the SBF service terms and conditions, or act to prevent or prosecute fraudulent activity at any time.
5. E. An enrollment does not expire; however, it can be cancelled by the enrollee, by another authorized applicant, or by the Department of State. Enrollments are non-transferrable. A new SBF enrollment application must be completed to reinstate a cancelled enrollment or to change the SBF enrollment to a different geauxBIZ user. Once the enrollment application is approved by the department, the department will provide the partnership with a personal identification number (PIN) that will be unique to the partnership. The partnership can give the PIN to any person filing amendments on the partnership’s behalf.

Authority Note

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 49:222 and R.S. 36:742.

Historical Note

HISTORICAL NOTE: Promulgated by the Department of State, Business Services Division, LR 42:907 (June 2016), amended LR 44:1454 (August 2018).