Division

Service Counter

Division information

Business & Trade Names

18 services
  1. Adding a New Owner or Partner Already have a Bergen County trade name and need to add an owner or partner? Use the same certificate and four-copy filing you used to register. Bring the notarized set to Room 120 or mail it with the fee payable to the Bergen County Clerk.
  2. Business Address Change If a registered trade-name business moves, file the Clerk's change-of-address form so the public record matches the new location. Pick the form up in Room 120 or follow the instructions on this page; do not assume the municipal clerk will notify the county.
  3. Business Complaint Information The Clerk records trade names; it does not investigate a bad business. File a complaint with the Division of Consumer Affairs at 220 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Suite 202, Paramus, NJ 07652, or call (201) 336-6400.
  4. Business License Information A county trade-name certificate is not a license to operate. Ask the building or zoning official in the town where you will work about local permits, and use the state licensing site for occupations that Trenton regulates.
  5. Closing a Business Closing a sole proprietorship or partnership that used a trade name? Download the Discontinuance of Trade Name, complete it, and file it with the Clerk so the name comes off the public list. Corporations and LLCs dissolve with the state, not on this form.
  6. Federal Tax Information Need an EIN or other federal tax help for a new business? The local IRS office is at 1 Kalisa Way, Paramus, NJ 07652, and the toll-free line is (800) 829-1040. The Clerk cannot assign a federal tax number.
  7. Fees Trade-name filings can be paid by credit card or by check payable to the Bergen County Clerk. You will receive a receipt at the counter or by mail; keep it with the stamped copies of your certificate.
  8. Incorporation, Limited Partnerships, Fictitious Names & Non-profit Organizations If you are forming a corporation, limited partnership, nonprofit, or statewide fictitious name, you file with the New Jersey Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue—not in Room 120. The Clerk only takes county trade-name certificates for sole proprietors and general partnerships.
  9. New Business Lists Salespeople, journalists, and local groups can subscribe to lists of new businesses that just registered a trade name with the Clerk. The detailed list includes the business name and address plus owner names and addresses; ask the office for the current subscription price.
  10. Registering a Church Corporation Religious congregations that incorporate at the county level can download a sample church-corporation packet and see the filing rules. You must submit three original, notarized three-page sets; bring them to Room 120 or mail them with the fee.
  11. Registering a New Trade Name Starting a sole proprietorship or partnership under a name other than your own? Download the Certificate of Trade Name, complete the required copies, and file them with the Clerk. Search existing names first so you are not stamped in on top of someone else's certificate.
  12. Removing an Owner or Partner To take an owner or partner off a registered trade name, file the Clerk's Dissolution form—not a letter. Download it here, complete it, and return it to Room 120 so the public record matches who is still in the business.
  13. Score New owners who want mentoring (not a county form) can reach SCORE through the Office of Community Services, 5th floor, One Bergen Plaza, Hackensack, (201) 599-6090. There is also a Small Business Workshop listing in Edison on the page.
  14. Small Business Counseling Owners who want county counseling—not a trade-name stamp—can use the Bergen County Business Resource Network or the Division of Economic Development on the 3rd floor of One Bergen County Plaza. The Economic Development line is (201) 336-7336.
  15. Submitting Documents If you are not coming to the counter, mail completed trade-name documents to Trade Name Registration, Office of the Bergen County Clerk, One Bergen County Plaza, Room 120, Hackensack, NJ 07601. Include the fee and a return address so the stamped copies can come back to you.
  16. Tax Identification Number Every new business that needs a New Jersey tax ID registers with the Division of Revenue, not the Clerk. Call (609) 292-9292 for the portal, or (609) 292-6400 for tax-eligibility questions.
  17. Trademark & Patents A county trade name is not a trademark. New Jersey trademarks go to the Department of the Treasury Trademark Section; federal trademarks and patents go to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The Clerk cannot reserve a logo or invention.
  18. Workers Compensation Information Hiring employees? Workers compensation is handled by the New Jersey Department of Labor, P.O. Box 381, Trenton, NJ 08625-0318, phone (609) 292-2516. The Clerk's trade-name stamp does not enroll you in that coverage.

Notary Public & Certifications

5 services
  1. Apostille or State Seal Some foreign or out-of-state offices want an apostille or New Jersey state seal on a document. The Clerk can tell you how to start; birth, death, and marriage certificates that already need a state seal come from the New Jersey Office of Vital Statistics, not this counter.
  2. Application & Requirements Future notaries apply online with the New Jersey Department of the Treasury. When the commission arrives, register it with the Clerk; commissions last five years, and you must tell the state's Notary Public Section if you move.
  3. County Clerk Certification Need the Clerk to certify the notary signature on a document? Bring or send the original to the office and ask for a County Clerk certification. The attachment goes on that original; plan extra time if you are mailing it back out of county.
  4. Notary Public Registration A notary is a public officer who takes acknowledgments on deeds, estates, and business papers. This page explains that role and how Bergen County residents register the state commission at the Clerk's counter after Trenton approves it.
  5. Other Resources If the county pages do not answer a notary-application question, call the New Jersey Department of the Treasury at (609) 292-9292 or use the state's website. That office issues the commission; the Clerk only administers the local oath and registration.

Photo Cards

4 services
  1. Fireman’s Exemption Career or volunteer firefighters who qualify can apply for a Fireman's Exemption Certificate, which lets the holder hawk or sell goods in New Jersey without a separate peddler's license. Bring the proof listed on the page to the Clerk's photo-card counter.
  2. Gold Star Parent Identification Card Parents, legal guardians, or legal custodians of a service member who died in the line of duty can get a free Gold Star Parent identification card. Apply in person at the Clerk's Office with the relationship and service documentation listed on the page.
  3. Senior Golden Key Card Bergen County seniors can get a Senior Golden Key photo card at the Clerk's Office. It is a county ID used for local discounts and programs; bring proof of age and residency, and ask the counter which merchants still honor it.
  4. Veterans’ Service Cards Veterans can apply for a Clerk's service card by filling out the application and showing a DD-214 or WSAGO 53-55. The same counter notes other veteran licenses the Clerk issues; bring the discharge paper, not a photocopy of a photocopy if you can avoid it.

Additional services

6 services
  1. Apply for a County Clerk Photo Card Bergen County residents can start a Clerk's photo card from this overview—senior Golden Key, veteran service, Gold Star parent, or fireman's exemption. Each card has its own rules and, in some cases, no fee; pick the matching service for what to bring.
  2. Become a Notary Public After Trenton issues your Notary Public Commission, Bergen County residents must appear at the Clerk's Office within three months of the date on that commission to take the oath. Bring the commission; the state's notary manual and training videos are linked if you are still applying.
  3. Get a County Clerk Certificate on your notarized document When another office wants proof that the notary on your document is real, bring or mail the original to the Clerk and ask for a County Clerk certificate. The certificate is attached to that original; a photocopy is not enough.
  4. Record Licenses & Certificates Certain licenses and certificates can be recorded with the Clerk so there is a county copy on file. Use this list to see what the office records and what to bring; recording is not the same as the state issuing the license.
  5. Search for County Clerk Records Request a search of military discharges, physician or notary licenses, exempt-firefighter papers, trade names, church corporations, or historic naturalization files the Clerk still holds. Current naturalization certificates are issued by the federal government; older ones filed here can be pulled with the request form.
  6. Veterans Services Veterans can apply for a service card, request a copy of an honorable discharge (DD-214) that was filed with the Clerk, or get a no-fee peddler's license. Immediate family may request a filed discharge copy; bring ID and the veteran's information.

More about this division

The Service Counter is the walk-in desk in Room 120 at One Bergen County Plaza for notary oaths, County Clerk photo cards, trade-name and church filings, license recordings, and searches of records kept by this office. Most visits do not need an appointment. Bring a valid photo ID and the fee listed on the service you need.

Start with the cards below if you already know the filing.