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In forceBroker-dealersLast checked 13 November 2026

Broker-dealer registration (Form BD)

A regulatory return listed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), United States.

Form BD is the uniform application a firm files to register as a broker-dealer with the SEC, the self-regulatory organisations it will belong to, and the states where it will do business. Source

Official title: Form BD: Uniform Application for Broker-Dealer Registration

The facts

Who files
Every firm applying to register as a broker-dealer under section 15(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. A bank registering only as a municipal securities dealer files Form MSD directly with the SEC instead. Source
How often
Filed once to register, then amended whenever the firm's information on file becomes inaccurate or incomplete. Source
Deadline
The SEC must, within 45 days of a complete application being filed, either grant registration or begin proceedings to determine whether it should deny registration. The SEC does not state a fixed number of days for filing an amendment; a broker-dealer must 'promptly' update Form BD when its information changes. Source
Format
Web form. Filed through the Central Registration Depository (CRD), the FINRA-operated system used for broker-dealer registration. Source
How it is filed
Filing routes recorded for the SEC: EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval); Investment Adviser Registration Depository (IARD) and Private Fund Reporting Depository (PFRD); Central Registration Depository (CRD). See how firms file with the SEC.
Status
In force
Legal basis
Group
Broker-dealers

Templates (0)

The library lists no templates for this return.

No current sec.gov page describing Form BD's own numbered items (as opposed to the registration process) was found this session, so no breakdown is given here. Source

Validation rules

No published validation rules were found for this return. No published catalogue of Form BD edit checks was found on sec.gov. Source

Public data

No published data from this return was found. Form BD information is held in FINRA's CRD system. Whether SEC.gov itself publishes Form BD data, as against FINRA's own BrokerCheck (a different site, whose terms of use restrict automated access and which this library did not read), was not confirmed this session. Source

Official documents (2)

The SEC's own files, with the size and SHA-256 fingerprint of each as downloaded on 13 November 2026, so anyone can tell whether a copy is the same version.

  • Form BD (reference copy)

    Template · PDF · 621.6 KB · 17 March 2026

    Reference copy only, size and hash recorded; filing is through FINRA's CRD.

    SHA-256 2d8c8499c0f2show in full2d8c8499c0f2811bb54a59fb9385fc62cc5d3343e3798d6a74cd731bfbf81a62
  • Broker-Dealer Registration: Where to File

    Guidance · HTML · 25 July 2013

    Legacy 'Fast Answers' page, still live; source for the CRD filing route, no SEC filing fee, and the 45-day SEC action deadline.

Sources

Every page and document this return's facts were read from.

Knowing exactly what is collected, in what format and under which rules is the first step to real-time supervision. Line4 builds SupTech software for financial regulators that runs checks like these as each return arrives.

Line4's own text, and the way Line4 has collected and arranged these records, are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Please credit: “Source: Line4 regulatory submissions library (CC BY 4.0), https://www.line4.ai”. The facts themselves belong to no one. The regulators' document titles, template names, quoted terms and documents belong to them and are not covered by this licence: see SEC's reuse terms. This describes what regulators publish. It is not legal or regulatory advice: always rely on the regulator's own text. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any regulator.

Last checked 13 November 2026.