In the United States, just because you are registered to do business in one state does not mean that you can legally do business in another state.  If you want to transact any serious business in a state other than the state in which your Corporation is registered, most likely you will have to register with the state in which you want to do business before you can legally conduct business there. 

For example, a Corporation that is registered in California wants to do business in Alaska.  The California Corporation is a "Domestic" Corporation in California and will be a "Foreign" Corporation in Alaska.

The California Foreign Corporation needs to register with the Alaska Division of Corporations as an Alaska Foreign Corporation.

The use of the term Foreign in this case refers specifically to individual US states.  The US government, including the IRS, considers a Foreign Corporation to be a Corporation that is registered outside of the United States.

You want to do business in the state of Alaska but are registered as a "Domestic Corporation" in another state.  In order to legally conduct business in the state of Alaska you must register with the Alaska Division of Corporations as a Foreign Corporation.  The process of registering as a Foreign Corporation in Alaska is called Alaska Corporation Foreign Qualification.

The process of Alaska Corporation Foreign Qualification is similar to the process of forming a Domestic Corporation in Alaska.  Your original Domestic Corporation formation documents (usually called Articles of Incorporation) and By Laws apply to your Alaska Foreign Corporation.  The Officers and Directors of your Domestic Corporation have the same roles in the Alaska Foreign Corporation.  Specific requirements to qualify as a Foreign Corporation in Alaska are explained below. 

Once you have made the decision to Qualify as a Foreign Corporation in Alaska, an Alaska lawyer can file your documents and act as a middle man for a few hundred dollars an hour; or you can use an online service provider like All Business Documents to perform these services.

The short answer is no.  The state of Alaska does not legally require a lawyer to form an Alaska Foreign Corporation.

Our detailed Foreign Corporation Information page may help you understand some of the implications of forming an Alaska Foreign Corporation.  However, if there is anything about forming a Foreign Corporation in Alaska that you're not sure about you should seek the advice of a competent Alaska lawyer, an Alaska accountant, or both before you form a Foreign Corporation in Alaska.

Once you have made the decision to form a Foreign Corporation in Alaska, an Alaska lawyer can file your documents and act as a middle man for a few hundred dollars an hour; or you can use an online service provider like All Business Documents to perform these services and save money that you can use in your new Alaska Foreign Corporation.

You are not legally required to reserve a Company Name for a new Alaska Foreign Corporation before you submit your application to Form a Foreign Corporation in Alaska.

The Foreign Corporation name that you have registered in your home state may or may not be available in Alaska.  In that case you need a different name your Alaska Foreign Corporation.  Whether or not you need to reserve a company name for your new Alaska Foreign Corporation depends entirely on your business situation.  The Alaska Division of Corporations uses names on a first come first served basis.  So if you think that someone may snatch the Company Name that you have in mind, you may want to reserve that Alaska Foreign Corporation Name.

If the Name you have chosen for your new Alaska Foreign Corporation is already in use by a currently active Alaska Foreign Corporation or LLC then you will have to register a DBA Name with the Alaska Division of Corporations.  "DBA" is an abbreviation for "Doing Business As."

In Alaska a DBA Name is called a Business Name.

We verify that the Name you have chose for your new Alaska Foreign Corporation is available before we submit your Foreign Corporation filing to the Alaska Division of Corporations.  If necessary we can register a Business Name in Alaska for you so that you can open your new Alaska business as quickly as possible.

1. Prove that you are registered in a state other than Alaska as a Domestic Corporation
   In order to register as a Foreign Corporation in the state of Alaska, you must first prove that you are registered in another state as a Domestic Corporation. 
2. Choose a name for your Alaska Foreign Corporation
   You can use the same name in Alaska that you use in your home state, however, if the name of your Domestic Corporation is not available you need to choose another name.  Your Alaska Foreign Corporation name can identify the type of products and services your business will provide; or it may be the name of the founder; or it can be a combination of the two or something else.
   
   In any case, the Alaska Foreign Corporation name that you choose must be distinguishable from the name of any other registered Alaska Corporation or other business entity and the name must also be different from any reserved names on record with the state of Alaska.  Your Alaska Foreign Corporation name must not imply that it was formed for a purpose other than that stated in the Your Alaska Foreign Corporation name must not be a name that is likely to mislead the public.
   
   The name of an Alaska Foreign Corporation must include the word "Foreign Corporation" or "Incorporated" or an abbreviation of one of these words.
   
   It's important to choose a good name for your Alaska Foreign Corporation because if you want to change it after you qualify you will have to file amended documents with the Alaska Division of Corporations (and pay a fee).
   We will check to make sure that your requested Alaska Foreign Corporation name is available and conforms to all state of Alaska Foreign Corporation naming regulations.
3. Select an official address and a Registered Agent for your Alaska Foreign Corporation
   Every Alaska Foreign Corporation must have an address that is physically located in the state of Alaska.  This address is "registered" with the Alaska Division of Corporations.  The Registered Address cannot be a PO Box and is where official and legal correspondence can be delivered.
   
   The individual or company that is registered with the state of Alaska to receive all correspondence on behalf of the Alaska Foreign Corporation is called a "Registered Agent".  You may act as your own Registered Agent, however, many Alaska Foreign Corporations hire a Registered Agent because they don't have a physical address within the state of Alaska or to provide a distinct level of privacy.
   As part of our Foreign Qualification services we provide Registered Agent services in Alaska as well as in all other states.
4. File Registration Documents with the Alaska Division of Corporations
   In order to Qualify as a Foreign Corporation in Alaska you must file Registration Documents with the Alaska Division of Corporations.  In Alaska the registration documents are named "Certificate of Authority".
   
   The registration documents must include certain specific information about your Alaska business.  If the Registration Documents do not conform exactly to state of Alaska requirements they will be rejected. 
   
   If you need to change any of the information on your registration documents after your Alaska Foreign Corporation has been approved, you may amend the registration documents for your Alaska Foreign Corporation but you will have to pay a fee to the state of Alaska in order to make the changes official.
   
   
5. Determine how you want your Alaska Foreign Corporation to be taxed
   The Alaska Corporate Income Tax Rate is %.  You may choose that your Alaska Foreign Corporation to be taxed as a C Corporation or S Corporation. 
   
   A C Corporation is what you may think of as a traditional Corporation like General Electric or Ford.  C Corporations pay a Corporate income tax to the state if that state taxes Foreign Corporations. 
   
   You may choose to have your Alaska Foreign Corporation taxed as a S Corporation.  S Corporations "pass through" all corporate profits to the shareholders (owners) who then pay tax at their applicable personal rate.  S Corporations do not pay any Alaska Corporate Income Tax.
   
   Alaska follows the federal treatment of S Corporations and does not impose tax on "pass through" income.  However, Alaska tax does apply to corporate level items such as excess net passive income and tax on built-in gains.
   If you choose to be taxed as an S Corporation, we can prepare the S Corporation election form for your Alaska Foreign Corporation and include it with your final Foreign Corporation documents package.

1. Obtain Business Licenses from the cities and counties in which you plan to do business
   Note that forming an Alaska Foreign Corporation does not take the place of obtaining a local business license, tax registration certificate, or other required business permits.  An Alaska Foreign Corporation merely creates an ownership structure that limits the owners' personal liability.  You may still need to take care of getting set up to do business with your local government.
   
   Depending on the nature of the business and the location of your Alaska Foreign Corporation within Alaska you may need to get one or more local business licenses or permits.  The business licenses or permits that are required for your Alaska Foreign Corporation vary depending on your business activities and the specific locations within the state of Alaska in which you want to conduct business.
   
   If your Alaska Foreign Corporation will be selling products in Alaska you may be required to obtain a Reseller's Permit from the appropriate Alaska state agency.  If your Alaska Foreign Corporation will be selling products in Alaska you will also be responsible for all applicable local and state of Alaska sales taxes if there are any.
   We have the expertise to find out exactly which state and local permits that you need for your specific business.
2. File the required reports for your Alaska Foreign Corporation
   The Alaska Corporation Biennial Report includes basic information about your Alaska Foreign Corporation including information on your Officers and Directors.
   
   Failure to submit a properly completed Alaska to the Alaska Division of Corporations on or before the due date may subject the Alaska Foreign Corporation to being administratively dissolved in the state of Alaska or having its authority to transact business in the state of Alaska revoked by the Alaska Division of Corporations.
   
   Penalties may accrue if you fail to file any Alaska Foreign Corporation to the Alaska Division of Corporations by the due date.
   
   
3. Keep proper records of your Alaska Foreign Corporation on file
   Keep the following records on file and available at the principal business office of your Alaska Foreign Corporation:
   • Names and addresses of all Directors and Officers of the Alaska Foreign Corporation
   • Foreign Corporation formation documents and any Amendments to them
   • Corporate Bylaws and any Amendments to them
   • List of current shareholders of the Foreign Alaska Foreign Corporation.  If shareholders change, keep a record of old shareholders and how stock was transferred.
   • Minutes of all Meetings of Shareholders and Directors
   • Copies of any Corporate Resolutions which have been adopted by the Alaska Foreign Corporation
   • Copies of all tax returns and Annual Reports for the Alaska Foreign Corporation for the last 3 years
   
   
4. Pay your taxes to the state of Alaska
   Foreign Corporations that either do business in the state of Alaska or that derive income from sources within the state of Alaska are subject to Alaska and federal tax laws.  If you are engaged in intrastate business and derive income from other states besides Alaska, you must allocate the amount of income derived from the state of Alaska in order to determine your Alaska state taxes.

In order to Incorporate in Alaska you'll need the following information about your new Company:

• The name of your new Alaska Foreign Corporation along with your second choice of a name in case the name that you want is not available
  
• Physical address of the Foreign Corporation office in Alaska (not a PO Box)
  
• A description of the nature of the business you are planning to operate with the Alaska Foreign Corporation
• The number of shares of stock that the Alaska Foreign Corporation will be authorized to issue
• The par value of the shares which the Alaska Foreign Corporation will be authorized to issue
• When the Alaska Foreign Corporation will start and when it will cease to exist (normally the Foreign Corporation starts on the date the application is filed and will exist perpetually)
• Names and addresses of the initial Directors of the Alaska Foreign Corporation
• Names and addresses of each Officer of the Alaska Foreign Corporation

Remember - ALL the information that you provide when you Form a Foreign Corporation in Alaska becomes part of the public record.  Our data entry forms include the absolute minimum amount of information that is required in order to Form a new Foreign Corporation in Alaska.

Processing times for new Alaska Foreign Corporation applications vary depending on the work load of the Division of Corporations's staff.  We've found that normal processing of new Alaska Foreign Corporation applications takes the state around 15-20 business days.  Add 2-3 days for the time period for shipping the final documents by mail.  Choosing our Express Mail option can shave a couple of days off the total processing time for your new Alaska Foreign Corporation.
The Alaska Division of Corporations reserves the right to extend expedite periods in time of extreme volume, staff shortage or equipment malfunction.  We are dependent on, and have no control over, the staff and systems of the Alaska Division of Corporations.

In our experience 15-20 business days is the time it usually takes the Alaska Division of Corporations to process a new Alaska Foreign Corporation application. We get your Alaska Foreign Corporation application to the AK Division of Corporations ASAP. Once it is at the state we have no control over the new Alaska Foreign Corporation application process.

The state of Alaska charges $365.00 to Form a Foreign Corporation in AK.  That includes the Division of Corporations's filing fee and a Certified Copy of your new Alaska Foreign Corporation filing.  If you choose us to help you Form your Foreign Corporation in Alaska our processing fees are $145.00.  This includes:

• Same day processing of your new Alaska Foreign Corporation order
• AK Name Check and Verification
• Prepare Certificate of Authority
• File Formation Documents with the Alaska Division of Corporations
• Certified Copies of Formation Documents
• Alaska Foreign Corporation Checklist
• Priority Mail Delivery
• Unlimited Customer Support