Register an Alaska Foreign LLC
An Alaska Foreign LLC is an LLC formed in another state or jurisdiction that also does business in Alaska. Doing business as a foreign LLC requires registering with the Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, paying the $350 state filing fee, and submitting the required state compliance reports.
Northwest can register your foreign LLC in Alaska for just $225 + state fees. This includes the paperwork, registered agent service for a year, and a free trial of our identity services that take your business online. Plus you’ll get forever access to our attorney-drafted legal document templates, personal help from our Corporate Guides®, and Privacy By Default®.
Ready to Register A Foreign LLC in Alaska?
GET STARTEDHow To Register a Foreign LLC in Alaska
To register as a foreign LLC in Alaska, you will submit a Certificate of Registration to the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing and pay the required state fee. The process is called foreign qualification. Here’s how it works.
1. Appoint an Alaska Registered Agent
First, you must appoint an Alaska registered agent. Your registered agent must have a physical address in Alaska and be present at that address during regular business hours to accept service of process in person.
That depends. An Alaska registered agent must live in the state. If you don’t live in Alaska, you can’t be your own registered agent for your foreign LLC. You can appoint an individual you trust who lives in Alaska or hire a registered agent service that has an Alaska office.
Hiring a registered agent service protects your privacy, since you can list their business address on the Certificate of Registration instead of your own.
2. Complete the Certificate of Registration
Before your LLC can legally do business in Alaska, you must complete a form called the Certificate of Registration and submit it to the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing.
Here is the information you will need to include on the Certificate of Registration:
- the legal name of your LLC in your home state.
- the assumed business name you will use if your legal business name is not available
- the state where your business was formed (called the state of domicile)
- the date when your business was formed
- the duration of your business (if your LLC has a specific end date)
- business purpose and NAICS Code (a code used to categorize business activity)
- registered agent name and address
- principal office address
- management structure—whether your business is managed by members (owners) or managers
- member or manager information
- signature of authorized person (this does not have to be anyone in your LLC)
The Certificate of Registration also includes a Contact Information Sheet. You’ll need to provide the name, email, phone number, and mailing address of the person the state can contact once your filing has been approved or to answer questions about your filing. This information does NOT go on the public record.
Ready to get started? Register your foreign LLC in Alaska with Northwest.
The state filing fee for the Alaska Certificate of Registration is $350.
You can file your Certificate of Registration online or by mail.
By Mail:
Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing
CORPORATIONS SECTION
P.O. Box 110806
Juneau, AK 99811-0806
Online: Alaska State Website
No. Formation documents for LLCs, often called Articles of Organization, are only filed in the company’s home state.
3. Launch Your Business Identity
Once your business is up and running in the new state, you’ll want to be able to connect with the new market of consumers. Having a robust and localized digital presence can help build your business’ identity, which in turn will make your business seem more trustworthy and professional, even if you’ve only just started offering services/products.
We can help you build a custom website that is securely hosted with an unique domain, plus give you a local phone number and up to ten email addresses to help establish your business in Alaska.
Learn more about how to launch your business identity in a new state.
4. Receive your Verification of Registration
Once the Alaska Corporations Division has approved your filing, they will mail you a stamped copy of your Certificate of Registration. This is often called a Certificate of Authority and grants you permission to do business in Alaska.
Alaska processes online filings immediately, however, it can take the state up 15 days to approve mailed filings.
Alaska Foreign LLC Registration FAQ
To amend your foreign LLC in Alaska, you will need to file an Amended Certificate of Registration and pay a $25 filing fee. You can use an Amended Certificate of Registration if your business name or contact information changes.
Alaska’s state statutes do not specifically define what activities count as doing business or—as the statutes put it—“conducting affairs” in the state.
But according to the Alaska Department of Revenue, a company is doing business if it “has sales, or payroll, and real or personal property in this state.” The Department of Revenue goes on to explain that it’s up to you and your lawyer to determine if your business activity qualifies.
Activities that are NOT considered conducting affairs in Alaska are listed in AL Stat 10.50.720. For example, simply opening a business bank account in Alaska does not count as conducting affairs, and an out-of-state LLC that does this does not need to register with the Division of Corporations.
Read more about what counts as doing business in another state.
Yes. Your foreign LLC will need to file an Alaska Biennial Report on January 2nd every other year.
- If you register your foreign LLC in an even-numbered year, your biennial report will be due on January 2nd on every even-numbered year following.
- If you register your LLC during an odd-numbered year, your biennial report will be due January 2nd on every odd-number year following.
If you want to change your Alaska registered agent or business address at the same time, you can report the change on your biennial report. Additionally, there are two other ways to make these changes:
- To change just your Alaska registered agent, file a Statement of Change form.
- To change just your business address, file an Entity Address Change.
Foreign LLCs in Alaska are taxed as pass-through entities by default, meaning the LLC itself doesn’t pay taxes. Instead, the profits pass through the LLC to the members, who report the profits as income on their personal tax returns. LLCs can file with the IRS to be taxed as corporations.
If you would like to withdraw your Foreign Alaska LLC, simply file a Certificate of Cancellation with the Alaska Corporations Division. There is a $25 filing fee.
