People search for the Alaska Secretary of State, but the office does not exist. Alaska has a Lieutenant Governor instead, and company filings sit elsewhere: with the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, part of the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Inside the division, the Corporations Section keeps the register of LLCs, corporations and business names.
The main office is in Juneau, with a field office in Anchorage. Reports here are biennial, filed on a schedule tied to the year your company was formed. You can read more about how this setup compares with other states on our page about what a Secretary of State does.
Searching the Alaska Corporations Database
The division's public search is called the Alaska Corporations Database. Look up a company there to see its record and current status.
| Official business search | commerce.alaska.gov/cbp/main/search/entities (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| You can search by | business name, entity or file number (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| Name availability check | commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/Corporations/ReservingRegisteringBusinessName.aspx (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
The division also offers download files of corporations, officials and agents. Use them for research across many records. For a single company, the database search is quicker.
Alaska status terms
An entity listed in Good Standing was in compliance with the Corporations Section on the day you looked. Non-Compliant means it fell behind on forms that Alaska law requires.
A company left non-compliant for long enough can lose its existence. Check the status before you rely on a company you plan to work with.
Division of Corporations fees
A domestic LLC and a domestic business corporation each pay $250 to form. A domestic nonprofit pays $50. A foreign LLC pays $350 to register to do business in Alaska.
| Form an LLC | $250 (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Form a corporation | $250 (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| Form a nonprofit | $50 (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| Register an out-of-state LLC | $350 (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| Reserve a name | $25 (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| Annual or biennial report | llc domestic: $100; nonprofit domestic: $25; foreign llc: $200 (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| Good standing certificate | $10 (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| Faster processing | None. The division says it does not provide expedited filing. Filings not available for immediate online filing go by fax or mail at current processing times. (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
Rather not file it yourself? Ask our private filing service about forming or reporting in Alaska. State fees are separate.
There is no rush service. The division says it does not expedite filings, so filings sent by fax or mail are handled in the normal queue.
The Alaska biennial report
Every company files a report every two years, due January 2. The year depends on when you formed: companies created in an even year file in even years, and those created in an odd year file in odd years. For a domestic LLC the fee is $100.
| Fee | llc domestic: $100; nonprofit domestic: $25; foreign llc: $200 (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| When it is due | Due January 2 of every even-numbered year if the entity was created in an even year, and every odd-numbered year if created in an odd year (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| If you file late | Late fee applies on or after February 2 ($37.50 added, giving $137.50 total for domestic entities per snippet). Statute: 10 percent of corporation tax for corporations. Administrative dissolution possible if six months delinquent. (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| Where to file | commerce.alaska.gov/cbp/main (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
From February 2 a late fee of $37.50 is added, bringing a domestic report to $137.50. If the report stays six months overdue, the division can dissolve the company.
Name rules and reservations in Alaska
An LLC name must include "Limited Liability Company", L.L.C. or LLC. You may shorten Limited to Ltd. and Company to Co. An LLC name may not include city, borough or village, or suggest in any other way that it is a municipality.
| LLC name must include | Limited Liability Company, L.L.C. or LLC; 'Limited' may be Ltd. and 'Company' may be Co. (akleg.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Words that are limited | LLC name may not contain city, borough or village or otherwise imply it is a municipality (AS 10.50.045). (akleg.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation fee | $25 (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| Reservation lasts | 120 days (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
A name reservation costs $25 and gives you exclusive use for 120 days. It can be renewed only twice. A business name registration is a different filing, also $25, for a name you trade under.
Alaska Certificate of Compliance
Alaska's good standing document is the Certificate of Compliance. It confirms the company is up to date with the Corporations Section on the date it is issued. The fee is $10.
| What the state calls it | Certificate of Compliance (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Fee | $10 (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| Where to order | commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/corporations/certificateofcompliance.aspx (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
You may need one to open a business bank account or to register the company outside Alaska. Our certificate of good standing guide covers what it shows.
Business name registration
Alaska registers business names under AS 10.35 with the Division of Corporations. The filing fee is $25, and it is separate from the $25 name reservation.
Business Name Registration (AS 10.35) is filed with the Division of Corporations, filing fee $25. Separate from the $25 name reservation. (commerce.alaska.gov, checked )
Contact the Division of Corporations
| Office | Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing (Alaska Dept of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development) (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
|---|---|
| Division | Corporations Section (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| Phone | 907-465-2550 (Juneau), 907-269-8160 (Anchorage) (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 11:30am and 12:30pm to 3:00pm (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| Mailing address | PO Box 110806, Juneau, AK 99811-0806 (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
| Street address | 333 W. Willoughby Avenue, 9th Floor, Juneau, AK 99801 (Anchorage field office: 550 West 7th Avenue, Suite 1500, Anchorage, AK 99501-3567) (commerce.alaska.gov, checked ) |
The office closes for lunch from 11:30 to 12:30 and stops for the day at 3:00 in the afternoon. Call the Juneau or Anchorage number in the morning for the best chance of reaching someone.
Sources
- www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/corporations: office name, division. Checked .
- www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/ContactUs: mailing address, street address, phone, contact page, hours. Checked .
- www.commerce.alaska.gov/cbp/main/search/entities: business search. Checked .
- www.commerce.alaska.gov/cbp/main/: search fields, online filing. Checked .
- www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/Corporations/ReservingRegisteringBusinessName.aspx: name check, name reservation fee. Checked .
- www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp?media=print&secStart=10.50: LLC name endings, restricted words. Checked .
- www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/Portals/5/pub/08-559.pdf: name reservation term. Checked .
- www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/Corporations/CorporationFormsFees: LLC filing fee, corporation filing fee, nonprofit filing fee, foreign LLC fee, expedite fees. Checked .
- www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/Corporations/BiennialReports: report fee, report due date, late penalty. Checked .
- www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/corporations/certificateofcompliance.aspx: good standing certificate, certificate fee, certificate ordering. Checked .
- www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/portals/5/pub/08-557.pdf: assumed names (DBA). Checked .