Register Your Arkansas Foreign Corporation

Business names are registered on the state level. That means when you register as a foreign corporation, you need to do a business name search to make sure your desired name is available. If it’s not, you will need to choose a new name for operations in Arkansas.

Once you’ve chosen a name, you will need to file the Application for Registration of Corporate Name. This requires an authorized signature. It costs $45 ($50 via paper form).

Is the name you want available but you’re not quite ready to register? File an Application for Reservation of Entity Name, which costs $22.50 ($25 via paper form) and reserves your name for 120 days.

An Arkansas Registered Agent is a person or company that accepts service of processes and other legal mail on your behalf. They must be physically located in Arkansas during regular business hours in order to qualify as a registered agent. Don’t know anyone in Arkansas you feel comfortable having such an important job for your business? No worries. We offer nationwide registered agent service with local business addresses in every state.

Your business identity starts as soon as someone learns about your business. Once you are able to start conducting business in Arkansas, you’ll need to make sure the customers in Arkansas actually know who you are.

Want to take the fast track? We’ve got comprehensive services that let you instantly build a local online presence. We’ll create and host a customized business website with an unique domain, give you an Arkansas-area code phone number, and a local business address you can use to establish your presence as an Arkansas business wherever you are on the globe.

Arkansas requires all businesses to get a certificate of existence or good standing from their home state. The document must be dated within 30 days of Arkansas registration. Alternatively, you could submit a certified copy of amendments from your home state. This would need to be dated within 60 days of registration.

If you are filing online, you can fax or email your home state document. This must be done within one week prior to registering your foreign corporation. Alternatively, you can upload the document in the online portal. If you are filing via mail, you can simply submit the document alongside your Application for Certificate of Authority.

The Application for Certificate of Authority can be submitted via online form or printed application through the mail. It costs $270 to file online and $300 via paper form.

Your application must include:

• The corporation name
• Fictitious name to be used in Arkansas, if applicable
• The state/territory of original incorporation
• The date of original incorporation
• The period of duration
• The nature of the business
• The principal office in Arkansas
• The name and address of the Arkansas registered agent
• The principal office in home state
• The number and value of corporate shares
• The name and title of at least one corporate officer
• The signature and title of an authorized officer

Additionally, the application will have you fill out the a request for the Corporate Franchise Tax Reporting Form. This requires you submitting your corporate name, contact person, street address, telephone number, email, and your federal tax ID, or EIN.

Once you are officially registered in Arkansas, you will be required to file taxes and reports with the Arkansas Secretary of State in addition to your home state’s requirements.

The Arkansas annual report is called the Franchise Tax Report. You fill out a request for this form to be sent to you when you register as a foreign corporation. Corporations with stock must file by May 1^st with a minimum of $150. Corporations without stock must file by May 1^st and pay a flat fee of $300.

The Franchise Tax Report takes on average three weeks to process. You can file it yourself, have an authorized partner/officer file, or hire someone like an attorney (or us!) to file on your behalf.

Foreign corporations are also required to pay Arkansas corporate taxes. The rate at which you pay depends on your taxable income. For example, the corporate net income tax rate when a company makes over $100,000 is 6.5%.