Welcome To The Corporations Section

Before engaging in any business venture, it is advisable to seek both legal counsel and advice from an accountant. The information given here is not intended to replace that kind of professional advice and assistance. The forms titled Articles of Incorporation and Articles of Organization contain the minimum requirements under Louisiana law.

Note to non profit corporations: If you are forming a non profit corporation and intend to apply to the Internal Revenue Service for tax exempt status, additional information will be required in the articles of incorporation. To obtain exemption information visit http://www.irs.ustreas.gov, or by call the IRS toll free at (877) 829-5500. If the required information is not included in the articles of incorporation, the IRS will direct you to amend the articles. This office, as well as the Clerk of Court's office, will require an additional fee to file an amendment to the articles of incorporation.

Important Note about File Types

In order to view PDF files you will need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available for download free-of-charge from Adobe International, installed on your computer.

Important News Items

(10-4-05) - Effective today, Good Standing Certificates are available online between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. CST. You can purchase certificates after searching the Corporations Database for the entities that you want to check. If an entity is in good standing, there will be a link to add a certificate to the online "shopping cart." A link will not appear on if the entity is not currently in good standing. Once you have finished shopping and have added the certificate(s) to the shopping cart, you can check out. Payment can be made with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover. A $2.00 state charge will be added to the total fee. After check out, a Certificate of Good Standing can be printed. Be sure to print or save the certificate before closing your browser.

You can also retrieve Good Standing Certificates previously purchased, within the last 120 days, through our online system by clicking here.

Notary ID Numbers And Printed Names Required

(12-30-04) - Effective January 1, 2005, the Commercial Division will not accept, file or record any document notarized in this state, unless the document contains the notary identification number, or attorney bar roll number, and the typed or printed name of the notary. In addition, if the document contains witness signatures, the typed or printed names of the witnesses must be included. (Act No. 62 of the 2004 Regular Session) Any documents which do not contain the notary identification number or attorney bar roll number and the typed or printed name of the notary and the witnesses, if any, will be rejected.

Annual Report and Reinstatement Forms Available Online

(11-8-04) - Annual Report Forms and Reinstatement Forms for filing with this office are now available online. You can obtain the form after searching the Corporations Database for the entity that you want to check. If the annual report is due or will be due within thirty (30) days, or if the entity has been revoked, there will be a link to download an Adobe PDF form. A link will not appear on the screen if an annual report is not currently due.

Enabling Legislation

The Corporations Section files documents pertaining to business organizations and non-profit corporations as provided for by the following Louisiana laws: Business Corporation Laws; Non Profit Corporation Laws; Foreign Corporation Laws; Special Corporations - Cooperatives, Real Estate Investment Trusts, Professional Corporations; Limited Liability Company Laws; Foreign Limited Liability Company Laws; Agriculture and Forestry; Partnership Laws, Central Registry; Foreign Partnership Laws; Registered Limited Liability Partnerships; and Trademarks and Trade Names. To view enabling statutes, click HERE.