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Business Formation Documents

Acceptable Formation Documents by Entity Type

J
Written by Juan
Updated yesterday

1. Sole Proprietorships

  • Business License

  • Trade Name Registration

  • DBA ("Doing Business As") Filing

2. Partnerships

  • General Partnerships (GP)

    • Partnership Agreement

    • Business License listing all partners

    • Trade Name Registration (DBA) listing all partners

  • Limited Partnerships (LP)

    • Certificate or Registration of Limited Partnership–filed with the secretary of state or similar government body to officially form the LP

  • Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP)

    • Certificate or Registration of Limited Liability Partnership–filed with the secretary of state or similar government body to register the LLP

3. Corporations

  • Articles of Incorporation–filed with the secretary of state or similar government body

  • Certificate of Incorporation–filed with the secretary of state or similar government body

4. Limited Liability Companies (LLC)

  • Articles of Organization–filed with the secretary of state or similar government body

  • Certificate of Incorporation–filed with the secretary of state or similar government body

5. Nonprofit Organizations

  • Articles of Incorporation–filed with the secretary of state or similar government body

  • Certificate of Incorporation–filed with the secretary of state or similar government body

  • In Addition Application for Tax-Exempt Status: Form 1023 or 1023-EZ filed with the IRS to obtain 501(c)(3) status or similar tax-exempt recognition

6. Foundations

  • Articles of Incorporation–filed with the secretary of state or similar government body

  • Certificate of Incorporation–filed with the secretary of state or similar government body

7. Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs)

  • Legal Entity Formation–if the DAO formed a legal entity (e.g., LLC) with the secretary of state or similar government body

  • Other DOA Formation Documents:

    • White Paper

    • Membership or Token Agreement

    • Governance Framework

8. Trusts

  • Trust Deed (or Trust Agreement)–establishing the trust and outlining the roles of the trustors, trustees, beneficiaries, and terms of the trust

  • Certificate of Trust (or Abstract of Trust)–proving the existence of the trust and the trustee's authority

  • Notarized Trustee’s Affidavit–confirming the identity and authority of the trust parties

9. Cooperatives

  • Articles of Incorporation–filed with the secretary of state or similar government body, establishing the cooperative listing its members

  • Bylaws–confirming the creation of the cooperative and specifying the cooperative’s governance and operational rules

  • Membership Agreement–outlining the terms of membership, rights, and responsibilities of cooperative members

Country Specific Requirements

  • Mexico: Please supply a copy of the entity filing document (Cedula de Identificacion Fiscal) that confirms the entity's RFC

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