With our 5-step process, forming a company in Louisiana is simple. A company may be formed by submitting formation paperwork with your state and forming a board of directors.
We’ll teach you how to form your own company in Louisiana.
In Louisiana, it is simple to form a corporation.
In Louisiana, you may form a company by submitting the Certificate of Incorporation, drafting corporate bylaws, and naming your first director (s).
To get started, follow the steps in our How to Start a Corporation in Louisiana tutorial below:
Step 1: Give Your Louisiana Corporation a Name
Step 2: Select a Registered Agent.
Hold an Organizational Meeting in Step 3
Step 4: Submit your Articles of Incorporation.
Step 5: Obtain an EIN
Step 1: Give Your Louisiana Corporation a Name
The first step in forming a company is to choose a business name. You must choose a distinct name that conforms with Louisiana company naming regulations.
1. Louisiana naming conventions:
One of the following words or abbreviations (with or without punctuation) must appear in your name: corporation, incorporated, company, limited, corp., inc., co., or ltd.
Your name cannot indicate that the company was formed for any illegal or non-outlined purpose in its articles of incorporation. It also cannot include any terms that are “immoral, deceitful, or scandalous in nature.”
Your company’s name cannot imply that it is a charity, nonprofit, or government agency.
The word “doing business as” or any abbreviation of that phrase, such as “d/b/a,” cannot appear in your name.
The phrases “casualty,” “redevelopment company,” or “electricity cooperative” are not permitted in your name.
2. Is my business name accessible in Louisiana?
Your Louisiana company name must be distinct and distinct from existing Louisiana business names. To see whether your selected company name is available, use the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Business Search Portal.
3. Is the URL accessible?
Before forming your Louisiana company, check to see whether an appropriate URL for your preferred business name is accessible. Even if you don’t intend to create a company website right immediately, we recommend purchasing a web domain right away to avoid other companies from obtaining it.
Step 2: Select a Registered Agent in Louisiana.
When you file your company with the Secretary of State, you must choose a Louisiana registered agent.
What exactly is a Registered Agent? A registered agent is a person or organisation chosen by an LLC or corporation to accept service of process, government communications, and compliance paperwork on behalf of a company.
Who Is Eligible to Be a Registered Agent? An person, a corporate organisation, or a professional registered agent service may serve as your registered agent. Any organisation or individual may act as your Louisiana registered agent as long as the person:
is at least 18 years old
has a physical address in the state where business is done
is accessible during regular business hours (in person).
Step 3 Hold an Organizational Meeting
Before filing the Articles of Incorporation formally in Step 4, you must conduct an organisational meeting to perform the following tasks:
Complete and sign the Articles of Incorporation.
Establish and approve bylaws
Choose your first director (s)
Determine your ownership structure.
Fill out an Incorporator’s Statement.
Establish and Approve Corporate Bylaws
Bylaws are the rules that regulate and control how your organisation is governed and operated. Consider the bylaws to be your corporation’s constitution. It clarifies the norms and priorities for all parties involved.
The bylaws of a company will augment any regulations established by the federal government or the state
Include the following in your bylaws:
The governance of the company, including the roles of directors and officials
Meeting processes, voting procedures, and the election of executives or directors
How will records be preserved and managed?
How will disagreements be resolved?
How will bylaws be added/modified in the future?
The annual shareholder meeting date
Contract Negotiation Techniques
Fiduciary responsibilities to the company (i.e. acting in the best interests of the corporation)
What is a quorum for voting purposes?
What exactly is a quorum? A quorum is the minimal number of members who must be present at a meeting in order for the meeting’s actions, including any votes, to be legitimate.
Appoint the First Directors
At least one director must be appointed to monitor your Louisiana company until the first shareholder meeting.
A corporate director is in charge of operational bylaw adoption, modification, and repeal, as well as the election, monitoring, and removal of officers.
Following the incorporation of the company, the incorporator(s) — or initial director(s), if listed on the formation papers — shall convene an organisational meeting. During this inaugural meeting, either the incorporator(s) or the initial director(s) will elect the board of directors.
Selecting a Share Structure and Strategy
A share of stock is a corporation’s unit of ownership. Each share of stock reflects a proportion of the company’s ownership. If a business issues one share of stock, the shareholder (stock owner) owns 100% of the corporation.
Shares may be divided into classes. Each class, known as a share class, has unique rights and advantages. There may be several classes, and each class can have an unlimited number of shares.
The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Articles of Incorporation form may only be used to incorporate a company with one share class. You must write your own Articles of Incorporation if the organisation requires a multiple share class structure.
Make and implement an Incorporator’s Statement
The incorporator(s) shall sign and preserve an Incorporator’s Statement with the full names and addresses of all initial directors in the corporate records book.
This document identifies the first director(s) who will serve until the board of directors is chosen at the first shareholder meeting. It should be kept with the rest of your company’s records.
Step 4: Submit the Louisiana Articles of Incorporation to the Secretary of State.
To form a company in Louisiana, you must first submit the Louisiana Articles of Incorporation. The Articles of Incorporation are the legal documents that establish your Louisiana company. You may file with the Secretary of State online, via mail or fax, or in person. The fee for filing is $75.
This paper will address the fundamentals of your company, such as:
Name of the company, location, and mission statement
Name, signature, and street address of the corporate registered agent
The number of authorised shares that a company may issue.
Name(s) and address of corporate directors (es)
Name(s) and address of incorporator(s) (es)
The duration of the company
The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Articles of Incorporation form may only be used to incorporate a company with one share class. You must write your own Articles of Incorporation if the organisation requires a multiple share class structure.
Step 5: Obtain a Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) for Your Louisiana Corporation
What exactly is an EIN? The federal government uses an Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Federal Tax Identification Number (FTIN) to identify a company organisation. It is effectively the company’s social security number.
Obtaining an EIN is included in the registration procedure on geauxBIZ.gov if you are submitting your LLC online.
Why do I need an EIN? An EIN is necessary for the following activities:
To establish a commercial bank account for the firm
In terms of federal and state taxation
To recruit workers for the firm
How can I get an EIN? After founding the firm, the business owner obtains an EIN from the IRS (free of charge). This may be done online or in the mail.