Rhode Island Articles of Incorporation
Order your Rhode Island incorporation online. It's easy, inexpensive, and guides you through the decisions to set up your corporation the way you want.
- Trusted formation services. We serve the compliance needs of 40,000 companies (and counting).
- Immediate online access to your incorporation wizard, project status, and powerful integration with the secretary of state database to detect when your corporation has been approved.
-
Affordable investment starting at $99 to set up your limited liability protection.
What Are Rhode Island Articles of Incorporation?
Preparing and filing your articles of incorporation is the first step in starting your business corporation. Approval of this document secures your corporate name and creates the legal entity of the corporation. Only after this approval can the corporation apply for tax IDs, obtain business licenses, sign contracts, and otherwise conduct business.
Incorporating provides many important benefits:
- Limits the liability of directors, officers, and shareholders
- Fulfills statutory requirements to register your business name
- Provides governance and adds credibility
Fast Facts
For Domestic Corporations:
| Agency: | Rhode Island Secretary of State |
| Form: | Form 100: Articles of Incorporation (Under 75,000,000 Shares) |
| Filing Method: | Mail, in-person, or online |
| Agency Fee: | $230 for less than 75,000,000 shares of authorized stock + $8 enhanced service fee (online submissions only) |
| Turnaround: | ~7 business days by mail or online. Same day for in-person filings. |
| Law: | |
| Notes: |
|
For Domestic Professional Corporations:
| Agency: | Rhode Island Secretary of State |
| Form: | Form 112: Articles of Incorporation (Under 75,000,000 Shares) |
| Filing Method: | Mail, in-person, or online. |
| Agency Fee: | $230 + $8 enhanced processing fee (online submissions only) |
For Domestic Benefit Corporations:
| Agency: | Rhode Island Secretary of State |
| Form: | Form 114: Articles of Incorporation (Under 75,000,000 Shares) |
| Filing Method: | Mail, in-person or online. |
| Agency Fee: | $230 + $8 enhanced service fee (online submissions only) |
For Domestic Close Corporations:
| Agency: | Rhode Island Secretary of State |
| Form: | Form 100: Articles of Incorporation (Under 75,000,000 Shares) |
| Filing Method: | Mail, in-person, or online. |
| Agency Fee: | $230 for less than 75,000,000 shares of authorized stock + $8 enhanced service fee (online submissions only) |
| Turnaround: | ~7 business days by mail or online. Same day for in-person filings. |
Other Helpful Rhode Island Facts
As you are preparing to incorporate, keep in mind the following requirements specific to Rhode Island.
Rhode Island Directors
- Number: One or more required.
- Qualifications: None.
- Quorum: A majority of the directors, unless the articles of incorporation or bylaws fix another number.
Rhode Island Officers
- President, secretary, and treasurer required. One person may hold any two offices.
Rhode Island Bylaws
- Required: No.
Rhode Island Annual Shareholder Meeting
- Required: No.
- Action by written consent: Allowed if by all shareholders entitled to vote on the action. Articles of incorporation may provide if enough shareholders consent to equal the number required to take action by vote.
Rhode Island Shareholders
- Qualifications: N/A
- Stock Certificate: Not required.
- Voting Trusts Allowed: Yes.
Helpful Tools
LLC, C-Corp, or S-Corp?
Choose which one is right for you.
Limiting Your Liability
Do you need liability insurance, limited liability protection, or both?
