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In Alaska, entity records are kept by the Corporations Section inside the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing (CBPL), part of the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. The lookup tool is the Search Corporations Database. You can search by entity name or entity number, and the same site has separate searches for officials, registered agents and trademarks. People often search for an "Alaska secretary of state business search". The Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing is the right place for that lookup.
Running an Alaska LLC and corporation search in the database
The entity search has two boxes. Entity Number takes the Alaska entity number, which is the surest way to land on one record. Entity Name comes with a choice of Starts With or Contains. Use Starts With when you know how the legal name begins, and Contains when you only know a word in the middle, such as "Kenai" in "North Kenai Fisheries LLC". There is also a Current Only option. If an older company does not show up, run the search again with it turned off.
Online filings post to the database at once, so a report filed this morning should already show. Paper filings take longer, as covered below.
Two things trip people up in Alaska:
- Business licences are a different register. A trading name on an Alaska business license under AS 43.70 is not an entity record, and the state can issue several licences under the same name. Search the Corporations Database for legal entities and the business license search for licences.
- People search is separate. To find what companies a person is tied to, use the Officials search. To see who acts for whom, use Agents. Our registered agent lookup guide and business owner lookup guide explain how to use those results.
Status words on an Alaska record
The entity detail page shows the status. Good Standing means the entity is in compliance with the Corporations Section at that point in time. Non-Compliant means it did not file required forms, often a biennial report or a fix to its registered agent details. Other statuses include Involuntarily Dissolved, Voluntarily Dissolved, Revoked, Withdrawn and Cancelled. For most entity types, the name of an Involuntarily Dissolved entity is freed 6 months after dissolution unless it reinstates in time. Our guide to business entity status covers what each kind of status means for a deal.
Names: distinguishable, reserved or registered
Alaska requires a name to be distinguishable from other reserved or registered names on file. The division publishes guidance on what "distinguishable" means and how it differs from "confusingly similar". An LLC name must contain "limited liability company", "L.L.C." or "LLC", and "Ltd." and "Co." may stand in for "limited" and "company". A business corporation uses "Incorporated", "Company", "Limited", "Corporation" or an abbreviation. No name may contain "city", "borough" or "village" or imply that it is a municipality, though the name of a real town can be used. "Bank" needs approval from the Division of Banking & Securities.
There are three ways to hold a name without forming an entity. A Business Name Reservation lasts 120 days. A Business Name Registration lasts 5 years and needs an Alaska business license in the same name. A Foreign Corporate Name Registration protects an out of state company's name for 1 year. Only a court can enforce these rights, under AS 10.06.130(b), AS 10.35.040(b) and AS 10.50.043. See our name reservation guide for when a hold is worth it.
Biennial reports and the Certificate of Compliance
Alaska entities report every two years. If you formed in an even numbered year, the biennial report is due in even years, and the reverse for odd years. Corporations, LLCs and LLPs file by January 2. Late fees apply to reports marked after February 1. Nonprofits, cooperatives and religious corporations file by July 2, with late fees after August 1. Filing opens three months before the due date. The report cannot change the registered agent, which needs a Statement of Change. Online payment needs a myAlaska account. Our annual report deadlines page lines this up with other states.
Proof of status is a Certificate of Compliance, $10. Online orders print at once. By mail you send a Copy Request Form and allow 10 to 15 business days. Paper filings in general take 10 to 15 business days, and longer in the April to June and October to December reporting peaks. Domestic LLC articles of organization cost $250.
Free database downloads
Alaska publishes full CSV downloads of its corporations data from the search and download page. There are separate files for Corporations, Officials, Agents and Trademarks. The division notes the files may need some sorting before use.
Registered agent in Alaska
An Alaska LLC's registered agent must be an individual who lives in Alaska or a corporation registered and in good standing with the Corporations Section. The state's Articles of Organization instructions say an LLC, LP or LLP may not act as a registered agent, and that the agent needs both a physical address and a mailing address in Alaska.
The law is AS 10.50.055: an LLC must continuously maintain a registered agent and a registered office in the state. The agent is where lawsuits and formal notices are served. If an LLC has no agent, or the agent cannot be found at the registered office with reasonable diligence, the commissioner becomes the agent for service. That does not help you, because papers then reach you late.
To change agents, file a Statement of Change. The biennial report cannot do it, as the biennial report page states. An agent who wants out files a written notice with the state, and the resignation takes effect 30 days after filing unless the LLC names a successor sooner.
Do not let this slide. The commissioner may dissolve an LLC that has failed for 30 days to appoint and maintain a registered agent, after written notice and a 60 day window to contest. Our Alaska LLC guide shows where the agent goes on the articles, and being your own registered agent covers the do it yourself route.
Starting a company here? Read our guide on how to start an LLC in Alaska.
Also see our guides to the Alaska business license.