Business Corporation Formation Filing Requirements in Nevada
At a glance
| Governing law and formation record | NRS ch. 78; file Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State, online for a domestic Chapter 78 corporation or by the official paper packet (§§ 78.030, 78.035, 78.050; SOS) |
|---|---|
| Incorporator and signature | 1+ persons; every signing incorporator is named and addressed and signs the current form under a perjury/false-instrument declaration. Incorporator status alone does not make the signer a stockholder (§§ 78.030, 78.035, 78.050; SOS packet) |
| Name, purpose, and duration | Distinguishable name; a natural-person-style name needs a corporate identifier. Any lawful activity and perpetual existence apply by default, so purpose and duration are optional (§§ 78.035, 78.039, 78.060) |
| Agent, office, and addresses | Articles state a commercial agent or a noncommercial agent/office-position with Nevada street and mailing address; signed agent acceptance is mandatory. Each incorporator and first director gives a residence or business address (§§ 77.300-.310, 78.035) |
| Shares, classes, and par value | State authorized shares and, for multiple classes/series, their designations and counts; the official form separates par-value and no-par shares. Rights may be fixed in the articles or under articles authority by board resolution and a pre-issuance designation filing (§§ 78.035, 78.195, 78.760; SOS packet) |
| Directors and other disclosures | Articles publicly name/address the entire first board and every incorporator. The initial list adds president, secretary, treasurer (or equivalents), all directors, and each address; no shareholder or beneficial-owner list is required here (§§ 78.035, 78.150) |
| Optional and restricted provisions | May add lawful provisions governing management, corporate/director/officer/shareholder powers or duties, and profit distribution; purpose, finite duration, and board-set share terms are also optional when properly authorized (§§ 78.037, 78.060, 78.195) |
| Method, fee, attachments, and effect | SilverFlume or paper packet. Articles fee is $75-$35,000 by represented capitalization; initial list $150 plus corporation license $500 makes the ordinary minimum $725. Include agent acceptance. Existence starts on filing; no delayed date (§§ 76.100, 78.050, 78.150, 78.760; SOS packet) |
| Initial report, publication, and follow-up | No formation publication. The current packet requires an initial officer/director list and state-business-license application with the articles; § 78.150(12) lets the Secretary of State allow the corporation to select an alternative list due date. The initial list costs $150 (§§ 76.100, 78.150; SOS packet) |
| Organization, officers, and bylaws | The mandatory first board (1+ natural persons age 18+) directs the corporation, selects a president, secretary, and treasurer or equivalents, and may adopt bylaws. Board action may occur at a meeting or by the required written consent; no separate organizational-meeting deadline appears (§§ 78.115, 78.120, 78.130, 78.315) |
Requirements one by one
Governing law and filing record
An ordinary domestic Nevada corporation forms under NRS Chapter 78 by filing Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State. The state currently offers online filing for domestic Chapter 78 corporations and a combined paper packet (§§ 78.030, 78.035, and 78.050).
Incorporator and signature
One or more persons may incorporate. Every signing incorporator is named and addressed in the articles, and every incorporator signs the current form under its perjury and false-instrument declaration (§§ 78.030 and 78.035).
Signing does not itself make the incorporator a subscriber or stockholder (§ 78.050).
Name, purpose, and duration
The name must be distinguishable in the Secretary of State's records. Nevada does not require a corporate ending for every name, but a name that appears to be a natural person's name and contains a given name or initials needs added wording that identifies it as a corporation (§§ 78.035 and 78.039).
Any lawful activity and perpetual existence apply by default. A narrower purpose or finite duration is therefore optional (§ 78.060).
Agent, office, and addresses
The articles identify either a commercial registered agent or a noncommercial agent or office-position appointment. A noncommercial appointment supplies a Nevada street address and a different Nevada mailing address if applicable. The appointment must include the agent's signed certificate of acceptance (§§ 77.300 and 77.310).
Every incorporator and first director supplies a residence or business address under § 78.035.
Shares, classes, and par value
The articles state the authorized-share count. If more than one class or series is authorized, they also state the classes, series, and authorized count of each, unless the articles give the board statutory authority to establish them (§ 78.035).
The current form separately collects shares with par value, their par value, and shares without par value. Multiple-class rights may be placed in the articles or, when the articles authorize board action, in a resolution and certificate of designation filed before issuance (§ 78.195).
Directors and other disclosures
Nevada makes the first board public at formation: the articles name and address every first director. They also identify every incorporator (§ 78.035).
The initial list adds the president, secretary, treasurer, or their equivalents, all directors, and each person's residence or business address (§ 78.150). The formation provisions do not require a shareholder or beneficial-owner list.
Optional and restricted provisions
The articles may contain lawful terms governing management, the powers or duties of the corporation and its directors, officers, or shareholders, and profit distribution (§ 78.037). Purpose, duration, and articles authority for later board-created classes or series are other optional terms (§§ 78.060 and 78.195).
Method, fee, attachments, and effect
The Secretary of State offers SilverFlume filing and the current paper packet. The articles fee is based on represented capitalization: it begins at $75 for $75,000 or less and can reach $35,000. No-par shares count at $1 per share for this calculation (§ 78.760).
The ordinary initial list costs $150, and the Chapter 78 state business license costs $500 (§§ 76.100 and 78.150). The ordinary package therefore starts at $725, before optional expedited service. Agent acceptance must also accompany the appointment.
Corporate existence begins on the filing date. Section 78.050 and the current form provide no delayed-effective-date route for original articles.
Initial report, publication, and follow-up
Nevada's current Chapter 78 formation scheme and packet require no newspaper publication or proof filing. Instead, the packet says an initial officer list must accompany the articles, and the state-business-license application travels with that list.
Section 78.150(12) lets the Secretary of State allow the corporation to select an alternative initial-list due date. Otherwise, the list is filed with the articles and costs $150.
Organization, officers, and bylaws
The first board named in the articles must contain at least one natural person who is 18 or older. The board directs the corporation, selects a president, secretary, and treasurer or equivalent officers, and may adopt bylaws (§§ 78.115, 78.120, and 78.130).
Nevada prescribes no separately timed organizational meeting. The board may act at a duly assembled meeting or, unless the articles or bylaws restrict it, by the written consent required under § 78.315.
What trips people up
The $75 figure is only the lowest articles fee. Nevada adds the $150 initial list and $500 corporation business license, and a larger authorized-capital amount can raise the articles fee itself.
The first board is not a later private choice. Every first director's name and address goes in the public articles, and the initial list then repeats all directors while adding the three required officer roles.
Common questions
Must every Nevada corporate name use “Inc.” or “Corporation”?
No. The identifier rule applies when the proposed name appears to be a natural person's name and contains a given name or initials. The name still must be distinguishable.
Must the articles state a purpose or end date?
No. Lawful activity and perpetual existence are the defaults unless the articles provide otherwise.
Can one person hold all three officer roles?
Yes. Nevada requires a president, secretary, and treasurer or equivalents, but one natural person may hold two or more offices.
Does filing the articles issue shares?
No. Filing creates the corporation, but it does not itself make an incorporator or named director a stockholder or issue shares.
Statutes and sources
- NRS Chapter 78 — current official private-corporation chapter for the articles, public board, shares, formation, initial list, officers, bylaws, board action, and articles fee, accessed August 14, 2026.
- NRS Chapters 76 and 77 — current official business-license and registered- agent provisions, accessed August 14, 2026.
- Nevada Secretary of State corporation page and Formation - Profit Corporation packet — current online route, paper articles, agent acceptance, initial list, business-license application, and fee schedule, accessed August 14, 2026.
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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