Illinois Business Corporation Articles of Incorporation
ILLINOIS BUSINESS CORPORATION ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
Before you use this: Complete every article, confirm the name is available, and check the Illinois Secretary of State's current filing instructions. These articles are for an ordinary business corporation with one class of common shares.
The undersigned incorporator or incorporators adopt these articles under the Illinois Business Corporation Act of 1983.
Article 1. Corporate name
The name of the corporation is [________________________________].
The name includes a corporate designator and must be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records as required by 805 ILCS 5/4.05.
Article 2. Corporate purpose
The corporation is organized to transact any lawful business for which a corporation may be incorporated under the Illinois Business Corporation Act of 1983.
Article 3. Initial registered office and agent
The corporation's initial registered office in Illinois is [STREET AND NUMBER OR RURAL ROUTE, CITY, ILLINOIS, ZIP].
The corporation's initial registered agent at that office is [FULL LEGAL NAME].
Agent type: ☐ Illinois resident individual ☐ Entity authorized to act as registered agent under 805 ILCS 5/5.05(b).
The agent's business office is at the initial registered office stated above.
Article 4. Authorized shares
The corporation is authorized to issue [NUMBER] shares of one class, designated Common Shares. All Common Shares have the same rights. Each Common Share has one vote on each matter submitted to shareholders and an equal right to distributions lawfully declared on that class.
Article 5. Shares proposed for initial issuance
The corporation proposes to issue [NUMBER, OR ZERO] Common Shares without further report to the Secretary of State. The consideration to be received for those shares is $[AMOUNT, OR ZERO], less $[EXPENSES AND COMMISSIONS, OR ZERO] paid or incurred in connection with that issuance.
Article 6. Incorporators
| Incorporator's name | Address |
|---|---|
| [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
| [________________________________] | [________________________________] |
Each incorporator signing below adopts these articles. An individual incorporator must be at least 18 years old; a corporation may also serve as incorporator under 805 ILCS 5/2.05(a).
| Incorporator signature | Printed name and signing capacity | Date |
|---|---|---|
| ______________________________ | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
| ______________________________ | [________________________________] | [__/__/____] |
Official law
About this template
- Last updated
- October 29, 2026
- Citations checked
- October 29, 2026
- Jurisdiction
- Illinois
- Category
- Corporate & Business
Legal authority
- 805 ILCS 5/1.10(a), (b)(1), (c) (filing form and execution)
- 805 ILCS 5/2.05(a) (incorporators)
- 805 ILCS 5/2.10(a) (required contents of articles)
- 805 ILCS 5/4.05(a)(1), (3) (corporate name)
- 805 ILCS 5/5.05(a)-(c) (registered office and agent)
Corporate documents govern how a company makes decisions, records them, and handles disputes between owners, directors, and officers. Proper corporate paperwork is what lets a business take advantage of limited liability, pass clean audits, and survive an acquisition or investor review. Skipping formalities like written resolutions and signed consents is one of the fastest ways for a business owner to lose personal asset protection.
Not legal advice
This template is provided for informational purposes. We recommend having an attorney review any legal document before signing, especially for high-value or complex matters.
Checked against the law it cites
A reviewer verified this template's legal citations against the official source on October 29, 2026.
805 ILCS 5/1.10(a) (checked October 29, 2026): "Forms for all other documents to be filed in the office of the Secretary of State shall be furnished by the Secretary of State on request therefor, but the use thereof, unless otherwise specifically prescribed in this Act, shall not be mandatory."
805 ILCS 5/1.10(b)(1), (c) (checked October 29, 2026): "The articles of incorporation, and any other document to be filed before the election of the initial board of directors if the initial directors were not named in the articles of incorporation, shall be signed by the incorporator or incorporators."
805 ILCS 5/2.05(a) (checked October 29, 2026): "One or more incorporators may organize a corporation under this Act. Each incorporator shall be either a corporation, domestic or foreign, or a natural person of the age of 18 years or more."
805 ILCS 5/2.10(a)(1)-(6) (checked October 29, 2026): "The articles of incorporation must set forth: (1) a corporate name for the corporation that satisfies the requirements of this Act;"
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