Register a company in Louisiana

Yes. We file with the Secretary of State for you, and Louisiana lets the articles be signed by a person who need not be a member or manager. Whoever signs must acknowledge them unless they are executed by authentic act, so we settle who signs before anything is drafted. The EIN comes through the IRS international route by fax, mail or phone, without an SSN or ITIN. Banking depends on your file: fintech platforms take remote applications, and a traditional bank is a route where you already have a US footprint.

Formation starts from $2,400 all-in, including the Louisiana filing fee ($100), the registered agent for the first year, the EIN and the operating agreement. With a fintech or bank account set up, from $4,400. After that, Louisiana's yearly charge is the $30 annual report, due by the company's anniversary.

With expedited service - $30 for 24 hours or $50 "while you wait", on top of the $100 fee - the state filing is the quick part; the standard queue is confirmed when we file. The EIN then takes about 4 business days by fax or about 4 weeks by mail. Banking starts once the EIN is issued, and its timing depends on the platform and your file. Our own preparation time is set out in your quote.

A C-Corp pays 21% federal tax plus Louisiana's flat 5.5%, and owes no franchise tax for periods from 1 January 2026. Owned by a non-US person, a single-member LLC is disregarded for federal income tax, so the real question is whether it earns income effectively connected with a US trade or business; we work that out in the triage. A multi-member LLC with foreign members withholds federal tax on their share of that income - 37% for individuals, 21% for corporate members - and files Louisiana's composite return for non-resident partners unless an exception applies. Sales tax is 5% at state level, plus local rates.

An LLC if you want pass-through treatment, with profit taxed at owner level rather than in the company, and no plan to sell shares. A C-Corp if investors will buy shares or profits will stay in the business: its articles ($75) state how many shares it may issue, and it pays 21% federal plus 5.5% Louisiana tax. Dividends to non-resident shareholders then carry 30% withholding unless a treaty lowers it. An S corporation is not an option, since it cannot have non-resident alien shareholders.

Once the articles, EIN and operating agreement exist, there are two routes. Fintech platforms of the Mercury or Relay class take remote applications. A traditional bank is realistic where you have a US footprint, such as staff, premises or US customers. In the Company + Bank Account package we choose the route for your file, prepare the application and set up ACH, wires and Stripe onboarding. Approval is the bank's decision, and we do not promise it.

Not while you live abroad. An individual agent must be a Louisiana citizen who resides in the state; otherwise the agent is a law firm or a company authorised in Louisiana that has filed the names of at least two individuals at its Louisiana address. The agent signs a notarised affidavit of acceptance, and the registered office counts as the company's domicile for all purposes. Changing agent later costs $25 plus a new affidavit. The first year is included in our package.

No. FinCEN's final rule, effective 14 August 2026, made the exemption for US companies permanent, so an LLC or corporation formed in Louisiana files no beneficial ownership report, even when its owners are not US persons. The duty remains only for companies formed abroad that register to do business in a US state, and they report foreign owners only. Louisiana's own annual report does name the registered agents and the managers, or the members where they manage.

Form 5472. A single-member LLC wholly owned by a non-US person is treated as a corporation for this purpose and files a pro forma Form 1120 with Form 5472 attached, reporting dealings with you, including money you put in or take out. It cannot be filed electronically - fax or mail only. The penalty for not filing is $25,000, plus another $25,000 for each 30 days the failure continues more than 90 days after an IRS notice. Our accounting add-on covers it from $800 a year.

Because of where the business will run. A company formed in Delaware or Wyoming that operates in Louisiana applies for authority here - $150 for an LLC, $125 for a corporation - and files Louisiana's $30 annual report on top of its home-state filings. If the business lives in Louisiana, forming here skips that layer. If nothing ties you to the state, read our Delaware and Wyoming pages first; we say the same in the consultation.