Filing Articles Of Incorporation Properly In Ohio
In any state in the United States, there are three possible ways of filing your articles of incorporation: farm out the task to a law firm (though this can become a very expensive option); go in person to the State Department office and do the filing yourself; or hire a company that is well-versed in business incorporation services to do the filing of your companys articles of incorporation for you.
In Ohio, the rules for filing articles of incorporation for profit-oriented corporations are very clear. The corporate name listed in your Ohio articles of incorporation should use the words Corporation, Company, or Incorporated at the end of the name, or else the abbreviations of those three words: Corp., Co., or Inc. A name search should reveal if the corporate name you chose is too similar or the same as the corporate name of any other domestic or foreign corporation that is legally permitted to operate in Ohio; or too much like or the same as a trade name. The corporate name in your Ohio articles of incorporation should also avoid using language that would make it appear it is related to a government agency in any US state or of the United States.
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In Ohio, a for-profit corporation should have at least three directors. However, this rule does not apply in for-profits that have less than three shareholders owning the shares in the company in such corporations, the corporation can have less than three directors but the number of directors should surpass the number of shareholders. There is no residency requirement for directors but they have to be at least 18 years of age. The Ohio articles of incorporation must list the names of the directors. On the other hand, names of the officers of the corporation are not required to be listed in the Ohio articles of incorporation. If the number of stock shares should be increased, the cost of the initial filing fee may also go up as well.
A for-profit corporation that is registered in Ohio will have to submit annual statements to the government. A domestic corporation whose date of incorporation lands after January 1, 1993 is required to submit its initial statement of continued existence prior to or exactly on July 1 in the year after it was incorporated. Every July 1st after that, the company must provide this statement of continued existence to the government. The company will also have to shoulder a $5 filing fee.
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