Deal alert! Northwest will form your LLC for $39 (60% discount). See details.
Important: If you don’t live in Wyoming, or do business in Wyoming, please read why you shouldn’t form an LLC in Wyoming.
Wyoming LLC Articles of Organization
In this lesson, we will walk you through filing your Articles of Organization with the Wyoming Secretary of State. This is the document that officially creates your LLC in Wyoming.
You can submit your Wyoming LLC’s Articles of Organization to the state in 1 of 2 ways:
1. Online: the LLC filing fee is $100 and your LLC will be approved immediately.
2. By mail: the LLC filing fee is $100 and your LLC will be approved in 10-15 business days (plus mail time).
Note: Filing times may take longer due to government delays. For the most up-to-date LLC processing times, check how long does it take to get an LLC in Wyoming.
How much is an LLC in Wyoming explains all the fees you’ll pay, including the Articles of Organization filing fee.
Note: The “LLC filing fee” (the fee to create a Wyoming LLC) is the same thing as the “Articles of Organization fee”. The Articles of Organization is the document that, once approved by the Secretary of State’s office, creates your Wyoming LLC.
Our Recommendation
We recommend using the online filing method. The process is a lot easier and the filings are approved immediately. However, if you are not very “tech comfortable”, then we recommend filing by mail.
Alternatively, you can hire a company to form your LLC for you. Check out Best LLC Services in Wyoming for our suggestions.
You will find instructions below for both the online filing as well as the filing by mail.
Important: Before filing your Articles of Organization with the state, make sure your Wyoming LLC name is distinguishable and that you’ve selected your LLC’s Registered Agent.
Need to save time? Hire a company to form your LLC:
Northwest ($39 + state fee) or LegalZoom ($149 + state fee)
(Learn why Northwest is #1 in Northwest vs LegalZoom)
Is Wyoming the Best State for your LLC?
If you live and do business in another state, then Wyoming may not be the best option for you (regardless of what you’ve read online).
For example, if you live and do business in Georgia, then you are legally doing business in Georgia. And if you form an LLC in Wyoming, you’ll be required to register your Wyoming LLC as a Foreign LLC in Georgia. You now have 2 LLCs, 2 filing fees, and 2 Annual Reports to take care of.
If you live and do business in another state, we strongly recommend you read What’s the best state to form an LLC?
If you are a foreigner and live overseas, then yes, Wyoming is a great option.
If you are a foreigner and live in the US, then Wyoming may not be the best option for you. See the “Best State” article above.
Having said all that, if you live and do business in Wyoming, then yes, this is the best state to form an LLC.
If you have a Decentralized Autonomous Organization and want to form a Wyoming DAO LLC, then the filing process is different.
Certain LLC Names Cannot be Filed Online and Must be Filed by Mail
Important Quirk about Wyoming LLCs:
The Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office is very strict when it comes to name distinguishability. That is, making sure a filer’s LLC name is truly unique and not too similar to existing businesses registered in the state.
Further, if you file your LLC by mail and the name is rejected, the state will refund your $100 filing fee. But, if you file your LLC online and the name is rejected, the state does not issue a refund and you’ll forfeit your $100 filing fee.
Because the state is so strict regarding distinguishability, and because the online filing is non-refundable, there are certain LLC names which must (or should be) filed by mail.
Names that start with “A” and are followed by a space:
• If your desired LLC name starts with an “A” and is then followed by a space, it must be filed by mail.
• It doesn’t matter if the “A” is uppercase (“A”) or lowercase (“a”).
Examples:
– A Fresh Market LLC
– A and J Construction LLC
– A B C Auto Parts LLC
Names that include “The”, “An”, “and”, or “&”:
• If your desired LLC name includes any of the following, it should be filed by mail:
– “The” or “the”
– “An” or “an”
– “And”, “and”, or “&”
Names that include special characters:
• If your desired LLC name includes any special characters, it should be filed by mail.
• Periods, commas, and apostrophes are not considered special characters. They are considered punctuation.
• The following are considered special characters:
– hyphens
– !
– @
– #
– $
– %
– ^
– *
– | or /
– ()
The fine print:
• Names that begin with an “a” and are followed by a space must really be filed by mail. The online filing system will reject them.
• Names that include “the”, “an”, “and”, “&”, or special characters will most of the time go through during the online filing, but because the state is so strict regarding name distinguishability, and because the filing fee is non-refundable for online filings, we strongly recommend filing LLCs with these types of names by mail.
Did you read the Name lesson?
To make sure your LLC name will be approved, you should thoroughly read through the LLC Name Lesson before filing your LLC’s Articles of Organization.
Reminder:
The Wyoming Secretary of State’s office is more than happy to determine name availability by phone. So even if you’re filing by mail, we also recommend calling the state to double-check your LLC’s name availability. Their phone number is 307-777-7311 (8am – 5pm Monday – Friday) and the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable.
How to file Wyoming LLC Articles of Organization Online
Visit the Wyoming Business Center and click the “Start Now” button.
Choose a Business Entity Type:
In the “Business Entity Type” drop down menu, select “Limited Liability Company (Domestic)”.
I Attest That:
Check off the box agreeing to the terms, and then click the “Next” button.
Tip: You’ll need to complete the entire online filing within 30 minutes or less, or else your session expires and you’ll need to start over. Many filers choose to read through the information below first before filling things out online.
1. BUSINESS NAME
Business Entity Name:
Enter your desired LLC name twice. Make sure to include the designator at the end of the name. As a reminder, here are the allowable designators as per Wyoming law:
- LLC
- L.L.C.
- LC
- L.C.
- Ltd. or LTD
- Limited Company
- Liability Company
- Ltd. Liability Co.
- Limited Liability Co.
- Limited Liability Company
Additional Designation (optional):
Most filers leave this set to “(none)” as they are forming regular LLCs.
If you are forming a low-profit LLC, select “L3C”. This is a hybrid between a for-profit and a non-profit company that has a positive social impact and usually a charitable component.
If you are forming a Close LLC, select “Close Limited Liability Company”. A Wyoming Close LLC has tighter restrictions on membership, transfers of ownership, capital distributions, and more. These are primarily used for family-owned businesses. To learn more, please read chapter 25 of the Wyoming LLC statutes.
Reminder: If your LLC name starts with an “A” and is followed by a space, you cannot file online. You must file by mail. Further, if your LLC name is rejected because it is not distinguishable, you’ll forfeit your $100 filing fee. Please make sure you’ve read the entire Wyoming LLC Name lesson.
2. DETAIL
Period of Duration:
From the drop down menu, select how long you’d like your LLC to remain in existence.
If you want your LLC to automatically shut down on a future date, select “expires” and enter that date below, or choose 30, 50, or 99 years.
What most filers choose, however, is for their LLC to have “Perpetual” existence. This means the LLC will remain open until it is closed (if ever) by the members filing dissolution paperwork with the state.
Delayed Effective Date:
If you would like your LLC to go into existence on the date it is approved by the Wyoming Secretary of State, leave this box blank.
However, if you want your LLC to go into existence on a future date, enter that date in the box. The date cannot be more than 90 days out. Then click the “Next” button.
Tip: If you’re forming your Wyoming LLC in October, November or December, and you don’t need your LLC open right away, you can forward date your filing to January 1st of the following year. This will save you the hassle of filing taxes for those months with no/little activity. For more information, please see LLC effective date.
3. AGENT
- Related article: Is a Registered Agent a Member of an LLC?
Reminder: You have 3 options for who can be your LLC’s Registered Agent in Wyoming. Please make sure you have read our Registered Agent Lesson before proceeding. Your Registered Agent’s address must be a street address located in Wyoming.
If your Registered Agent is an individual (such as yourself, a friend, or a family member):
Skip the “Search for a Registered Agent” section at the top and enter that person’s address, phone number, and email below (in the “Enter Agent Information” section), agree to the terms, and then click “Next” at the bottom.
If you’ve hired a Commercial Registered Agent in Wyoming:
In the “Search for a Registered Agent” section at the top, enter that company’s business name in the “Organization” box and click “Search”.
In the results that appear, click on their name once and their contact information will automatically be entered below. Then agree to the terms at the bottom and click “Next”.
If you hired Northwest Registered Agent, search for “Northwest Registered Agent”.
4. ADDRESSES
Wyoming LLC Principal Address:
Enter your LLC’s “office” address. This address can be an actual office address, but it doesn’t have to be.
The Wyoming LLC Principal Address can be:
- a home address,
- a friend or family member’s address,
- your Registered Agent’s address (if they allow),
- a virtual office address,
- a mailbox rental address,
- or any address for that matter.
The Wyoming LLC Principal Address can be located:
- in Wyoming,
- in any state in the US,
- or in any country in the world.
Wyoming LLC Phone Number:
The Wyoming LLC phone number can be:
- a cell phone number,
- a home phone number,
- an office phone number,
- a VOIP phone number,
- your Registered Agent’s phone number (if they allow),
- or any phone number for that matter (with one exception).
The exception (international numbers are not allowed):
The phone number must be a US phone number. The online filing system doesn’t allow for international phone numbers.
If you don’t have a US phone number, you can just enter 307-555-1212. It’s a “dummy” number that the Secretary of State allows people to use if they don’t have a phone number.
Or, if you want a US phone number for your business, we recommend using Phone.com or Sonetel.
Phone.com is a little more expensive, however it’s easier to set up and customer support is really helpful. Sonetel is cheaper, but it’s a little more complicated to set up. With both services though, you can forward calls to any phone number (in the US or outside the US).
Wyoming LLC email address:
The email address you enter will be used by the state to send you Annual Report reminders. If you need to enter multiple email addresses, make sure to separate them with a semicolon. For example: “bob@email.com; juanita@email.com; cindy@email.com”
Note: The LLC Annual Report in Wyoming is $60 per year and we will discuss this later in the Wyoming LLC Annual Report lesson.
Wyoming LLC Mailing Address:
Enter your LLC’s mailing address. This address can be the same as your LLC’s Principal Address, but if you prefer to receive mail at a different location, then enter that address here.
This address can be in any state in the US or in any country in the world. It doesn’t have to be a Wyoming address (although it can be).
Once finished, click the “Next” button at the bottom.
5. ORGANIZERS
Enter the person’s or organization’s name that is organizing the LLC as well as their address and then click the “Add” button.
Click “Next” to proceed, or if you need to add another Organizer, enter their contact information above, click “Add” as well, and then click “Next”.
Note: If you are entering a person’s name, you cannot enter an organization’s name. If you are entering an organization’s name, you cannot enter a person’s name.
Office Type:
This defaults to “Organizer”, so there is nothing you need to change here.
What is an LLC Organizer?
The person (or company) who is submitting the Articles of Organization to the Wyoming Secretary of State is known as the Organizer. An Organizer is not automatically a Member of the LLC, although they may certainly become one. As a note, you’ll be listing your LLC Members in your Operating Agreement (discussed in the next lesson).
The definition of an Organizer often confuses people. To learn more, please read these articles: LLC Organizer vs LLC Member and Registered Agent vs LLC Organizer.
6. ADDITIONAL ARTICLES
Use this box if you’d like to add any sections or statements to your Articles of Organization.
This section is optional, so you do not have to enter anything.
Most filers leave this section blank and click “Next”.
7. CONFIRMATION
Review the information you’ve listed in your Articles of Organization for accuracy and check for any typos.
If you need to make any changes, you can click “Previous” at the bottom or use any of the links at the top to go back to the applicable section.
Once everything looks good, click the “Continue” button to proceed.
8. SIGNATURE
There are 5 boxes of terms and conditions at the top you must read through and check off.
Then, under the “Penalty for filing false document” section, you must check off another box.
Filer Information:
Check off whether the filer is a person (“an individual”) or a company (“an organization”) at the top.
Then enter that person’s or company’s name, phone number, and email address below.
For most filers, this person (or company) is the same as the Organizer.
Once finished, click the “Next” button at the bottom.
9. PAYMENT
Your total payment will come out to $102 ($100 filing fee + $2 convenience fee). Click the “Start Payment Process” button to finish the checkout process:
- enter your credit or debit card information
- enter the billing address associated with the card
- enter your phone number
- enter your email
- click “Process” to submit your payment to the state
Right after your payment goes through, your Wyoming LLC will be instantly approved. Then you’ll be able to download your approval documents.
Wyoming LLC Approval (Online Filing):
After your payment goes through, you should see the following success message:
Click the “Receipt PDF” to download your receipt.
Click the “Registration PDF” to download your approved Articles of Organization and your Certificate of Organization (they are together in one PDF file).
And there’s one more document we recommend downloading called the Certificate of Good Standing:
- Click the following link: Wyoming Secretary of State: Certificates of Good Standing.
- Enter your LLC’s filing number, which is found in your approval documents.
- The system will generate a PDF for you to save to your computer.
Keep all these documents with your business records.
You have successfully filed the Articles of Organization and your Wyoming LLC is now in existence. Congratulations!
Please continue to the next lesson.
How to File Wyoming LLC Articles of Organization by Mail
Download the Articles of Organization form.
Tip: The form consists of 3 pages. Page 1 contains the instructions (we highly recommend you read through them first), Page 2 contains the actual Articles of Organization, and Page 3 contains the Consent to Appointment by Registered Agent, which must be signed by your LLC’s Registered Agent.
You’ll need to submit both the completed Articles of Organization and the signed Consent of Appointment to the Wyoming Secretary of State.
You can print the forms, fill it out by hand (use a black pen), then sign; or, you can type in the form on your computer, then print and sign. When printing, use regular white paper (8.5″ x 11″).
Wyoming Articles of Organization (page 2)
1. Name of the limited liability company:
Enter your Wyoming LLC name exactly as you would like it, including your preferred capitalization, as well as the designator. Wyoming law allows use of the following designators, which must be included at the end of your LLC name:
- LLC
- L.L.C.
- LC
- L.C.
- Ltd./LTD.
- Limited Company
- Liability Company
- Ltd. Liability Co.
- Limited Liability Co.
- Limited Liability Company
Tip: If you’re not sure which designator to choose, “LLC” is the most common.
Comma: You can use a comma in your Wyoming LLC name before the designator or you can leave it out. For example, “ABC Widgets, LLC” and “ABC Widgets LLC” are both acceptable.
2. Close Limited Liability Company:
A Close Limited Liability Company is an LLC with tighter restrictions on membership, including withdrawals and resignations, transfer of ownership interests, return of capital contributions, and dissolution. These are primarily used for family-owned businesses. To learn more, please read chapter 25 of the Wyoming LLC statutes.
If you are forming a Wyoming Close LLC, check off this box.
Most filers are just forming regular LLCs. If that’s the case, then leave this box blank (do not check it off).
3. Name and physical address of its registered agent:
Reminder: You have 3 options for who can be your LLC’s Registered Agent in Wyoming (you, friend or family, or a Commercial Registered Agent). Please make sure you have read our Registered Agent Lesson before proceeding.
- If your Registered Agent is an individual (such as yourself, a friend, or a family member), enter that person’s name and Wyoming street address in this section. Remember, PO boxes are not allowed.
- If you’ve hired a Commercial Registered Agent, enter the company’s name and Wyoming street address.
4. Mailing address of the limited liability company:
Enter the address where you prefer to receive mail. This address can be located in any state. It doesn’t have to be a Wyoming address (although it can be).
5. Principal office address:
Enter your LLC’s “office” address. This address can be an actual office address, or it can be a home address, a friend or family member’s address, or any address for that matter.
This address may be the same as your mailing address in #4, but it doesn’t have to be. This address can also be located in any state. It doesn’t have to be a Wyoming address (although it can be).
6. Signature, contact person, phone, and email:
Enter today’s date to the right, then print your name below the signature box. After you print this form, sign your name to the right of “Signature”.
Contact person:
You may be entering your name again here, but this contact person can be anyone authorized by your LLC. Enter the contact person’s phone number and email address.
This email address (or email addresses) will be used for Annual Report reminders sent from the state.
Note: The Annual Report in Wyoming is $60 per year and we will discuss this later in the Annual Report lesson.
Consent to Appointment by Registered Agent (page 3)
If your Wyoming LLC’s Registered Agent is an individual:
If your Registered Agent is an individual (you, a friend, or family member), enter their name in the first box and their address in the box below.
Enter your LLC name in the “name of business entity” box.
Then have the individual sign the form, date it, print their name, and enter their phone number, title, and email address.
Title: Since your Registered Agent is an individual, you can leave this blank.
Registered Agent Mailing Address: Most filers leave this blank. If the person’s address listed above prefers to receive mail at a different location, then enter that mailing address here.
If you hired a Commercial Registered Agent:
If you hired a Commercial Registered Agent for your Wyoming LLC, then they already have this page filled out and signed for you.
- If you hired Northwest Registered Agent, send an email to support@northwestregisteredagent.com
- If you hired another commercial Registered Agent, you’ll need to call or email them and ask them to send it to you.
*Current registered agent changing their registered office, signature and date
This section does not apply, so you can ignore it. Leave the “previous registered agent” box blank, as well as the signature and date at the bottom.
Mail your Articles of Organization and Consent to Appointment by Registered Agent to the Wyoming Secretary of State
Prepare Payment:
Prepare a check or money order for $100 and make it payable to “Wyoming Secretary of State”.
Mail Documents:
Mail your completed Articles of Organization, Consent to Appointment by Registered Agent, and $100 filing fee to:
Wyoming Secretary of State
Herschler Building East, Suite 101
122 W 25th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020
Congratulations, your Wyoming LLC has been mailed for processing! Now you just need to wait for approval.
Wyoming LLC Approval (Mail Filing):
When filing by mail, your Wyoming LLC will be processed and approved in 10-15 business days (plus mail time).
Your approval documents will be returned by email (nothing is sent back by regular mail) and you’ll receive the following:
- Articles of Organization (stamped and approved copy)
- Certificate of Organization
- and a Filing Receipt
Certificate of Good Standing:
In addition to your approval documents mentioned above, we also recommend downloading your Wyoming LLC Certificate of Good Standing:
- Click the following link: Wyoming Secretary of State: Certificates of Good Standing.
- Enter your LLC’s filing number, which is found in your approval documents.
The system will generate a PDF for you to save to your computer.
Wyoming Secretary of State Contact Info
If you have any questions, you can contact the Wyoming Secretary of State at 307-777-7311 (Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm Mountain Time).
Next Step
Once you’ve filed your Articles of Organization and your Wyoming LLC has been approved, you can then proceed to the next lesson: Wyoming LLC Operating Agreement.
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References
Wyoming Secretary of State: How to Create a Wyoming Company
Wyoming Secretary of State: LLC Act and Close LLC Supplement
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.
Great article! There is one thing I don’t understand. If a principal office is a place where records are kept; how can a PO box or mail center be used? The state can’t go to a PO box to inspect the records of the company. Please enlighten me, thank you.
Thanks Bill! I’d say the general definition of a principal office is a bit loose these days and usually not enforced or check up upon. Hence, many people have stretched the statute a bit for modern times. Hope that helps.
Hey Matt,
Great explanation on LLCs and where to file! Very informative! But, I do have a question with a twist:
What if I were to form a Real Estate LLC in Wyoming but chose to pay the extra $150.00 per year for a foreign registration in Florida because I will be owning valuable rental properties in Florida and wish to conceal that I am the proprietor and barricade charging orders from reaching my RE, etc.
Here is my thinking and PLEASE correct me: I understand that Wyoming will not allow a charging order ( or lien) on an LLC or SMLLC, so my RE is protected if I personally lose a suit. Also, Wyoming will conceal my ownership to the public, which is the first step in protection.
If I register the Wyoming LLC as a foreign LLC in Florida to be legal and compliant, the Florida Dept of Corp seems to allow the listing of Members or Managers to be another LLC or even a Trust.
Matt, as you can see, I am trying to avoid revealing my ownership and at the same time make it hard for a mean tenant to sue me. I do also use Florida Land Trusts, but these are a pain when you need some legal work done or even a building permit, etc… I would appreciate your insights. I am looking to create another LLC and your online lecture made me really think that I may do this wrong. Thanks, Matt!
Jason
Hey Jason, you’re correct about the charging order protection. However, to take full advantage of that, instead of forming a Domestic WY LLC and then registering as a Foreign LLC in Florida, most people form a Domestic LLC in Wyoming and then form a Domestic LLC in Florida where the owner is the Wyoming LLC. That should give you the protection you’re looking for. And if you hire a company to form your LLC, that’ll offer the privacy, both in Wyoming and in Florida. I recommend hiring Northwest Registered Agent. They’ll serve as your Registered Agent and let you use that address throughout your filing, keeping yours off of public records. Hope that helps.
Hi Matt, great article!
Are you sure Ltd. or LTD are valid terminations for WY LLC’s?
I can find the rest of terminations listed in the Secretary of State’s website but not this one, could you please point me to where is states so?
Thank you!
Hey Yosu, thank you for your comment. We had actually made a mistake. We reviewed the statute (see last link in our reference box) and spoke to the Secretary of State’s office. “Ltd.” or “LTD” by itself is not allowed as an LLC designator. Apologies for the confusion and our mistake. We’ve since updated the lesson. Thank you for pointing that out!