A corporation is a legal entity created under the laws of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to carry on some business or other authorized activities. In order to start a corporate business in the CNMI, the following requirements must be met:

• The articles of incorporation must be filed with the Attorney General's Office. The articles of incorporation must provide the name of the corporation, purposes of the corporation, authorized capital, number of directors (not less than 3), name and address of initial registered agent, names and addresses of the incorporators.
• The articles of incorporation must be executed by the incorporators.
• The articles of incorporation must be delivered to the Office of the Registrar of Corporations for filing and must be accompanied by two exact or conformed copies and proof of payment of the filing fees.
• The filing fee is $100.00. The fees should be paid at the Department of Finance and proof of payment delivered to the Registrar of Corporations when presenting the articles of incorporation for filing.
• The articles of incorporation become effective at the time of filing on the date filed, as evidenced by the Registrar of Corporations' date and time endorsement of the original document.
• The Registrar of Corporations will issue a certificate of Incorporation for the business.

All businesses in the Northern Mariana Islands must have a business license before beginning operations. The license requires approximately three days for processing; renewals are done in one or two days. If additional lines or businesses are added to the company's operations, an amendment to the current license is required.

For a new license you will need to complete a business license application and present a copy of your business entry permits for incorporators and officers of the corporation, partners, or sole proprietor, if not a U.S.citizen(s).

To renew an existing license for corporations, you must complete a business license application, provide your original business license, a sketch of your business location and copy of your previous years filed annual corporate report.

The filing fee for a new business license is $50.00 per business activity. Please consult the business licensing fees section of this booklet for special fee rates to determine if your business is subject to higher or lower fee rates.

You must file an Internal Revenue Service application for a federal employer identification number for SS-4. The form can be picked up at the Office of Revenue and Taxation. It takes four to six weeks to get your federal I.D. number back from the Internal Revenue Service Philadelphia, Pennsylvania office. It is recommended that you send your application out immediately after confirmation of the corporate existence of your business.

The Registrar of Corporations requires that an annual corporate report be submitted annually at the end of each calendar year. The one page form can be picked up at the Office of Registrar of Corporations. The completed form and the fee of $50.00 should be submitted to the Registrar's office. An initial annual report must be filed with the Registrar of Corporations within 60 days after the certificate of incorporation has been issued.

All domestic corporations are required to file a Commonwealth corporate tax return annually. Please pick up the Commonwealth corporate tax return 1120 CM from the Office of Revenue and Taxation . The 1120 CM return must be filed by March 15 every year.

All domestic corporations are required to file the Commonwealth business gross revenue tax return on a quarterly basis. These forms can also be picked up at the Office of Revenue and Taxation.