NEW PROCEDURES FOR NEVADA BUSINESS REGISTRATION

By Bonnie Drinkwater, Esq. and Kerry Kolvet, Esq.

If you are in business or thinking about starting a business in Nevada, there has been a change in the way that your business should obtain its Nevada Business Registration (the “License”). With a few minor exceptions, this License is required of every person or entity doing business in Nevada. This means anyone who performs services or engages in a trade for profit or if you have a legal entity with the State.

Effective October 1, 2009, State Licenses began to be issued out of the Nevada Secretary of State Office rather than the Department of Taxation where you previously filed for the License. As part of this change, the Secretary of State’s office will require that all businesses file for their annual State License in conjunction with the filing of the Annual List.

What if you should have a License, but never got one?

If your initial list is due soon (before the end of the year), you can simply apply for the License when you file your initial list with the Secretary of State. However, if your list is not due soon (say before the end of the year), you should submit a Gap Business License Application as soon as possible to avoid late penalties for failure to obtain a License. Thereafter, your License will be due when your annual list is due.

What if you have a License but it expires before your annual list is due?

You should submit a Gap Business License Application as soon as possible (preferably before the expiration date) to avoid late penalties for failure to obtain a License. Thereafter, your License will be renewed when you file your annual list.

What if you have a License, but it expires after your list is due?

Simply file your list when it is due and submit for your License renewal at the same time (even though it has not expired). You will pay a prorated fee for the balance of the year and, next year, your License will expire at the same time that your annual list is due.

To find more information and the appropriate forms, visit the Nevada Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.state.nv.us.