Wyoming is known as one of the three incorporation-friendly states, the other two being Nevada and Delaware. The popularity of Wyoming as a "corporate heaven" in enhanced by the very liberal Corporation Law which enables companies to be established quickly and with the broadest possible powers permitted under the law. There are little or no restrictions on any consequent business activities.
To learn more about specific advantages of incorporation in Wyoming please consult our article Advantages of Incorporating in Wyoming.
It is safe to assume that vast majority of companies registered in Wyoming have no physical connection to the state whatsoever. As far as our statistics go, Wyoming holds the record of new entities being formed, and it is popular both amongs domestic and foreign clients. In fact, Wyoming is perfect for foreign clients, looking to establish remote business in the U.S. (one with no physical connection), and is one most our foreign client indeed choose.
Wyoming entities can be useful tools for internet (ecommerce) businesses, remote technical support and outsourcing, export/import, etc., especially if such businesses have only virtual presence in the U.S., and they can be used for the purpose of asset holding (especially intellectual property), and generally as holding companies for other business entities.
For years Nevada was extremely popular state to form companies with wide range of purposes, rivaling Delaware as the incorporation heaven of America. However, recent political and fiscal developments in Nevada, which brough introduction of expensive Business License and Initial List filing requirements, as well as outrageous renewal fees and rough treatement of delinquient businesses, have significantly reduced the attractiveness of the state.
As a result for the last several years there was a steady outflow of companies from Nevada through the process of domestication, with Wyoming being the primary beneficiary of this process. No positive change is expected any time soon, and this is one of the reasons we often recommend our clients, looking to incorporate in Nevada, to consider Wyoming instead.
Not everyone would benefit from registering their company in Wyoming. First, most technology companies would benefit from registering in Delaware, since professional investors such as VCs always prefer the familiar laws of Delaware over any other state.
Then there is a question of nexus - if your business is physically located in another state, and you think that by registering it in Wyoming you can escape registration in your state (for example, notoriously expensive California), we have to disappoint you. Even though your business will be organized under the Wyoming law, you will still have to foreign qualify it in your state, which in other words means you will have to maintain two entities instead of one.
If you decided to open a new business that will be based in Wyoming you can choose from several options:
An existing company registered in another state or country (called "foreign corporation", "foreign LLC", etc) looking to conduct business in Wyoming might be required to foreign qualify in Wyoming. This rule typically applies to companies looking to open a physical branch in Wyoming, lease an office or warehouse, hire employees, etc.
"Foreign" businesses that do not create "strong nexus" by moving physically to Wyoming might still be required to obtain Sales & Use Tax License from Wyoming Department of Revenue if selling taxable products or services using local dropshippers.
Companies registered in Wyoming enjoy from a wide spectrum of services provided by the Wyoming Secretary of State and Wyoming Department of Revenue. Such services include but not limited to:
Our company specializes in working with state government agencies such as Wyoming Secretary of State and Wyoming Department of Revenue in order to make your business registration and maintenance easier and smoother. We invite you to browse our website to learn more about our services and prices - and never hesitate to contact us via via phone, chat or email if you have any questions.