Governor Hassan and Secretary of State's Office Launch Online Business Registration

Press Release

Building on efforts to improve state government efficiency, make it easier for businesses to start up in New Hampshire and ensure that state government remains responsive to the needs of the business community, Governor Maggie Hassan and Secretary of State William Gardner announced today the launch of NH QuickStart, an online platform for business registration with the Corporation Division of the Secretary of State's Office.

"In order to support job-creating businesses and keep our economy moving in the right direction, we must always be looking for new ways to make our nimble state government even more responsive to the needs of the business community," Governor Hassan said. "Modern businesses expect and need to do business online, and by allowing for online business registration, NH QuickStart will help make it easier for businesses to start up in New Hampshire. I applaud the Secretary of State's leadership in moving registrations online."

Until today, business registrations had to be mailed or hand-delivered along with payment by cash or check, but with NH QuickStart, anyone may now securely register corporations, LLCs and trade names online. When registering online, NH QuickStart users can pay with a credit card or an established ACH account.

The effort is part of an overall strategy to modernize state government and move more of its services online. Governor Hassan issued an Executive Order directing state agencies to move all possible business-related forms online by next fall, through the state's Business One Stop.

This is also the first in a series of improvements planned to modernize the way customers interact with the Corporation Division. NH QuickStart allows users to create an account that tracks their business formation from initial submission through completion by receiving real-time notifications throughout the business filing process.

"We are very excited about the changes we are bringing forward," Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan said. "The new online capability should be more efficient for the Corporation Division and much more convenient for those who utilize the division's services."

Over the next 18 months, additional improvements and features will be added to NH QuickStart, including additional business formation types, business amendments, document searching, electronic reminder notices, certificate of good standing requests and a new mobile app named NHQS available for both Android and Apple products.

Initially, NH QuickStart will allow users to register trade names and create the following business types online: Domestic Corporation, Professional Corporation, Domestic Limited Liability Company, Domestic Professional Limited Liability Company, Foreign Corporation, Foreign Professional Corporation, Foreign Limited Liability Company and Foreign Professional Limited Liability Company.

It also has the ability to keep users informed of new functionality as it becomes available through the "What's New?" and "News" links and provides frequently asked questions to guide the user through the online filing process, as well as useful links to New Hampshire business forms and laws, legacy business name search, a list of New Hampshire-registered agents and other state agencies.

Attracting job-creating businesses to the Granite State and ensuring that state government is responsive to the needs of the business community is one of Governor Hassan's top priorities. In addition to the Executive Order directing state agencies to move all possible business-related forms and applications online by next fall, she launched Live Free and Start to help make it easier for innovative businesses to start up and flourish in New Hampshire.

To access NH QuickStart, visit https://QuickStart.sos.nh.gov.

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