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How to File a DBA in Alaska

In Alaska a DBA is a Business Name Registration filed statewide with the Division of Corporations for a $25 fee, with no newspaper publication and a five-year term. Attorney review available.

Find out where you stand in Alaska

What kind of business is registering the name?

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Introduction

What sets an Alaska DBA apart is that the state grants an exclusive right to the name: you register a Business Name Registration for a business name different from the owner's legal name, which creates no separate legal entity, yet Alaska reserves that name to you statewide for five years. Alaska files this statewide, not at the county level: you file a Business Name Registration (Form 08-557) with the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, and the fee is $25. Alaska requires you to hold an Alaska business license for that name before you register it. A Business Name Registration does not form a corporation or an LLC and does not shield the owner from liability, and it is not a federal trademark. Unlike a typical DBA, though, the state describes an Alaska Business Name Registration as giving the registrant the exclusive right to use that name in Alaska for five years. Alaska does not require you to publish the name in a newspaper. The registration lasts five years and expires on December 31 of the fifth calendar year, and you renew it (Form 08-560, $25) between October 1 and December 31 of that year before it expires. DocDraft builds your Alaska Business Name Registration from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.

Key Things to Know

  1. 1

    Alaska calls a DBA a Business Name Registration and, unlike most states, treats it as giving you the exclusive right to that name statewide. At its core a DBA is just a business name different from the owner's legal name, and it creates no separate legal entity.

  2. 2

    You file a Business Name Registration statewide with the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing on Form 08-557; Alaska does not file DBAs at the county level. You can file online or by paper.

  3. 3

    The Alaska filing fee is $25 for a Business Name Registration. Alaska also requires you to hold an Alaska business license for that name before you register it.

  4. 4

    Alaska does not require newspaper publication of a Business Name Registration. There is no publish-and-file-proof step like the one many other states use.

  5. 5

    A Business Name Registration lasts five years and expires on December 31 of the fifth calendar year. You renew it on Form 08-560 for a $25 fee between October 1 and December 31 of that year, before it expires.

  6. 6

    Unlike a typical DBA, the state describes an Alaska Business Name Registration as giving the registrant the exclusive right to use that name in Alaska for five years. It still creates no separate entity, gives no liability protection, and is not a federal trademark.

  7. 7

    You register a business name when you will do business in Alaska under a name that is not the owner's legal name. For an entity already on record with the Corporations Section, its registered entity name is protected automatically.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a DBA (Doing Business As) in Alaska, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The DBA (Doing Business As) guide walks through them.

Open the DBA (Doing Business As) guide

Customize your DBA (Doing Business As) Template with DocDraft

Alaska Requirements for DBA (Doing Business As)

  • File Statewide With the Division of Corporations

    In Alaska a DBA is a Business Name Registration filed statewide with the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing on Form 08-557, not at the county level. You can file online or by paper.

  • State Filing Fee

    The Alaska fee to register a Business Name Registration is 25 dollars on Form 08-557. The renewal fee is also 25 dollars on Form 08-560.

  • Business License Required First

    Alaska requires you to hold an Alaska business license for the name before you register the Business Name Registration. Have the license number ready when you file.

  • The Business Name

    The exact name to register. It must not include a word such as Corporation, Incorporated, LLC, or Limited unless the registrant is that type of entity.

  • Registrant and Owners

    The full legal name and address of the registrant, the type of registrant, and the name and address of each owner who will use the name.

  • No Newspaper Publication

    Alaska does not require publication of a Business Name Registration in a newspaper. There is no publish-and-file-proof step like the one many other states use.

  • Five-Year Term and Renewal

    A Business Name Registration lasts five years and expires on December 31 of the fifth calendar year. Renew on Form 08-560 for 25 dollars between October 1 and December 31 of that year before it expires.

  • Exclusive Rights, No Entity, No Liability Shield

    The state describes an Alaska Business Name Registration as giving the registrant the exclusive right to use the name in Alaska for five years, but it creates no separate legal entity, gives no liability protection, and is not a federal trademark.

Frequently Asked Questions