DocDraft Logo

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?

DocDraft provides document preparation, not legal advice.

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 BUSINESS NAME REGISTRATION (DBA) (Filed statewide with the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing under Alaska Statutes chapter 10.35)

This statement registers a business name, commonly called a DBA, under which the registrant named below will do business in Alaska. It is filed with the State of Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, not with a county. An Alaska business license for this name is required before the name is registered.

  1. Business Name. The business name being registered is [ASSUMED NAME]. The name does not include a word such as Corporation, Incorporated, LLC, or Limited unless the registrant is in fact that type of entity.

  2. Registrant. The full legal name of the registrant is [REGISTRANT LEGAL NAME], with mailing address [REGISTRANT ADDRESS]. The registrant is [an individual / a general partnership / a limited liability company / a corporation / other]. If the registrant is an entity, its state of organization is [STATE].

  3. Alaska Business License. The registrant holds Alaska business license number [LICENSE NUMBER] for this name, because Alaska requires the license before the name is registered.

  4. Principal Place of Business. The street address of the principal place of business is [STREET ADDRESS, CITY, AK ZIP]. The mailing address, if different, is [MAILING ADDRESS].

  5. Owners. Each person or entity that owns the business and will use the name is [NAME AND ADDRESS OF EACH OWNER, OR STATE NONE].

  6. Nature of Business. The general type of business conducted under the name is [DESCRIBE THE BUSINESS].

  7. Form and Fee. The registrant files Business Name Registration Form 08-557 with the Division of Corporations, online or by paper, and pays the $25 filing fee. Alaska charges $25 to register the name.

  8. Publication. Alaska does not require publication of this registration in a newspaper. There is no publish-and-file-proof step.

  9. Term and Renewal. This registration lasts five years and expires on December 31 of the fifth calendar year. To keep the name, the registrant renews it on Form 08-560 for a $25 fee between October 1 and December 31 of the expiration year, before it expires.

  10. Exclusive Use and Declaration. The state describes an Alaska Business Name Registration as giving the registrant the exclusive right to use this name in Alaska for the five-year term. It does not create a separate legal entity, does not limit the personal liability of a sole proprietor or general partner, and is not a federal trademark. The registrant declares that the information in this statement is true.

Dated: ____________

[REGISTRANT SIGNATURE] [PRINTED NAME AND TITLE]

Note: This Alaska statement follows Alaska Statutes chapter 10.35 and the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing filing rules. The five-year term, the $25 fee, and the no-publication rule are set by the state. For other states and the generic template, see the DBA (Doing Business As) hub.

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

In Alaska a DBA is a Business Name Registration, a state filing that lets a person or company do business under a name different from the owner's legal name. You register it on Form 08-557 with the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, and the fee is $25. It connects the name to you on the state record. It does not create a separate legal entity or limit your liability, and you must already hold an Alaska business license for the name.

In Alaska a DBA (Business Name Registration) is only a name filing you make with the Division of Corporations; it creates no new entity and gives no liability protection, though the state describes it as giving exclusive rights to the name for five years. An Alaska LLC is a separate legal entity you form by filing Articles of Organization with the same Division, and it shields the owners' personal assets. You can have both, since an existing LLC can register a business name to run a brand under another name. Choose based on whether you need liability protection or just a name.

You file a Business Name Registration statewide with the Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing, not with a county. Use Form 08-557 (online or by paper), and the fee is $25. Before you register the name, Alaska requires you to hold an Alaska business license for it, which is a separate application and fee. The registration is filed with the state Corporations Section.

No. Alaska does not require you to publish a Business Name Registration in a newspaper, and there is no affidavit-of-publication step. This is different from states that make you publish an assumed name notice for several weeks after filing. In Alaska you file the registration with the Division of Corporations and the name is posted to the public record without a newspaper notice.

An Alaska Business Name Registration lasts five years and expires on December 31 of the fifth calendar year. To keep the name, you renew it on Form 08-560 for a $25 fee, and Alaska says to renew between October 1 and December 31 of the expiration year, before it expires. Track that five-year deadline so the registration does not lapse, and keep the underlying Alaska business license current as well.

The Alaska Division of Corporations describes a Business Name Registration as giving the registrant the exclusive right to use that name in Alaska for five years, which is unusual for a DBA. Even so, the registration creates no separate legal entity, so a sole proprietor remains personally liable for the business, and it is not a federal trademark. For liability protection you would form an Alaska LLC or corporation, and for nationwide brand rights you would seek a trademark.

Yes. In Alaska you must hold an Alaska business license for the name before you register the Business Name Registration for it, per the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing. The business license is a separate application with its own fee. Once you have the license for the name, you file Form 08-557 and the $25 registration fee to register the name for the five-year term.

Yes. Separate from the five-year Business Name Registration, the Alaska Division of Corporations offers a Business Name Reservation that holds a name for 120 days while you get ready to file. The reservation is a short-term hold, not the DBA itself, so you still file the Business Name Registration (Form 08-557, $25) to actually register the name once you are ready. Check the Division for the current reservation fee.