Incorporating in District of Columbia is relatively easy.  This article should give you resources to understand how the incorporation process works in District of Columbia, and to use the legal forms from the District of Columbia Secretary of State to incorporate in District of Columbia.

The first step to incorporating in District of Columbia is to make sure your company name choice is available. This can be done at the Online Organization Registration page. If your desired name is available, an Application for Name Reservation form can be filed. The filing fee is $35 and the name will be reserved for a period of 60 days. The form and payment can be mailed to: Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations Division, P.O. Box 92300, Washington, DC 20090.

Once you have established name availability, to incorporate you must file the Articles of Incorporation. Once finished filling out the form, the form and the $185 dollar filing fee can be mailed to the same address used above. The standard turn-around time for mail-in filings is 10 business days from receipt of the paperwork. Walk-in filings will be processed and approved or rejected while you wait.

After the articles of incorporation are filed and approved, the company must adopt Bylaws. You must then obtain a Federal Employer Identification Number and open a company bank account, followed by obtaining a local business license from the city or county where you will be doing business.

Annual reports are due every two years after the first year. The filing fee is $250.

District of Columbia does not offer an online filing service. Therefore, your forms must be mailed or submitted in person. However, there are many companies that offer the service of filing these articles on your behalf, such as FileOnline  or LegalZoom .