How to File New Hampshire's Certificate of Formation
New Hampshire calls its articles of organization a Certificate of Formation. What goes on it, what is filed with it and what it costs, read from New Hampshire government sources.
The short answer. To form an LLC in New Hampshire, you file the Certificate of Formation with the New Hampshire Department of State, Corporation Division. The state filing fee is $100. We have not confirmed whether New Hampshire accepts the Certificate of Formation online. Of the 15 items this page tracks, the form requires 6, makes 6 optional and leaves out 3.
The New Hampshire Certificate of Formation at a Glance
| What New Hampshire calls it | Certificate of Formation (Form LLC-1) |
| State filing fee | $100 |
| Processing time | Check with the New Hampshire Department of State, Corporation Division |
| Where to file | New Hampshire Department of State, Corporation Division |
| File online | Not checked |
| Blank form | Download it from the state |
| Law that sets its contents | RSA 304-C:31 |
| Filed with it or right after | Nothing else |
Read from New Hampshire government sources, some of them archived copies of the state's own pages, last checked September 23, 2026. The filing fee and processing time come from our New Hampshire cost record. See the sources.
What Goes on New Hampshire's Certificate of Formation
Each row is one of the 15 items this page tracks, with what New Hampshire's Certificate of Formation asks for. "Not on the form" means we checked and found no place for it on the Certificate of Formation. "Not checked" means we have not confirmed it either way.
| Item | On the form |
|---|---|
| LLC name | Required |
| Registered agent's name | Required |
| Registered office address | Required |
| Principal office address | Optional |
| Mailing address | Optional |
| Organizer's name | Required |
| Members' names | Optional |
| Managers' names | Optional |
| Member-managed or manager-managed | Required |
| Business purpose | Required |
| Duration | Not on the form |
| Effective date | Optional |
| County | Not on the form |
| Email address | Optional |
| Registered agent's consent | Not on the form |
These entries are confirmed public record: LLC name, registered agent's name, registered office address, principal office address, mailing address, organizer's name, members' names, managers' names, member-managed or manager-managed, business purpose and email address.
The registered agent rows are covered in more depth in New Hampshire's registered agent requirements, and the steps before and after this filing are in how to start an LLC in New Hampshire.
What the LLC's Name Must Include
The LLC's name must include an LLC ending. Accepted endings include "Limited Liability Company", "L.L.C.", "L. L. C." and "LLC", and the law allows others as well.
Rule: RSA 304-C:32, I(a).
File These With It or Right After
Nothing else has to be filed with it.
Draft Your Certificate of Formation
The generator below starts with New Hampshire selected and drafts the document from what you enter. Compare the draft with the state's current form before you file.
MyStateLLC.com is not a law firm, not an attorney, and not a document preparation service. This is a self-service tool: it formats information you enter into a state template, and no one at MyStateLLC reviews, corrects, or files it for you. This tool and the document it generates are informational and are not legal, financial, or tax advice, and are not a substitute for the advice or services of an attorney. MyStateLLC cannot give legal advice, does not prepare or file documents itself, and communications with MyStateLLC are not privileged. Using this tool does not create an attorney-client relationship. LLC laws vary by state and this document is not reviewed by anyone before you file it. Consult a licensed attorney or CPA in your state before you sign or file it.
Where are you forming your LLC?
After It Is Approved
| Certified copy of the filed Certificate of Formation | $6 |
| Changing it later (Certificate of Amendment) | $35 |
Where these fees come from: the sources.
Professional LLCs in New Hampshire
In New Hampshire, a professional LLC files a separate form, the Certificate of Formation, New Hampshire Professional Limited Liability Company (Form PLLC-1), instead of the Certificate of Formation. Also required: Article Second must describe the professional services the LLC is organized to render, as defined in RSA 304-D. Your profession's licensing board may have requirements of its own, so check with it before you file.
Worth Knowing in New Hampshire
New Hampshire rejects a purpose of any lawful activity. The certificate must describe the nature of the primary business in specific words.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
- gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXVIII/304-C/304-C-31.htmRSA 304-C:31, Certificate of Formation, General Requirements
- gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXVIII/304-C/304-C-32.htmRSA 304-C:32, Name Set Forth in Certificate of Formation
- gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXVIII/304-C/304-C-29.htmRSA 304-C:29, Effective Time and Date of Filed Documents
- gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXVIII/304-C/304-C-34.htmRSA 304-C:34, Amendments to Certificates of Formation
- gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXVIII/304-C/304-C-36.htmRSA 304-C:36, Registered Offices and Registered Agents
- gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXVIII/304-C/304-C-191.htmRSA 304-C:191, Fees
- gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXVIII/304-C/304-C-194.htmRSA 304-C:194, Annual Reports
- gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXVIII/304-D/304-D-mrg.htmRSA 304-D, Professional Limited Liability Companies
- sos.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt561/files/documents/2023-12/form_llc-1_-10-2018.pdfForm LLC-1, Certificate of Formation, New Hampshire Limited Liability Company (archived copy of the state's page)
- sos.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt561/files/documents/2023-12/form_pllc-1_-10-2018.pdfNew Hampshire Form PLLC-1, Certificate of Formation, New Hampshire Professional Limited Liability Company (10/2018) (archived copy of the state's page)
The rows and fees on this page were read from the New Hampshire government sources above, not from a formation service, and anything we could not confirm there is marked Not checked. See our editorial policy for how these are verified and corrected.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It reports what each state's filing office publishes about the document that forms an LLC, with the sources this page cites. It cannot tell you what your own filing needs: fees and forms change between our reviews, several occupations cannot use an ordinary LLC at all and must use a professional entity or a separate professional form, and your city or county may require a registration of its own. Confirm the current fee and form with the filing office named on this page before you send anything.
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.