15 · jurisdiction profile

Hawaii business filings, made easier to navigate.

This is the practical starting point for researching entities administered by Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division (BREG). Find the public search tool, understand the state’s filing rhythm, and plan the evidence and maintenance steps that follow.

Open official entity search ↗

Domestic LLC

Domestic Hawaii LLC Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) cost $50.00, with an optional $25.00 expedited-review charge. The filing is nonrefundable and must identify a compliant name, principal office, registered agent physically present in Hawaii, organizer, and management structure. Online, email, mail, and fax filing are accepted, although transition-related delays are possible.

Domestic corporation

Domestic profit-corporation Articles of Incorporation (Form DC-1) cost $50.00, plus $25.00 for expedited review. The basic fee does not vary by authorized-share count in the BREG schedule, although the articles must state the authorized shares and other Chapter 414 requirements. Nonprofit corporations use the separate Chapter 414D schedule.

Standard turnaround

BREG accepts filings online, by email, mail, fax, or in person. Online filing submits immediately and ordinarily produces a receipt, while staff review and issuance depend on completeness. During the announced July 6, 2026 computer-system transition, BREG states that processing may be delayed and that expedited handling is currently unavailable even though the fee schedules still list expedited service.

Executive overview

What this state profile helps you decide

A state registry profile has two jobs. First, it tells you where the official record lives and how to search it. Second, it gives you enough compliance context to understand what the record means after you find it.

For Hawaii, the filing office is Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division (BREG). The current public-facing portal is powered or identified as Hawaii Business Express; BREG announced a transition to a new portal effective July 6, 2026. The agency page and search engine should be treated as the final source for live forms, accepted payment methods, processing queues, and entity-specific notices.

Use this page when you need a high-level answer. Use the linked modules when you are preparing an actual filing, trying to cure a delinquency, ordering documentary evidence, or changing the statutory agent.

State filing snapshot

The numbers and obligations to surface first

Decision point	What the current profile says
Domestic formation	LLC: Domestic Hawaii LLC Articles of Organization (Form LLC-1) cost $50.00, with an optional $25.00 expedited-review charge. The filing is nonrefundable and must identify a compliant name, principal office, registered agent physically present in Hawaii, organizer, and management structure. Online, email, mail, and fax filing are accepted, although transition-related delays are possible. Corporation: Domestic profit-corporation Articles of Incorporation (Form DC-1) cost $50.00, plus $25.00 for expedited review. The basic fee does not vary by authorized-share count in the BREG schedule, although the articles must state the authorized shares and other Chapter 414 requirements. Nonprofit corporations use the separate Chapter 414D schedule.
Foreign qualification	LLC: A foreign LLC files Form FLLC-1, Application for Certificate of Authority, for $50.00, with an optional $25.00 expedited-review charge. The application requires the foreign jurisdiction and entity information, a Hawaii registered agent and physical street address, and an original or certified home-jurisdiction good-standing certificate dated no more than 60 days before filing. The filing is nonrefundable. Corporation: A foreign profit corporation files Form FC-1, Application for Certificate of Authority, for $50.00, with an optional $25.00 expedited-review charge. It must supply the jurisdiction and date of incorporation, authorized shares, Hawaii registered office and agent, and the required authenticated or certified home-state document. Foreign nonprofit corporations use a separate $25.00 base application fee under Chapter 414D.
Recurring maintenance	LLC: Hawaii domestic and foreign LLC annual reports cost $15.00, with a scheduled $25.00 expedited option. The due quarter is tied to the original registration date: entities registered January-March are due March 31; April-June, June 30; July-September, September 30; and October-December, December 31. An entity registered in the same calendar year in which its report would otherwise be due is generally not required to file that year's report. The report provides public business information and no financial statements. Corporation: Domestic and foreign profit corporations file annual reports for $15.00, with a scheduled $25.00 expedited option. The deadline follows the same registration quarter structure: March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31, with the first-year exception described by BREG. Nonprofit corporations use the Chapter 414D schedule and generally pay $5.00. Annual reports update public information and are separate from Hawaii tax returns.
Registered agent	A Hawaii registered agent must be an individual or entity authorized to transact business in Hawaii and physically present in the state, with a physical street address where service can be delivered; a P.O. box alone is insufficient. The agent's name and office are public registry information. BREG provides separate commercial-agent listing and termination forms, and an entity may change or resign an agent through the applicable $25.00 filing. The agent's practical duty is to receive process, notices, and demands and promptly communicate them to the business.

Choose your next guide

01↗

Business lookup

A focused Hawaii operating guide for business lookup.

02↗

Annual reports

A focused Hawaii operating guide for annual reports.

03↗

Good standing

A focused Hawaii operating guide for good standing.

04↗

Registered agent

A focused Hawaii operating guide for registered agent.

Formation is the beginning, not the compliance plan

The cheapest formation route is not always the simplest operating route. Before filing, confirm the name standard, statutory agent requirements, authorized-share or member information, local licensing, tax registrations, and any professional-entity restrictions that apply to the planned activity.

After formation, calendar the first report or statement immediately. A newly created entity may have a first-year exception, an anniversary-month due date, a quarterly filing window, or a separate tax obligation. Treat the agency record, revenue department account, and local license file as related—but separate—workstreams.

How to use the official record responsibly

Save the entity ID, legal name, status, registered agent and office, formation or qualification date, and the most recent filed document. When a third party asks for “proof,” ask whether it needs a current certificate, certified charter, tax clearance, apostille, or a plain search result. Those are different documents with different evidentiary value.