Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp today reminded officers and registered agents of corporate entities registered in Georgia that the annual renewal period has started, and the renewal deadline is Sunday, April 1, 2012...
Atlanta – Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp today reminded officers and registered agents of corporate entities registered in Georgia that the annual renewal period has started, and the renewal deadline is Sunday, April 1, 2012.
Georgia law requires corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships and other corporate entities to file annual renewals with the Secretary of State’s Office and pay a renewal fee of $50. Corporate entities that fail to renew by the deadline will be charged late filing penalty fees and could receive an administrative dissolution notice.
Customers are encouraged to renew their existing corporate entities and form new corporate entities online, and provide at least one email address with their filing. Customers can then receive renewal notices and important notifications related to their filing in email format.
The email notification system sends an email to every address associated with the corporate entity every time a change is made to any field in the corporate filing. The notification asks each entity contact with an email address on file to review the entity’s information, to make sure that the changed information is authorized and correct. Additionally, a backup security feature permanently stores every email address added to an entity’s record. This feature ensures that email addresses cannot be deleted in an attempt to block receipt of the notifications by the rightful entity contact.
Secretary Kemp said, “We encourage all Georgia businesses to take advantage of our online renewal and registration tools and email notification system. These e-government solutions save business managers time, prevent corporate ID fraud and significantly reduce costs to Georgia’s taxpayers.”
Check and money order renewal payments can also be made by mail, or in person at the Secretary of State’s Corporations Division Office in Atlanta, the Professional Licensing Boards Division in Macon, or the Secretary of State’s South Georgia Office in Tifton. However, to expedite a non-electronically submitted renewal, customers should mail a printed annual registration form to the address provided on the form. Absolutely no cash is accepted for payment of renewal or registration fees.
Some entities may not have received annual renewal notices because they have moved their location and their records have not been updated in the Corporations Division database. Customers who are unsure of an entity’s status should visit the Corporations Division website and search for their company by name or control number. If the status is “Active/Noncompliant” or “Active/Owes Current Year AR,” the entity likely owes annual renewal fees.
The Corporations Division also features a Corporate ID Theft Resources website at http://www.sos.ga.gov/corporations/idtheft.htm. Georgia businesses can gain a greater understanding of the scope of this growing threat, and learn how to protect themselves from ID theft and fraud.
Secretary Kemp has made raising awareness about corporate ID theft and fraud a priority both nationally and throughout Georgia. He has been recognized by his fellow Secretaries of State as a national leader in implementing e-government solutions to combat corporate ID theft, and in raising awareness among business owners, financial institutions and law enforcement agencies about this growing criminal activity. Secretary Kemp is a member of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) Business Services Committee and the NASS Business Identity Theft Task Force.
Georgia corporations, limited liability companies and limited partnerships are formed by filing with the Corporations Division. Some foreign (out of state) entities that do business in the state of Georgia are required to file with the Corporations Division. The Division serves as custodian of the filings and provides copies and/or certifications of the documents.
For more information please contact the Corporations Division at 404-656-2817 or visit www.sos.ga.gov/corporations.
Brian Kemp has been Secretary of State since January 2010. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting efficient and secure elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities and professional license holders. The office also oversees the Georgia Archives.