Hawaii Company Formation

Forming an LLC in Hawaii

The Process

Hawaii LLCs are formed by filing Articles of Organization with the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. The filing process takes around 7-10 business days, which can be reduced to two to three business days for an additional fee.

Name Identifiers and Abbreviations

The name of the Hawaii limited liability company must end with one of the following words or abbreviations:

• LLC
• L.L.C.
• Limited Liability Company
• Limited Liability Co.
• Ltd. Liability Company
• Ltd. Liability Co.

Operating Agreement

An Operating Agreement will help protect your company’s limited liability status and avoid your company from being run by the default rules created by the state. Although Hawaii does not mandate all LLCs to have Operating Agreement, it is recommended that you have one.

Additional Filings

Depending on the nature of your business, some additional filings may be necessary to complete the proper set-up of your LLC:

• EIN (tax ID) – available as an option for non-US residents.
• Sales tax registration
• Payroll registration & business licensing
• In Hawaii, if you are operating any type of business you will need a general business license from the State of Hawaii. This rule applies to all types of businesses including small and home-based businesses.