GOVERNOR Ralph DLG Torres on Thursday signed into law House Bill 21-19, which will impose higher fees on businesses amid a global pandemic and a severe economic downturn.
Introduced by Rep. Joseph Leepan T. Tenorio and supported by the CNMI Department of Commerce, the measure is now Public Law 21-37.
It will make the following changes to existing fees:
(1) Articles of organization $150 (new).
(2) Articles of incorporation from $100 to $150.
(3) Application for reinstatement following administrative dissolution, from $100 to $250.
(4) Application for certificate of authority for foreign corporation, $250 (new).
(5) Application for amended certificate of authority for foreign corporation, $50 (new).
(6) Non-profit Corporation petition, charter and bylaws, $30.
(7) Registration of partnership, $100.
(8) Amended articles of organization, $100.
(9) Amended articles of incorporation, from $50 to $100.
(10) Restated articles of incorporation, from $50 to $100.
(11) Articles of dissolution, still $50.
(12) Articles of merger or share exchange, from $50 to $100.
(13) Articles of revocation of dissolution, still $50.
(14) Annual and initial corporation report for domestic, and foreign partnership, $100.
(15) Application for certificate of withdrawal from $25 to $50.
(16) Articles of correction, still $25.
(17) Service of process (Registrar of Corporations), $200.
(18) Any other document required or permitted to be filed, such as bylaws affidavit, minutes, resolutions, amended annual reports and amended bylaws, operating agreements, stocks, resignation as director/president/vice-president/secretary/treasurer, etc., $50.
(19) Non-profit corporation report, initial, $10.
(20) Application for certificate of existence or authorization for good standing, from $10 to $50.
(21) Registered agent form, $50.
(22) Agent’s statement of change in registered office or resignation, still $10.
(23) Application for reservation of name, notice of transfer of reserved name, from $10 to $50.
(24) Application for registered name, application for renewal of registered name, from $10 to $50.
(25) Corporation’s statement of change of registered agent or registered office or both, from $10 to $25.
(26) Certificate or certification of document, $20; $1 for additional page for copying.
(27) Annual subscription for Commonwealth Register, $100.
(28) Postage fee for Commonwealth Register, $30.
(29) Articles of Incorporation, bylaws, annual reports, $5 per document; $1 per copy of each additional attachments.
(30) Expedited service fee, business organization document filing, $150.
(31) Expedited service fee, certified research request, i.e., certification request of documents, $150.
(32) Penalty for documents received after March 1, i.e. initial reports, annual reports, $150.
(33) Penalty for annual reports received after March 2 (in addition to $150), $10 per day.
(34) Penalty for late filing on non-profit corporation reports, annual and minutes, $25.
(35) Penalty for non-profit annual reports received after March 2 (in addition to $25) $5 per day.
In her letter to the governor last month, Saipan Chamber of Commerce President Velma Palacios said, “Raising fees in the middle of a pandemic will result in the reverse intended effect, lowering overall government revenue as more people either illegally operate or avoid starting their own businesses altogether.”
