What are Articles of Incorporation?
If you’re incorporating your business, chances are you’ve heard you will need "articles of incorporation". Though it may sound like a complicated set of documents, it is actually the initial document that sets forth the information about a corporation that is required by the laws of the state in which you are forming your corporation.
Articles of incorporation are sometimes also called the certificate of incorporation or charter - in fact, these 3 terms are often used interchangeably. Bear in mind that some of that information will be included in the public record.
So, if you are forming a corporation in California for example, you’ll need to submit the information required for California articles of incorporation. Here you can learn more about the specifics for incorporating in California , including articles of incorporation.