Businesses can be incorporated online. Incorporation can be done filing papers and handing over the forms to the office of the Secretary of State where they will be incorporated. It can be done by the applicant or by a lawyer. If you chose to do it yourself, online mediums offer a fairly easy way. There are intermediaries who will do if for you, but you must keep in mind that they are just service providers and don’t offer any legal advice.

There are many of service providers on the Internet who provide incorporation services. The services include filing the papers, providing registered agents for those states where the business is to be incorporated, name checking and final delivery of the documents. The charges include state filing fees that vary from state to state and service and shipping charges. If the incorporation process has to be expedited, the charges are usually higher.

Before filing online, you have to do a lot of homework either by yourself or with the counsel of a lawyer. This includes deciding on the type of corporation -- the most important part of the incorporation process because a wrong choice could lead to business losses. Secondly, you have to decide the states in which to incorporate.

To file, an online form has to be filled out, and once the ‘submit’ button is pressed, the online registration is over. A form may have to be filled in again, if the name chosen for incorporation is not available. Many online services act as registered agents in different states. Usually the fees are paid by credit cards. The number of days to process the application varies from state to state. The fees vary from $89-$329, plus state fees. Some online service providers offer value added services like compliance services and international services.