Information guides
Everything you need to know about starting, running and closing a business entity in the State of Ridgeway — structures, fees, filing obligations, Special Operating Licenses and more.
About ACRA
The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) is the registrar and regulator of business entities in the State of Ridgeway. ACRA is a division of the Department of State and administers the Ridgeway Business Entities Act. Our mission is to make Ridgeway the best place for business — by keeping registration simple, the register trustworthy, and the regulatory playing field fair.
ACRA administers the public register of business entities and the Special Operating License (SOL) framework in partnership with the offices of the State Bar, the State Police, the County Sheriff and the County Fire Chief. Applications for a licence are lodged through RidgeFile, but each licence class is decided — and enforced — by its designated approving authority (see the licences guide).
The register is maintained by the Registrar of Companies, an officer appointed by the Secretary of State. The Registrar decides applications for entity names and registrations, receives statutory filings, and may — where the law requires — refuse, suspend or remove entries from the register. Decisions of the Registrar are recorded and may be reviewed on application to the Department of State.
For every registered entity the register records its name and Ridgeway Entity Number (REN), entity type and status, registered office address, principal activity (RSIC), position holders, equity where applicable, filing history, and any Special Operating Licenses held — including suspensions and revocations. Basic particulars can be searched free of charge; certified extracts and profiles are available as paid information products.
RidgeFile is ACRA's digital service portal. Nearly every transaction with the registry — from reserving a name to filing an Annual Report — can be completed here, and most are approved immediately after payment.
Business structures
Ridgeway law provides six vehicles for carrying on business or organised activity. The right structure depends on how many people are involved, how much liability protection you need, and how you intend to hold ownership. The table below compares the structures registrable on RidgeFile.
| Structure | Legal personality | Liability of owners | Minimum position holders | Equity | Annual obligation | Registration fee |
|---|
Which structure should I choose?
Testing an idea on your own? A sole proprietorship is the cheapest and fastest to set up, but you remain personally liable for the debts of the business. Going into business with others informally? A general partnership works the same way for two or more partners; a limited partnership lets passive investors cap their exposure at the amount they contribute.
Want liability protection and room to grow? The limited liability company (LLC) is the most common choice in Ridgeway — it is a separate legal person, survives changes in membership, and its members hold membership units without being personally liable for the company's debts. Choose a corporation when you want a classic share structure: a board of directors, a company secretary, and shares that can be issued to investors and transferred freely.
Pursuing a charitable, educational or community purpose? A non-profit organization (NPO) has no equity holders at all — it records a stated purpose instead, and is run by its directors and secretary. Note that every NPO registration is verified manually by the Registrar before it goes live, so allow a few extra working days.
Ready to begin? Every registration starts with an application for a business entity name — once the name is approved and reserved, you can register the entity using the same transaction number. Full fees are set out in the fee schedule below.
Fees
All fees are prescribed under the Ridgeway Business Entities (Fees) Regulations and are stated in Ridgeway dollars. Fees are payable at the point of submission and are generally non-refundable once an application has been processed (see the FAQ on refunds).
Name application and registration
| Item | 1-year term | 3-year term |
|---|
A 3-year term is available only for sole proprietorships, general partnerships and limited partnerships. Limited liability companies, corporations and non-profit organizations remain registered until deregistered and do not renew — they file an Annual Report instead.
Renewal, filing and licence fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|
Information products
| Product | What it contains | Fee |
|---|
Information products are generated immediately after payment and remain available under My information orders. Searching the register itself is free of charge.
Annual filing
Every registered entity has a recurring obligation to confirm its particulars with the registry. What you must file — and when — depends on your entity type.
| Entity type | What to file | When | Fee |
|---|
Limited liability companies, corporations and non-profit organizations must file an Annual Report within 7 months after the end of their financial year. The Annual Report confirms the entity's registered particulars, position holders and equity (membership units for LLCs, shares for corporations, the stated purpose for NPOs), and includes a summary of the financial statements together with a declaration of solvency. You can file an Annual Report online in about ten minutes — most fields are pre-filled from the register.
Sole proprietorships, general partnerships and limited partnerships do not file Annual Reports; instead their registration lapses unless renewed before the expiry date. Renewal can be completed for one or three years at a time from your entity management console.
Late lodgement penalties
A late lodgement penalty is payable in addition to the filing fee when an Annual Report is lodged after its due date. The penalty escalates with the length of the delay, up to a maximum of $350.00 per filing:
| Delay in lodgement | Penalty |
|---|
Persistent default is treated seriously: the Registrar may prosecute position holders and may strike an entity off the register after prolonged non-filing. Check what is currently due for your entities on your dashboard or via Manage.
Special Operating Licenses
Registration makes your entity legal; a Special Operating License (SOL) makes a regulated trade lawful. Businesses in four regulated trades — legal practice, firearms dealing, security guarding, and medical or health services — must hold a valid SOL in addition to their business registration before commencing the regulated activity. A licence names the entity that holds it, carries an expiry date, and may be made subject to conditions (for example, inspection regimes or reporting obligations).
Each licence class is approved — and suspended or revoked — only by its designated authority. ACRA administers the applications, but the decision belongs to the authority responsible for the trade:
| Licence class | Approved by | Who needs it |
|---|
How to apply
Apply online through RidgeFile: the entity must be Live on the register, and the application must be made by its owner. Your application is routed automatically to the approving authority for the class you select — for example, an application for a Guard Service licence is subject to approval by the County Sheriff. The authority decides the application within approximately 10 working days; if approved, the licence is issued with its expiry date and any conditions, and appears immediately on your entity's public record. The application fee is $250.00, payable on submission.
Ready to apply? Use the Apply for a Special Operating License eService — it walks you through choosing the entity, the licence class and the approving authority, the declaration and payment.
An authority may suspend or revoke a licence of its class where the licence conditions are breached, where the licensee is convicted of a relevant offence, or where continued licensing would be contrary to the public interest. Licensees are notified in writing and may make representations before a decision takes effect.
Suspensions and revocations are published on the entity's public record, alongside the licence's class, approving authority, issue date, expiry and conditions. Before dealing with a regulated business, you can verify its licence standing free of charge via the registry search.
Subscribe APIs
ACRA offers subscription APIs that deliver registry data directly to your systems — ideal for onboarding checks, compliance monitoring and market research. Data is served in JSON over HTTPS, drawn from the live register, and each subscriber is issued a personal API key. Usage is metered per query and billed monthly against your subscription.
Entity Information Query
Retrieve the registered particulars and current status of any entity by its REN.
GET /registry/v1/entities/202009834S
{
"ren": "202009834S",
"name": "AURORA SOFTWORKS LLC",
"type": "LLC",
"status": "Live",
"rsic": "62",
"regDate": "2020-05-11"
}
Licence Register Query
Check the Special Operating Licenses held by an entity, including class, approving authority, status and expiry.
GET /registry/v1/licences?ren=201811902X
{
"ren": "201811902X",
"licences": [{
"id": "LIC-2210",
"class": "gun",
"className": "Gun Dealing",
"authorityTitle":
"Colonel of the State Police",
"status": "Active",
"expiry": "2027-07-20"
}]
}
Financial Information Query
Access the financial summary lodged with an entity's most recent Annual Report.
GET /registry/v1/financials/202009834S
{
"ren": "202009834S",
"year": 2025,
"revenue": 1840000.00,
"profit": 232000.00,
"solvent": true
}
API subscriptions are governed by the registry's terms of use. Bulk redistribution of registry data without a licence is prohibited.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to register a business?
Most name applications and entity registrations are approved immediately after payment. Two kinds of application are referred to the Registrar for manual review: applications whose name contains a restricted word, and every non-profit organization registration (non-profits are verified manually before going live). Reviewed applications are typically decided within 14 working days. You can track the status of any application from your dashboard.
Can foreigners register a business in Ridgeway?
Yes. There is no citizenship requirement to own a Ridgeway entity. However, every entity must have at least one position holder who is ordinarily resident in Ridgeway — a director for corporations and non-profits, a member or manager for limited liability companies, or an authorised representative for sole proprietors living overseas. Applicants without a verified account typically engage a professional filing agent to transact on their behalf.
What is a REN?
The Ridgeway Entity Number (REN) is the unique identifier issued to every entity on registration — for example 202009834S. The first four digits indicate the year of registration. Quote your REN in all filings, invoices and correspondence with government agencies. You can look up any entity's REN free of charge using the registry search.
Which SOL class do I need?
There are four classes of Special Operating License, one per regulated trade: Law Firm for legal practice; Gun Dealing for dealing in firearms and ammunition; Guard Service for security guarding and patrol services; and Medical and/or Health Service for clinical, medical or health-related services. Choose the class that matches your regulated activity — if your entity carries on more than one regulated trade, it needs a licence for each. See the licences guide for the full table, or start an SOL application.
Who approves my SOL application?
Each class has its own approving authority: Law Firm licences are approved by the State Bar Director; Gun Dealing by the Colonel of the State Police; Guard Service by the County Sheriff; and Medical and/or Health Service by the County Fire Chief. You apply once on RidgeFile and ACRA routes the application to the correct authority automatically — a decision usually issues within about 10 working days.
What happens if my licence is revoked?
A revocation takes effect from the date of the authority's decision: your entity must cease the regulated activity immediately, although its business registration itself remains intact. The revocation — together with the authority's stated reason — is published on your entity's public record and appears in registry extracts. Carrying on a regulated trade without a valid licence is an offence. If you consider the decision wrong, you may make representations to the approving authority; once the underlying issue is resolved you may submit a fresh SOL application.
How do I object to a business name?
If a name that has been reserved or registered is identical or confusingly similar to yours, or is otherwise misleading, you may lodge a written objection with the Registrar within 12 months of the name's registration. Email [email protected] with your entity's REN, the name objected to, and the grounds of objection. Where an objection is upheld, the Registrar may direct the entity to change its name within 6 weeks.
I have lost access to the Roblox account I log in with. What should I do?
RidgeFile verifies identity with Roblox — your login credentials are managed by Roblox, not by ACRA, and we are unable to reset them for you. Recover your account through Roblox account support. Once your Roblox account is restored, your RidgeFile dashboard, entities and applications will be exactly as you left them. If the account is permanently lost, contact Registry House with proof of identity to have your appointments transferred.
How can I verify that an extract is genuine?
Every extract and certificate issued by the registry carries a document ID and date of issue, and can be verified at acra.ridgeway.gov/verify by quoting that ID. If you have been presented with an extract by a third party, you can also compare its contents against the live register or contact the registry with the document ID — we will confirm whether the document was issued and whether its contents matched the register on the date of issue. Purchasers can additionally cross-check a document against the matching order under My information orders.
Can I get a refund on a fee I have paid?
Statutory fees are consideration for the processing of an application, so they are not refundable once processing has begun — including where an application is rejected or a reserved name is allowed to lapse unused. This applies equally to Special Operating License application fees where the authority refuses the licence. Duplicate payments caused by a technical error will be refunded in full: write to [email protected] within 30 days with both transaction references.
The register shows incorrect information about my entity. How do I correct it?
If your entity's particulars have changed, file the update yourself through the Manage console — changes of address, position holders and financial year end take effect immediately on lodgement. If the register itself is wrong (for example, a typographical error in a processed filing), apply to the Registrar for rectification with supporting evidence. The Registrar may correct the register where satisfied the entry is erroneous, and the correction is noted in the entity's filing history.
Contact us
We aim to answer written enquiries within 3 working days. For questions about a specific application, have the transaction number (TXN) or REN ready.
- Address
- Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority
Registry House, 1 Registry Place, Ridgeway 048001 - [email protected]
- Service counter
- Level 1, Registry House — Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. Most transactions can be completed online without an appointment; counter service is recommended only for identity verification and document legalisation.
- Report vulnerability
- If you believe you have found a security vulnerability in RidgeFile or any registry system, please email [email protected]. Do not disclose the issue publicly until we have confirmed a fix.
Privacy statement
ACRA collects, uses and discloses personal data in accordance with the Ridgeway Data Protection Act and the statutes it administers. Personal data submitted through RidgeFile — such as the names, identification numbers and residential addresses of position holders — is collected for the purposes of maintaining the register of business entities, processing applications and filings, administering Special Operating Licenses, and enforcing the law. Personal data in licence applications is shared with the approving authority for the licence class concerned. We do not use registry data for marketing, and we do not sell personal data.
Please note that some personal data forms part of the public register by operation of law. The names and appointment details of position holders, for example, are disclosed on business profiles and extracts because the legislature has determined that the public is entitled to know who stands behind a registered entity. Residential addresses are not shown on public products where an alternate contact address has been provided.
Personal data is retained for as long as the entity remains on the register and for the statutory retention period thereafter, after which it is archived under the State Records Act. Data may be disclosed to other Ridgeway government agencies where authorised by law, and to law enforcement in connection with an investigation. You may request access to, or correction of, personal data we hold about you by writing to [email protected].
This portal uses only the cookies necessary to operate the service — your signed-in session and your cart. No third-party advertising or analytics trackers are used. Registry data is held by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority under the Ridgeway Business Entities Act.
The statement above is part of the roleplay. For the real-world policy that governs this website, see the Privacy Policy.
Terms of use
By using RidgeFile you agree to use the portal only for lawful purposes. You must not attempt to gain unauthorised access to any system or account, interfere with the operation of the service, harvest data by automated means except through the subscription APIs, or submit information that you know to be false or misleading. Making a false declaration to the Registrar is an offence punishable by a fine, imprisonment, or both, and may result in the removal of the affected entries from the register.
Registry information is compiled from statutory filings made by entities and their agents. While ACRA takes reasonable care in maintaining the register, an extract or profile reflects the register only as at its date and time of issue. ACRA does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of filed information and accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on the register, on any information product, or on the availability of this portal. You remain responsible for conducting your own due diligence.
The contents of this portal, including information products generated from the register, are protected by copyright owned by or licensed to the State of Ridgeway. You may reproduce extracts for personal use, internal business use and legal proceedings. Systematic redistribution, republication or resale of registry data requires a data licence from ACRA.
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Ridgeway, and any dispute is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Ridgeway courts. ACRA may amend these terms at any time by publishing the amended terms on this page; continued use of the portal constitutes acceptance of the amended terms.
The terms above are part of the roleplay. For the real-world terms that govern this website, see the Terms of Service.