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Promote:Delaware

Invest in Delaware

A short guide for companies expanding into Delaware: the economy at a glance, the rules and steps to set up, and who can help, each with its source.

1. Delaware at a glance

Currency and inflation: see the United States at a glance

2. Before you set up

The body that handles foreign investment, any one-stop route and the zones, as the guide found them.

This guide does not cover the activities reserved for nationals. Before you apply, ask the body named above that handles foreign investment which activities are reserved.

Investment rules across the United States: see Invest in the United States

3. Steps to set up

The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.

Setting up in Delaware

  1. Form a Delaware entity, or qualify a foreign entity with a certificate of existence, and keep a registered agent in the state.Delaware Division of CorporationsOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Division of Corporations, frequently asked questions, 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026

  2. Register the business, get a Delaware business license and register as a withholding agent through Delaware One Stop.Delaware Division of RevenueOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Delaware One Stop, registration and licensing portal, 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026

  3. Learn which taxes apply: corporate income tax, gross receipts tax and withholding, all paid to the Division of Revenue.Delaware Division of RevenueOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Division of Revenue, doing business in Delaware, 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026

  4. Pay the annual franchise tax and file the annual report with the Division of Corporations.Delaware Division of CorporationsOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Division of Corporations, annual report and tax page, 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026

Show 2 more set-up steps
  1. If you will employ staff in Delaware, ask the Division of Unemployment Insurance whether you owe unemployment tax and get your account number.Delaware Division of Unemployment InsuranceOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Department of Labor, employer services page, 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026

  2. Talk to the Delaware Prosperity Partnership about sites, incentives and funding before you set a project budget.Delaware Prosperity PartnershipOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Delaware Prosperity Partnership, incentives page, 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of November 3, 2026

Steps that apply across the United States: see Invest in the United States

4. Organizations that help investors

Start with DPP and Division of Corporations. Each card links to the organization’s own site.

Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets

  • This guide lists every body in Delaware found with evidence dated 2025 or later; bodies whose sites could not be read or showed no dated evidence have no card. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)

Investment and business setup

Show 3 more organizations

Customs and tax

Chambers and industry associations

5. Worth knowing

Across the United States: see Worth knowing in Invest in the United States

6. How Promote:Global helps

  • Compare the United States with other countriesSet the United States beside other countries on investment momentum, fundamentals and trade access, before site, tax and legal work.
  • Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
  • Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.

Turn this guide into your Delaware project.

Use Promote:Global to explore markets, understand requirements and organize your next steps.

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Promote:Delaware is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.

Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of November 3, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.