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The foreign-corporation permit
The Attorney General’s checklist calls for certified company documents, corporate authorisation and resident-agent information for the covered foreign-corporation permit. It separately directs obtaining business licensing before transacting business. Domestic and nonprofit corporations are stated exceptions to that named foreign-corporation law; apply the rules for the actual entity form.
Ownership can change the review route
The official 2024 administrative compilation describes Territorial Planning Commission review linked to the applicant and ownership, plus a separate immigration-board policy for business-licence applicants classified as aliens under the applicable rules. Establish the actual ownership and control before selecting a route. The compilation must be read with statutory definitions and later changes; this page classifies no person’s status.
Know the business-licence calendar
Commerce says business licences expire at calendar-year end. It identifies October 1–December 31 renewal, post-January 1 late-fee treatment and January 31 suspension treatment. Check the current instructions against the issued licence.
A visiting trainer’s entry or work question follows the separate territorial process, not this renewal calendar. The companion guide explains what to resolve before arranging travel.
Scope
- The described territorial employment/family residency petitions require approval before entry; a mainland visa, ESTA assumption or company licence does not replace individual approval.
- Federal franchise scope includes territories subject to exemptions; independent local sales/relationship law remains unresolved. American Samoa is outside the cited customs territory, with separate premises/import/quarantine questions.
Next step
Confirm the trading entity’s applicable permit, ownership review and issued business licence before starting local business.
Sources & review notes
American Samoa Department of Legal Affairs, Office of the Attorney General
Passage, dates and research notes
official-guidance · Opening paragraph; ASCA §§ 30.0301–30.0314; separate business licensing
a permit to transact business in American Samoa
Complete official checklist read. It says it provides minimum requirements, excludes nonprofit/domestic corporations from that foreign-corporation law, and separately calls for business/professional/trade licenses. No old numeric capital or fee amount is automatically placed in a planning calculator.
American Samoa Department of Commerce
Passage, dates and research notes
official-guidance · Annual expiry, renewal and activity/location/citizenship notice
All business licenses expire at the end of the calendar year
Current official page read; renewal period October 1–December 31. Additional late fee and suspension statements are agency guidance, not universal penalty assumptions for other violations.
Secretary of American Samoa
Passage, dates and research notes
primary · Title 27, Chapter1, §§ 27.0101–27.0107; Title 41 § 41.0327
shall appear before
Relevant business-licensing chapter and immigration business-license provision read from the complete official 2024 compilation. This is administrative law, distinct from ASCA statutory definitions. Ownership/residency category and later changes need current agency/legal confirmation; no generic American Samoan citizenship test is created.
American Samoa Department of Legal Affairs
Passage, dates and research notes
official-guidance · Travel and entry: visitor and residency routes
laws governing entry into American Samoa vary from the U.S.
Current territorial entry page read. A federal U.S. visa or ESTA is not treated as a substitute for confirming territorial requirements.
American Samoa Department of Legal Affairs
Passage, dates and research notes
official-guidance · Employment and family-based residency applications
Both types of residency petitions must be completed, submitted, and approved
Full current page read, including its before-entry instruction and employment-based P45 reference. Confirm the person’s actual case and current process; no eligibility determination or guarantee is made.
Federal Trade Commission
Passage, dates and research notes
primary · section-436.2
at least 14 calendar-days
Current eCFR displayed through 2026-11-09; eCFR is authoritative but not the official legal edition.
Federal Trade Commission
Passage, dates and research notes
primary · section-436.8
less than $735
Current eCFR displayed through 2026-11-09; eCFR is authoritative but not the official legal edition.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Passage, dates and research notes
primary · Definition: Customs territory of the United States
includes only the States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Current eCFR definition read. This geographical definition does not itself set a product duty, origin rule, quarantine condition, territorial levy or import process.
Detailed rule records (6)
The Attorney General’s checklist describes the ASCA foreign-corporation permit application, including certified company documents, authorisation and resident-agent information, and separately requires business licensing before transacting business.
Foreign Corporation ChecklistThe official 2024 administrative compilation describes Territorial Planning Commission review linked to the applicant and ownership structure, and separate immigration-board review of business licenses submitted by aliens. Current definitions and exact category require confirmation.
American Samoa Administrative Code, 2024 Edition Business Licensing: Doing Business in American SamoaThe current Department of Commerce page states business licenses expire at calendar-year end and the renewal period runs October 1–December 31. It separately describes late-fee and suspension consequences; keep the issued license and current renewal instructions.
Business Licensing: Doing Business in American SamoaTerritorial Legal Affairs explains that entry rules differ from the U.S. and identifies separate visitor and employment/family-based residency routes. Its residency page instructs that petitions be approved before entry. A mainland visa or business license does not by itself resolve this.
Plan and prepare for travel to American Samoa Residency Visa Petitions16 CFR § 436.2 expressly addresses offers/sales of franchises to be located in the United States of America or its territories, subject to applicable federal exemptions. Territorial and transaction-specific analyses remain separate.
16 CFR §436.2: Federal disclosure timing 16 CFR §436.8: Federal franchise exemptions19 CFR § 101.1 includes only the states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico within the U.S. customs territory. Do not apply a mainland import route or rate to another territory solely because it is U.S. territory.
19 CFR § 101.1: customs territory definitionKeep this reading in your learning library.
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