What is a Stock Registration?

Stock registration is the process of registering a company's stock for sale to the public. In the United States, this requires the filing of registration documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which can be an expensive and lengthy process. An issuer must submit audited financial statements to the SEC as part of a stock registration. In the absence of a stock registration, shares sold to investors cannot be re-sold to third parties, except on a very limited basis under the SEC's Rule 144.

Given the considerable expense of a stock registration, many entities instead use registration exemptions, such as Regulation A.