Wyoming DUNA formation
Wyoming Decentralized Unincorporated Nonprofit Association under the 2024 DUNA statute: the member-governed, nonprofit DAO wrapper designed for protocol governance without shareholders. Limits member liability, can contract and pay taxes in its own name, and keeps governance on-chain. The structure Uniswap's community adopted in 2025.
- Tier
- REPUTABLE
- Formation
- 3 business days
- KYC
- Tier 0
- Settlement
- BitSettle
What's included
- Wyoming Secretary of State DUNA filing: we file and pay it on your behalf
- Articles of Association (DUNA variant under the 2024 statute)
- Member-governed association agreement with on-chain governance reference
- Smart Contract Disclosure (governance + treasury addresses)
- Engagement Letter
- First-year registered agent service
- Sanctions screen on the order
What's NOT included
- Year-2+ renewal (~$139/yr): registered agent plus the Wyoming annual report at cost
- Token or securities legal opinion (referral basis to crypto counsel)
- Governance smart-contract audit (referral basis)
- Tax filings: a DUNA is a nonprofit association, not automatically tax-exempt; it can owe tax and file returns, and that is your responsibility with a US tax professional
- US bank account opening
We list what's not included on every product page so there are no checkout surprises.
Operator-grade use case
The nonprofit DAO wrapper. Wyoming's 2024 DUNA statute gives a decentralized community legal personality without shareholders: the association can contract, hold assets, and pay taxes in its own name while members keep on-chain governance and limited liability. This is the structure Uniswap's community adopted in 2025.
Where it fits on our DAO shelf: the Wyoming DAO LLC is the for-profit US wrapper, the Marshall Islands DAO LLC is the sovereign-statute flagship, and the DUNA is the nonprofit lane for protocol governance and grants programs that never intend to distribute profits to members.
Honest caveats: the statute is young and counterparty recognition is still building, so expect to explain the structure to banks and vendors. And nonprofit means nonprofit: if your members expect distributions, this is the wrong wrapper; use the DAO LLC instead.
What you'll need to hand us
- Email address
- Country of residence
- Intended use statement (free-text)
- Government-issued photo ID (passport or national ID)
- Proof of address (utility bill, bank statement, or government letter, dated within 90 days)
- Source-of-funds attestation (drop-down + free text)
- Optional: PEP and adverse-media screening consent
- Everything in Tier 1
- Beneficial owner declaration for every party with 25%+ ownership
- Source-of-wealth documentation (tax return, employment letter, salary, asset proof)
- Manual enhanced-due-diligence reviewer notes from our KYC partner
Common questions
- What is a DUNA and who is it for?
- A Decentralized Unincorporated Nonprofit Association under Wyoming's 2024 statute. It gives a DAO legal personality, contract capacity, and member liability protection without shareholders or profit distributions. It is built for protocol governance, grants programs, and communities that are genuinely nonprofit.
- DUNA, DAO LLC, or Marshall Islands DAO LLC?
- Nonprofit governance with no member distributions: DUNA at $599. A for-profit US DAO wrapper: Wyoming DAO LLC at $399. The sovereign-statute flagship with the deepest DAO-specific law: Marshall Islands DAO LLC at $15,999. Mature protocols sometimes run a DUNA or foundation for governance alongside an operating entity.
- Is a DUNA tax-exempt?
- No, not automatically. Nonprofit means no owners and no distributions; it does not mean no taxes. A DUNA can owe US tax and file returns depending on its activity, and 501(c) recognition is a separate, demanding process. Plan with a US tax professional. General information, not tax advice.