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Form S-4, Registration statement under Securities Act of 1933 (business combinations)

FillingPDF is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Get the official form from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) website.

Form S-4, Registration statement under Securities Act of 1933 (business combinations)

Form S-4 is the SEC registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 for business combinations. Fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the SEC publishes the original at sec.gov.
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Form S-4, Registration statement under Securities Act of 1933 (business combinations), is a form of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Companies and their advisers look for the S-4 when a business combination calls for a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF. The original PDF is published by the SEC at https://www.sec.gov/files/forms-4.pdf.

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What is S-4?

Form S-4, Registration statement under Securities Act of 1933 (business combinations), is the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) form that serves as a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 where the transaction is a business combination.

The SEC publishes the PDF at https://www.sec.gov/files/forms-4.pdf and keeps a forms index of its other filings at https://www.sec.gov/submit-filings/forms-index. That index shows how S-4 differs from its neighbors:

  • Form 10 is the general form for registration of securities under Section 12(b) or (g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, a different statute.
  • Form 1-A is the Regulation A Offering Statement, grouped by the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933 and small businesses.
  • Form 144 is the notice of proposed sale of securities under Rule 144.

Form S-4 is identified by its own title: a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 tied to business combinations. The SEC's own form text and instructions govern what must be reported in it.

Who needs to file S-4?

Form S-4 is for filers whose business combination calls for a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as the title of the form indicates. The reader is typically a company, or an adviser acting for it, preparing that registration with the SEC.

The form is not the right document for other SEC filings. Registration of securities under Section 12(b) or (g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 uses Form 10. A Regulation A offering uses Form 1-A. A notice of proposed sale under Rule 144 uses Form 144. Who must file Form S-4 and in which transactions is set out in the SEC's form text and instructions, so confirm eligibility there or with securities counsel before you complete it.

How to fill out S-4

  1. Open the fillable Form S-4

    Start from the fillable PDF on this page, which reproduces the SEC's Form S-4, Registration statement under Securities Act of 1933 (business combinations).

  2. Confirm this is the right form

    Check that your transaction is a business combination requiring a Securities Act of 1933 registration statement, and not a filing on Form 10, Form 1-A or Form 144.

  3. Have the SEC instructions at hand

    Use the SEC's form text and instructions, published at sec.gov, to decide what each item of the form requires in your case.

  4. Complete each item the form displays

    Enter the information that each item of the form asks for, in the format the form specifies, and mark items that do not apply as the SEC's instructions direct.

  5. Review the entries with your advisers

    Check every entry against your records and have securities counsel or the responsible officers review it before the registration statement is finalized.

  6. Download the completed PDF

    Download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF, then deliver it through the SEC's filing channels described under How to submit.

How to submit S-4

Submission channels, addresses and electronic filing rules for a registration statement are set by the SEC, not by this page. The SEC publishes Form S-4 at https://www.sec.gov/files/forms-4.pdf and lists its forms at https://www.sec.gov/submit-filings/forms-index. Check the SEC's filing pages, or ask securities counsel, for how and where a completed registration statement is delivered and whether a fee applies. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the SEC's channels.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Using Form 10, the general form for registration under Section 12(b) or (g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, when a Securities Act of 1933 registration for a business combination is needed.
  • Treating Form 1-A, the Regulation A Offering Statement, as interchangeable with Form S-4; the SEC lists them as separate forms.
  • Confusing Form S-4 with Form 144, which is only the notice of proposed sale of securities under Rule 144.
  • Relying on a copy of Form S-4 from a source other than the SEC's own PDF at https://www.sec.gov/files/forms-4.pdf without checking it against the current SEC version.
  • Assuming a completed PDF counts as filed; delivery to the SEC follows the SEC's own filing channels, not the act of filling out the form.

Frequently asked questions

What is Form S-4?

Form S-4 is the SEC's Registration statement under Securities Act of 1933 (business combinations). It is the form used for a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 where the transaction is a business combination, and the SEC publishes it as a PDF at sec.gov.

Who issues Form S-4?

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issues Form S-4. The PDF is at https://www.sec.gov/files/forms-4.pdf, and the SEC lists its other forms, such as Form 10, Form 1-A and Form 144, at https://www.sec.gov/submit-filings/forms-index.

Can I fill out Form S-4 online?

Yes. You can fill out the S-4 PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is an independent service and does not file the form with the SEC; the registration statement reaches the SEC only through the SEC's own channels.

What is the difference between Form S-4 and Form 10?

Form S-4 is a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 for business combinations. Form 10 is the general form for registration of securities under Section 12(b) or (g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, so the two fall under different statutes.

Is Form S-4 the same as Form 1-A?

No. Form 1-A is the Regulation A Offering Statement, which the SEC groups under the Securities Act of 1933 and small businesses. Form S-4 is the Securities Act of 1933 registration statement for business combinations.

Where do I get the official Form S-4 PDF?

The SEC publishes it at https://www.sec.gov/files/forms-4.pdf. For the SEC's full list of forms, including those that look similar, see its forms index at https://www.sec.gov/submit-filings/forms-index.

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