• You must be a resident to apply.
• You must intend to remain in Alaska.
• You must either be in Alaska at the time or away on an allowable absence.
• You must have been in Alaska sometime during the application period for a minimum of 72 consecutive hours sometime during the previous two calendar years.

If we were arriving in July of 2004, when would we need to apply?

If the program continues as it was in 2003, your first application would be in January of 2006.

The applications are available on January 1st of each year, and the deadline this past year was March 31.  The names and mailing addresses of applicants are a public record.

When would we receive a payment?

Unless the deadline is changed, next year the applications will be due on March 31, 2004, and the dividends will begin distribution in October, 2004.

So, if you qualify in January 2006, then your first check would arrive sometime after October 1, 2006.  Applicants who have chosen direct deposit will receive their money on the first day.  Those who request a check be mailed will receive theirs in the order of application.  If you waited until the deadline to mail in your application, then your check may not be received for several weeks after the beginning of the PFD's distribution.

What documents must I supply with the application?

A first time applicant for a PFD must supply a certified birth certificate unless born in Alaska before September 1 of the residency year.

What questions will I be asked?

Here are some of the questions asked on the the 2003 supplemental schedule for applicants who did not receive a prior year's dividend.

Part A

1. When did your most recent Alaska residency begin? (Month) (Day) (year)
2. Residency ties to Alaska. Photocopies are okay. Documentation will not be returned.
A. I moved my household belongings to Alaska in (Month) (Year) (attach documentation)
B. I purchased or leased or rented a place to live in Alaska in (Month) (Year) (attach documentation)
C. I obtained permanent employment in Alaska in (Month) (Year) (attach documentation)
Employer's Name
Daytime Telephone Number
Employer Address
D. I registred to vote in Alaska in (Month) (Year) (attach documentation)
E. I obtained an Alaska driver's license or ID in (Month) (Year) (attach documentation) (ID or License #)
F. I registered a vehicle in Alaska in (Month) (Year) (attach documentation)(Plate)
G. Other (write in) (example: utility receipts, bank accounts) (Month) (Year) (attach documentation)

3. Certified Birth Certificate, passport, or naturalization papers (no photocopies accepted) will be returned if you enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Part B and C are required for those who were absent from Alaska for more than 90 days in the calendar year of 2002.

Part B

Part B asks questions about your current residency. Are you out of Alaska? Are you married?

6A "Have you maintained your principal home or stored the majority of your household belongings in Alaska continuously since December 31, 2001?"

Part C

7. At any time since December 31, 2001 have you maintained your principal home out of Alaska, claimed residency in another state or country in your employment records, including a leave earnings statement if you are a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, engaged in activities in another state as a resident, such as making a will, getting divorced, having a driver's, hunting or fishing license, owned a vehicle, voted, or any other benefits obtained by establishing or maintaining a residency in another state.

You will not be here in time to apply for the 2004 dividend, and Question 6A probably disqualifies you for the 2005 dividend. Of course, I do not know what the 2005 dividend application is going to have as questions. Some of the questions on this year's form weren't on previous year's applications.

Each year on my October diary page, I put the amount of the Permanent Fund Dividend.

You may be able to download a dividend application as a PDF file from the State of Alaska website.  A link to the PFD program's site is on my October diary page.