The California-based tech firm, which allows users to send images and messages that vanish within seconds, is set to be one of the major US share listings of recent years.
The flotation is expected to value the business at between $20bn and $25bn, although Snap has never made a profit.
It will turn the company's founders into multi-billionaires.
Snap wants to raise $3bn through the share sale, a small percentage but one that will set the market price for the rest of the company.
Snap's formal announcement to regulators of its plans revealed that the company made sales of $404m last year, but a loss of $515m.
The documents also disclose that the shares being sold will, unusually, not carry voting rights, enabling Snap's founders to retain control.
