Register your LLC or corporation in another state.

"Foreign" has nothing to do with other countries here. A foreign LLC or corporation is simply one formed under another state's law, and foreign qualification is the registration that lets it operate in a state where it was not formed. Some states say "foreign registration," others "certificate of authority" or "application for authority," and the filing has its own name and form number in each one.

Registering does not create a second company. Your LLC stays one entity with one set of owners and one tax identity. What changes is that the new state now knows about it, has an agent and an address on record for it, and expects its reports and any taxes the state charges.

You do it once per state. A company working in four states beyond its home state registers four times, and each registration carries its own fee, its own agent and its own yearly filing.

The test in nearly every state is whether the company is "transacting" or "doing" business there, and the statutes rarely define the phrase. What they offer instead is a list of activities that do not count. Holding member meetings, keeping a bank account, defending a lawsuit, selling through independent contractors, and a single isolated deal show up on many of those lists. An office, an employee, a warehouse or regular operations in the state are the usual signs that registration is due.

Selling to customers online from somewhere else is the gray area, and the answer depends on the state and the facts. Each state page here spells out what that state's statute lists and where the line sits. For a borderline case, a local attorney is the right call, and we will gladly file the registration once you have made it.

Our price is $199, and the state's own filing fee is added at the checkout, at what the checkout charges for your state. The registered agent in the new state is included free for the first year, then $149 a year. Across all 50 state pages the total today runs from $249 to $1,016.13, and the table below gives each state's number.

The state fee is the part that moves, from $50 in the cheapest state to $767.13 in the dearest. In a handful of states the checkout also shows a small expedited-processing line, which is included in the total for that state.

Many states want proof from your home state that the company exists and is in good standing, usually a certificate of good standing or certificate of existence issued by the home state's filing office. Others accept the company's own certification on the application and ask for nothing to be attached. Of the 50 states, 36 ask for a certificate and 14 do not.

Where one is required, some states also set a maximum age, such as a certificate dated within a number of days of filing, and an old certificate is rejected. The table shows the rule for every state, and the state page gives the exact wording and the age limit where there is one.

The standard consequence is that an unregistered company cannot sue in that state's courts until it registers. Contracts generally stay valid and the company can still defend itself, but being unable to enforce a contract against a customer or a vendor is a real handicap for a business that works there.

Beyond that, penalties vary a great deal. Some states add a flat fine, some bill back fees and taxes for the years you operated unregistered, and a few multiply the registration fee by the number of years you waited. The state pages give the figure wherever the state publishes one. Registering as soon as you know is almost always cheaper than leaving it.

Once registered, the company files whatever the state asks of its foreign entities each year. For most that is an annual or biennial report, and in a few states the yearly filing goes to the tax agency instead of the Secretary of State. Some states also charge a franchise or privilege tax that applies to foreign companies. Each state page lists the name of the filing, when it is due and its fee.

The registered agent has to stay in place for as long as the registration lasts. States can revoke a registration when a company has no agent or office, so when the free first year ends, keep the agent going at $149 a year or name another one.

We prepare the registration for your state, file it with the filing office, and serve as your registered agent in that state for the first year at no charge. Anything served on your company is scanned and uploaded the same business day, with no fee. The checkout shows the state fee and the total before you pay.

The price covers the registration and the first year of the agent. It does not cover the yearly report afterward, any tax filings, or a decision about whether you must register at all. We are a filing service and not a law firm or an accounting firm, so those questions go to your attorney or accountant.