Foreign registration · no form number

California Corporation Foreign Registration in Delaware

A corporation formed in California that wants to do business in Delaware files a registration (no form number), with $245 in state fees. Delaware may ask for California's Certificate of Status ($5). We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations using your California records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

California vs Delaware: the paperwork

	California formed here	Delaware registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Qualification Certificate of a Foreign Corporation (no form number)
State fee	$5	$245 at order
How it is handled	California: online as a PDF within minutes, or on paper by mail or drop-off in Sacramento	Filed with Delaware
Paid expedite		24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	corp.delaware.gov
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form SI-550), $25, every year	Foreign Corporation Annual Report, $125, every year
Due	Last day of the corporation's registration-anniversary month, annually	June 30
Late yearly filing	$250 late fee	$125 late fee
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Delaware registered agent

How California companies register with Delaware

We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Delaware registered agent, with your California name and formation date. If Delaware wants the California certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your California corporation is registered with Delaware.

Will your California name work for Delaware?

Delaware can hold a name for 120 days for $75 before you file.

Agents: Delaware and California

Delaware calls it a registered agent; California says agent for service of process. Your current agent for service of process stays for California; ours takes Delaware's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in California and Delaware

Each year your corporation files California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Delaware's Foreign Corporation Annual Report ($125). With our $149 registered agent renewal, California plus Delaware comes to $299 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, California to Delaware

An LLC formed in California files its own registration with Delaware ($200 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($5)). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) ($20) and Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($300). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Delaware company in California

A corporation formed in Delaware that registers with California files Form S&DC-S/N with $100 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions California owners ask about Delaware

Does my California company need to register in Delaware?

Yes, once a California business operates there; Delaware registers it as a foreign corporation.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Delaware calls it qualification for California corporations; other states say certificate of authority.

How much does it cost to register a California corporation in Delaware?

$444 at checkout; Delaware may also want California's Certificate of Status, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for California and Delaware?

$299 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $25 to California and $125 to Delaware for the yearly reports.

Does Delaware require a registered agent?

Yes: the California agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Delaware for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Delaware corporation instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Delaware's Annual Franchise Tax Report ($50), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550).

How do I withdraw from Delaware later?

California companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal of Foreign Corporation; until then, Delaware's report stays due alongside California's filings.

What does a Delaware company file to register in California?

It files Form S&DC-S/N with $100 in state fees.

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC