Maryland

Foreign registration · no form number

California Corporation Foreign Registration in Maryland

A corporation formed in California that wants to do business in Maryland files a paper registration (no form number), with $104.50 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maryland may ask for California's Certificate of Status ($5). We file it with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division from your California records, then serve as your resident agent there for year one.

California and Maryland side by side

	California formed here	Maryland registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Foreign Corporation Qualification (no form number)
State fee	$5	$104.50 at order (filing fee $100 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	California: online as a PDF within minutes, or on paper by mail or drop-off in Sacramento	Filed on Maryland's paper form
Required expedite		$50 at order (7 business days)
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	egov.maryland.gov
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form SI-550), $25, every year	Form 1 — Business Entity Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return, $300, every year
Due	Last day of the corporation's registration-anniversary month, annually	April 15
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Required expedite processing: 7 business days
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Maryland resident agent

How California companies register with Maryland

We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Maryland resident agent, with your California name and formation date. If Maryland wants the California certificate, it is ordered first. Once Maryland approves it, the California company can do business there.

Your California name and Maryland's rules

Maryland can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your Maryland agent and the California one

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

Staying in good standing in California and Maryland

Each year your corporation files California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Maryland's Form 1 — Business Entity Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return ($300). With our $149 resident agent renewal, California plus Maryland comes to $474 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, California to Maryland

An LLC formed in California files its own registration with Maryland ($104.50 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same, plus the Certificate of Status ($5)). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) ($20) and Maryland's Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) ($300). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Maryland company in California

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

Common questions: California to Maryland

Does my California company need to register in Maryland?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

$353.50 at checkout, including the $50 required expedite; Maryland may also want California's Certificate of Status, at extra cost.

How long does the Maryland registration take?

7 business days with Maryland's required expedite, plus time for California's certificate if Maryland asks for it.

What are the yearly costs for California and Maryland?

$474 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $25 to California and $300 to Maryland for the yearly reports.

Does Maryland require a registered agent?

Yes: the California agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Maryland for year one.

Can I form a new Maryland corporation instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Maryland's periodic report ($300), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550).

How do I withdraw from Maryland later?

California companies leave by filing an Application for Termination for a Foreign Corporation; until then, Maryland's report stays due alongside California's filings.

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC