Foreign registration · no form number

California Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

South Dakota registers a corporation from California as a foreign corporation on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants California's Certificate of Status ($5). We file it with the Secretary of State using your California records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

California vs South Dakota: the paperwork

	California formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$5	$750 at order
How it is handled	California: online as a PDF within minutes, or on paper by mail or drop-off in Sacramento	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form SI-550), $25, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	Last day of the corporation's registration-anniversary month, annually	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Late yearly filing	$250 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Online processing: immediately
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our South Dakota registered agent

From California to South Dakota, step by step

Order the California certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from California separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the California certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your South Dakota registered agent, next to your California name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from California delays the South Dakota filing. Once South Dakota approves it, the California company can do business there.

South Dakota costs for California companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Status, paid to California	$5
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, California certificate included	$954

South Dakota's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Your California name and South Dakota's rules

If another South Dakota company uses the California name, an alternate name is allowed. South Dakota can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: South Dakota and California

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

Yearly filings: South Dakota and California

California wants the Statement of Information (Form SI-550) every year ($25); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, California to South Dakota

An LLC formed in California files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Status ($5)). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) ($20) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

Registering a South Dakota company in California

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

Common questions: California to South Dakota

Does my California company need to register in South Dakota?

Yes, once a California business operates there; South Dakota law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: South Dakota issues one to California corporations once the filing is approved.

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

$949 at checkout plus $5 to California for the Certificate of Status, $954 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately; California's certificate is an instant download, so there is no wait before filing. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for California and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), California's report ($25) and South Dakota's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

A California company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota accept my California name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its California name at home.

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC