Texas

Foreign registration · Form 301

California Corporation Foreign Registration in Texas

A corporation formed in California that wants to do business in Texas files Form 301, with $767.13 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Texas may ask for California's Certificate of Status ($5). We file it with the Texas Secretary of State using your California records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

California vs Texas: the paperwork

	California formed here	Texas registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Form 301, Application for Registration of a Foreign For-Profit Corporation
State fee	$5	$767.13 at order (filing fee $750 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 with Texas
Required expedite		$50 at order (Texas Express)
Faster options		next-day $500, same-day $750
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Texas Secretary of State
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	sos.state.tx.us
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form SI-550), $25, every year	Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report, no fee, every year
Due	Last day of the corporation's registration-anniversary month, annually	May 15 each year
Late yearly filing	$250 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Required expedite processing: typically 2 to 3 business days
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Texas registered agent

From California to Texas, step by step

We prepare and file Form 301
It lists us as your Texas registered agent, next to your California name and formation date. If Texas wants the California certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your California corporation is registered with Texas.

Your California name and Texas's rules

Texas accepts your California name if it includes corporation, incorporated, company, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them. If Texas's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the California company. We check your exact California name against Texas's records before filing.

Agents: Texas and California

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

Yearly filings: Texas and California

Each year your corporation files California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Texas's Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report (no fee). With our $149 registered agent renewal, California plus Texas comes to $174 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, California to Texas

An LLC formed in California files Form 304 with Texas ($767.13 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) ($20) and Texas's Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report. See the LLC filing.

Registering a Texas company in California

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

Common questions: California to Texas

Does my California company need to register in Texas?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

Texas calls it registration for California corporations; other states say certificate of authority.

How much does the Texas registration cost?

$1,016.13 at checkout, including the $50 required expedite; Texas may also want California's Certificate of Status, at extra cost.

How long does the Texas registration take?

Typically 2 to 3 business days with Texas's required expedite, plus time for California's certificate if Texas asks for it. Faster state options: next-day $500, same-day $750.

What are the yearly costs for California and Texas?

$174 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $25 to California and nothing to Texas for the yearly reports.

Does Texas require a registered agent?

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

Will Texas 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. Texas names must include corporation, incorporated, company, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them.

Can I form a new Texas corporation instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Texas's Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report (no fee), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550).

How do I withdraw from Texas later?

California companies leave by filing Form 608; until then, Texas's report stays due alongside California's filings.

Official sources

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