Foreign registration · no form number

California Corporation Foreign Registration in Washington

To do business in Washington, a corporation formed in California registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $200 in state fees. Washington also wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), dated within 60 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division using your California records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What California and Washington each ask for

	California formed here	Washington registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Foreign Registration Statement (Profit types) (no form number)
State fee	$5	$200 at order (filing fee $180 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 online with Washington
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	sos.wa.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form SI-550), $25, every year	Annual Report, $70, every year
Due	Last day of the corporation's registration-anniversary month, annually	Last day of the month of WA certificate of authority
Late yearly filing	$250 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Washington registered agent

How California companies register with Washington

Order the California certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from California separately; it is not part of our Washington order. Ordered from California on filing day, it easily meets Washington's limit of 60 days.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Washington registered agent, next to your California name and formation date, with the certificate attached. California issues the certificate instantly, so the Washington filing can go in the same day. Once Washington approves it, the California company can do business there.

First-year cost, California to Washington

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$200
Certificate of Status, paid to California	$5
Our service, with a year of Washington registered agent service	$199
First-year total, California certificate included	$404

Will your California name work for Washington?

Washington can hold a name for $30 before you file.

Your Washington agent and the California one

Washington calls it a registered agent; California says agent for service of process. Washington papers come to us; California's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Washington and California

Each year your corporation files California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Washington's Annual Report ($70). With our $149 registered agent renewal, California plus Washington comes to $244 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, California to Washington

An LLC formed in California files its own registration with Washington ($200 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Status ($5)). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) ($20) and Washington's Annual Report ($70). See the LLC filing.

The other way: Washington into California

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

Questions California owners ask about Washington

Does my California company need to register in Washington?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the Washington registration cost?

$399 at checkout plus $5 to California for the Certificate of Status, $404 in all (checkout is $200 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Washington wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for California and Washington?

$244 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $25 to California and $70 to Washington for the yearly reports.

Does Washington require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Washington corporation instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Washington's Annual Report ($70), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550).

How do I withdraw from Washington later?

California companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal; until then, Washington's report stays due alongside California's filings.

Official sources

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