Foreign registration · Form S&DC-S/N

Illinois Corporation Foreign Registration in California

A corporation formed in Illinois that wants to do business in California files Form S&DC-S/N, with $100 in state fees. California may ask for Illinois's Certificate of Good Standing ($25). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities using your Illinois records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Illinois and California side by side

	Illinois formed here	California registering here
Document	Illinois Certificate of Good Standing	Form S&DC-S/N, Statement and Designation by Foreign Corporation
State fee	$25	$100 at order
How it is handled	Illinois: online as an instant PDF, printed from the receipt page or sent by email link	Filed with California
Paid expedite		24-hour $350, same-day $750
Office	Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division	California Secretary of State, Business Entities
Official page	ilsos.gov	sos.ca.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05), $75, every year	Statement of Information (Form SI-550), $25, every year
Due	Before the first day of the entity's anniversary month each year	Last day of the corporation's registration-anniversary month, annually
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Online processing: 5 days or less
Agent	Your Illinois registered agent	Our California agent for service of process

How Illinois companies register with California

We prepare and file Form S&DC-S/N
It lists us as your California agent for service of process, next to your Illinois name and formation date. If California wants the Illinois certificate, it is ordered first. Once California approves it, the Illinois company can do business there.

Will your Illinois name work for California?

If California's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Illinois company. California can hold a name for 60 days for $10 before you file.

Your California agent and the Illinois one

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

Yearly filings: California and Illinois

Each year your corporation files Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05) ($75) and California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25). With our $149 agent for service of process renewal, Illinois plus California comes to $249 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Illinois to California

An LLC formed in Illinois files Form LLC-5 with California ($70 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Illinois's Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form LLC-50.1) ($75) and California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) ($20). See the LLC filing.

Questions Illinois owners ask about California

Does my Illinois company need to register in California?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does it cost to register an Illinois corporation in California?

$299 at checkout; California may also want Illinois's Certificate of Good Standing, at extra cost.

How long does the California registration take?

California's online processing takes 5 days or less, plus time for Illinois's certificate if California asks for it. Paid expedite: 24-hour $350, same-day $750.

What are the yearly costs for Illinois and California?

$249 a year: our $149 agent for service of process renewal, $75 to Illinois and $25 to California for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with California?

California can charge an Illinois company a penalty of $20 a day.

Does California require a registered agent?

Yes: the Illinois registered agent stays, and ours covers California for year one.

Will California accept my Illinois name?

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

Can I form a new California corporation instead?

Yes, but Illinois keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25), and the original keeps Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05).

How do I withdraw from California later?

Illinois companies leave by filing Form CORP-SURC, Certificate of Surrender; until then, California's report stays due alongside Illinois's filings.

Official sources

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