Illinois Corporation Foreign Registration in Texas

Texas registers a corporation from Illinois as a foreign corporation on Form 301, with $767.13 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Texas may ask for Illinois's Certificate of Good Standing ($25). We file it with the Texas Secretary of State from your Illinois records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Illinois vs Texas: the paperwork

	Illinois formed here	Texas registering here
Document	Illinois Certificate of Good Standing	Form 301, Application for Registration of a Foreign For-Profit Corporation
State fee	$25	$767.13 at order (filing fee $750 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Illinois: online as an instant PDF, printed from the receipt page or sent by email link	Filed with Texas
Required expedite		$50 at order (Texas Express)
Faster options		next-day $500, same-day $750
Office	Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division	Texas Secretary of State
Official page	ilsos.gov	sos.state.tx.us
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05), $75, every year	Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report, no fee, every year
Due	Before the first day of the entity's anniversary month each year	May 15 each year
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Required expedite processing: typically 2 to 3 business days
Agent	Your Illinois registered agent	Our Texas registered agent

How Illinois companies register with Texas

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

Your Illinois name and Texas's rules

Texas accepts your Illinois 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 Illinois company. We check your exact Illinois name against Texas's records before filing.

Agents: Texas and Illinois

Illinois and Texas both call it a registered agent. Texas papers come to us; Illinois's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Texas and Illinois

Each year your corporation files Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05) ($75) and Texas's Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report (no fee). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Illinois plus Texas comes to $224 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Illinois to Texas

An LLC formed in Illinois 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 Illinois's Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form LLC-50.1) ($75) and Texas's Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report. See the LLC filing.

Questions Illinois owners ask about Texas

Does my Illinois company need to register in Texas?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

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

How long does the Texas registration take?

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

What are the yearly costs for Illinois and Texas?

$224 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $75 to Illinois and nothing to Texas for the yearly reports.

Does Texas require a registered agent?

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

Will Texas 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. 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 Illinois 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 Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05).

How do I withdraw from Texas later?

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

Official sources

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