Texas

Foreign registration · Form 301

Iowa Corporation Foreign Registration in Texas

Texas registers a corporation from Iowa as a foreign corporation on Form 301, with $767.13 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Texas may ask for Iowa's Certificate of Existence ($5). We file it with the Texas Secretary of State using your Iowa records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Iowa and Texas side by side

	Iowa formed here	Texas registering here
Document	Iowa Certificate of Existence	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	Iowa: online as a printable PDF right after payment	Filed with Texas
Required expedite		$50 at order (Texas Express)
Faster options		next-day $500, same-day $750
Office	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services	Texas Secretary of State
Official page	sos.iowa.gov	sos.state.tx.us
Yearly filing	Biennial Report, $60, every two years	Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report, no fee, every year
Due	April 1 of even-numbered years	May 15 each year
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Required expedite processing: typically 2 to 3 business days
Agent	Your Iowa registered agent	Our Texas registered agent

How Iowa companies register with Texas

We prepare and file Form 301
It lists us as your Texas registered agent, next to your Iowa name and formation date. If Texas wants the Iowa certificate, it is ordered first. Once Texas approves it, the Iowa company can do business there.

Will your Iowa name work for Texas?

Texas accepts your Iowa name if it includes corporation, incorporated, company, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them. If another Texas company uses the Iowa name, an alternate name is allowed. We search Texas's records for Iowa's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: Texas and Iowa

Iowa and Texas both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Iowa; ours takes Texas's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Texas and Iowa

Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($60); Texas wants the Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report every year (no fee). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Iowa to Texas

An LLC formed in Iowa 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 Iowa's Biennial Report ($30) and Texas's Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report. See the LLC filing.

Registering a Texas company in Iowa

A corporation formed in Texas that registers with Iowa files Form 635_0110A with $100 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: Iowa to Texas

Does my Iowa company need to register in Texas?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

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

How long does the Texas registration take?

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

What are the yearly costs for Iowa and Texas?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Iowa's report ($60, every two years) and Texas's report (no fee).

Does Texas require a registered agent?

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

Will Texas accept my Iowa name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Iowa 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 Iowa 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 Iowa's Biennial Report.

How do I withdraw from Texas later?

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

Official sources

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