Foreign registration · Form S&DC-S/N

Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in California

A corporation formed in Massachusetts that wants to do business in California files Form S&DC-S/N, with $100 in state fees. California may ask for Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($12). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities using your Massachusetts records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

What Massachusetts and California each ask for

	Massachusetts formed here	California registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Form S&DC-S/N, Statement and Designation by Foreign Corporation
State fee	$12	$100 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with California
Paid expedite		24-hour $350, same-day $750
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	California Secretary of State, Business Entities
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	sos.ca.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Statement of Information (Form SI-550), $25, every year
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year	Last day of the corporation's registration-anniversary month, annually
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$250 late fee
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our California agent for service of process

From Massachusetts to California, step by step

We prepare and file Form S&DC-S/N
It names us as your California agent for service of process, with your Massachusetts name and formation date. If California wants the Massachusetts certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your Massachusetts corporation is registered with California.

Will your Massachusetts name work for California?

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

Your California agent and the Massachusetts one

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

Yearly filings: California and Massachusetts

Each year your corporation files Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25). With our $149 agent for service of process renewal, Massachusetts plus California comes to $299 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to California

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files Form LLC-5 with California ($70 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) ($20). See the LLC filing.

Common questions: Massachusetts to California

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in California?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the California registration cost?

$299 at checkout; California may also want Massachusetts'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 Massachusetts's certificate if California asks for it. Paid expedite: 24-hour $350, same-day $750.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and California?

$299 a year: our $149 agent for service of process renewal, $125 to Massachusetts and $25 to California for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with California?

California can charge a Massachusetts company a penalty of $20 a day.

Does California require a registered agent?

Yes: the Massachusetts resident agent stays, and ours covers California for year one.

Will California accept my Massachusetts name?

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

Can I form a new California corporation instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from California later?

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

Official sources

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