Foreign corporation certificate of authority
New Hampshire Corporation Certificate of Authority: Form 40
A corporation formed in another state registers with New Hampshire on Form 40, Application for Certificate of Authority for Profit Foreign Corporation. The $100 filing fee ($102 with the charges New Hampshire collects at filing) goes to New Hampshire; our $199 covers preparing and filing it plus the first year of New Hampshire registered agent service, for $301 at checkout. New Hampshire sets its own proof rule for foreign corporations.
New Hampshire corporation certificate of authority at a glance
- Filing
- Form 40, Application for Certificate of Authority for Profit Foreign Corporation
- State fee
- $100 filing fee ($102 with the charges New Hampshire collects at filing)
- Total with us
- $301, first year of New Hampshire registered agent service included
- Home-state certificate
- Set by the state
- New Hampshire yearly filing
- Annual Report, $100, every year
- Filed with
- New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division
What Form 40 asks for
For Form 40, New Hampshire needs:
- The exact name of your corporation as formed
- The state it was formed in and its date of formation
- A New Hampshire registered agent with a street address there; we fill in ours
- A principal office address
Corporation into New Hampshire, by home state
Every home state pays the same $301 at checkout for New Hampshire.
| Formed in | Home-state certificate | First year |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Alaska | Certificate of Compliance, if asked | $301 |
| Arizona | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Arkansas | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| California | Certificate of Status, if asked | $301 |
| Colorado | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Connecticut | Certificate of Legal Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Delaware | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Florida | Certificate of Status, if asked | $301 |
| Georgia | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Hawaii | Good Standing Certificate, if asked | $301 |
| Idaho | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Illinois | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Indiana | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Iowa | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Kansas | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Kentucky | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Louisiana | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Maine | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Maryland | Certificate of Status, if asked | $301 |
| Massachusetts | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Michigan | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Minnesota | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Mississippi | Certificate of Good Standing / Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Missouri | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Montana | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Nebraska | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Nevada | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| New Jersey | Standing Certificate, if asked | $301 |
| New Mexico | Certificate of Good Standing and Compliance, if asked | $301 |
| New York | Certificate of Status, if asked | $301 |
| North Carolina | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| North Dakota | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Ohio | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Oklahoma | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Oregon | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Pennsylvania | Subsistence Certificate, if asked | $301 |
| Rhode Island | Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| South Carolina | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| South Dakota | Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Tennessee | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Texas | Certificate of Fact - Status, if asked | $301 |
| Utah | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Vermont | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Virginia | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
| Washington | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| West Virginia | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $301 |
| Wisconsin | Certificate of Status, if asked | $301 |
| Wyoming | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $301 |
If you do business in New Hampshire without registering
An unregistered corporation doing business there cannot start a lawsuit in New Hampshire courts until it registers.
New Hampshire registered agent rule
New Hampshire requires every registered foreign corporation to keep a registered agent there. Switching agents later costs $15. Our $199 includes the first year of New Hampshire registered agent service, then $149 a year.
New Hampshire yearly filings
Once registered, your corporation files the New Hampshire Annual Report every year, at $100, due April 1. The New Hampshire filing window opens January 1 and closes April 1. Filing it late adds $50. From year two, keeping the New Hampshire registration costs $249 a year with our registered agent service.
How long New Hampshire takes
We file Form 40 with the New Hampshire Secretary of State.
Leaving New Hampshire later
If your corporation stops doing business there, it ends the registration by filing an Application for Certificate of Withdrawal of a For-Profit Foreign Corporation. Until that is filed, New Hampshire's yearly filing stays due.
New Hampshire foreign corporation questions
Do I have to register my corporation in New Hampshire?
Yes, if it was formed in another state and does business there. An office, staff or regular sales there usually mean registering.
How much does foreign corporation registration in New Hampshire cost?
$301 at checkout: the $100 filing fee ($102 with the charges New Hampshire collects at filing) plus our $199, which includes the first year of registered agent service.
What does it cost each year to stay registered in New Hampshire?
$249 a year: $100 for the Annual Report and $149 for our registered agent service. The home state's own yearly filing stays separate.
What if I don't register with New Hampshire?
Your corporation cannot sue in court there until it registers.
Do I need a registered agent in New Hampshire?
Yes. New Hampshire requires one for every corporation registered there from another state. Ours is included for the first year, then $149 a year.
How do I withdraw from New Hampshire later?
File an Application for Certificate of Withdrawal of a For-Profit Foreign Corporation with the New Hampshire Secretary of State.
Can I form a new New Hampshire corporation instead?
It is possible, but that is a separate company that files New Hampshire's Annual Report ($100), while the original keeps its home-state filings. Registering keeps one company in both states.
Is the New Hampshire filing the same for an LLC?
No: LLCs file Form FLLC-1 ($102 in state fees, the same fee), and corporations file Form 40.
Is this a certificate of authority?
Yes. New Hampshire issues a certificate of authority once the filing is approved.
Official New Hampshire sources
- New Hampshire filing page (sos.nh.gov)
- New Hampshire Form 40 (sos.nh.gov)
- New Hampshire: sos.nh.gov
- New Hampshire: RSA 293-A:15.02, corporation transacting business without authority
- New Hampshire: sos.nh.gov
- New Hampshire Form 44, withdrawal of a for-profit foreign corporation
- New Hampshire yearly filing (gencourt.state.nh.us)
- New Hampshire yearly filing (sos.nh.gov)