Foreign registration · Form S&DC-S/N

New Hampshire Corporation Foreign Registration in California

To do business in California, a corporation formed in New Hampshire registers there on Form S&DC-S/N, with $100 in state fees. California may ask for New Hampshire's Certificate of Good Standing ($5). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities using your New Hampshire records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

What New Hampshire and California each ask for

	New Hampshire formed here	California registering here
Document	New Hampshire Certificate of Good Standing	Form S&DC-S/N, Statement and Designation by Foreign Corporation
State fee	$5	$100 at order
How it is handled	New Hampshire: online	Filed with California
Paid expedite		24-hour $350, same-day $750
Office	New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division	California Secretary of State, Business Entities
Official page	quickstart.sos.nh.gov	sos.ca.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $100, every year	Statement of Information (Form SI-550), $25, every year
Due	April 1	Last day of the corporation's registration-anniversary month, annually
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$250 late fee
Agent	Your New Hampshire registered agent	Our California agent for service of process

How New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire name and formation date. If California wants the New Hampshire certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your New Hampshire corporation is registered with California.

Will your New Hampshire name work for California?

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

Your California agent and the New Hampshire one

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

Staying in good standing in New Hampshire and California

Each year your corporation files New Hampshire's Annual Report ($100) and California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25). With our $149 agent for service of process renewal, New Hampshire plus California comes to $274 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, New Hampshire to California

An LLC formed in New Hampshire files Form LLC-5 with California ($70 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($5)). After that come New Hampshire's Annual Report ($102) and California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) ($20). See the LLC filing.

The other way: California into New Hampshire

A corporation formed in California that registers with New Hampshire files Form 40 with $102 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: New Hampshire to California

Does my New Hampshire company need to register in California?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the California registration cost?

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

What are the yearly costs for New Hampshire and California?

$274 a year: our $149 agent for service of process renewal, $100 to New Hampshire and $25 to California for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with California?

California can charge a New Hampshire company a penalty of $20 a day.

Does California require a registered agent?

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

Will California accept my New Hampshire name?

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

Can I form a new California corporation instead?

Yes, but New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from California later?

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

Official sources

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