Foreign registration · Form FBE

Pennsylvania Corporation Foreign Registration in Kentucky

To do business in Kentucky, a corporation formed in Pennsylvania registers there on Form FBE, with $90 in state fees. Kentucky needs nothing from Pennsylvania: no Subsistence Certificate. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings using your Pennsylvania records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Pennsylvania and Kentucky each ask for

	Pennsylvania formed here	Kentucky registering here
Document	Pennsylvania Subsistence Certificate (not needed here)	Form FBE, Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity)
State fee	$40	$90 at order
How it is handled	Pennsylvania: online through Business Filing Services, or by mail on the copy and certificate request form	Filed with Kentucky
Office	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings
Official page	file.dos.pa.gov	web.sos.ky.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $7, every year	Annual Report, $15, every year
Due	June 30	On or before June 30
Agent	Your Pennsylvania registered office	Our Kentucky registered agent

How Pennsylvania companies register with Kentucky

We prepare and file Form FBE
It lists us as your Kentucky registered agent, next to your Pennsylvania name and formation date. No Pennsylvania paperwork holds up the Kentucky filing. After approval, your Pennsylvania corporation is registered with Kentucky.

Will your Pennsylvania name work for Kentucky?

We search Kentucky's records for Pennsylvania's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: Kentucky and Pennsylvania

Kentucky calls it a registered agent; Pennsylvania says registered office. Your current registered office stays for Pennsylvania; ours takes Kentucky's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Kentucky and Pennsylvania

Each year your corporation files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Pennsylvania plus Kentucky comes to $171 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Pennsylvania to Kentucky

An LLC formed in Pennsylvania files Form FBE with Kentucky ($90 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Kentucky company in Pennsylvania

A corporation formed in Kentucky that registers with Pennsylvania files Form DSCB:15-412 with $250 in state fees; no Kentucky certificate is needed. See that filing.

Questions Pennsylvania owners ask about Kentucky

Does my Pennsylvania company need to register in Kentucky?

Yes, once a Pennsylvania business operates there; Kentucky registers it as a foreign corporation.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: Kentucky issues one to Pennsylvania corporations once the form is approved.

How much does it cost to register a Pennsylvania corporation in Kentucky?

$289 at checkout, with nothing to pay Pennsylvania.

Do I need Pennsylvania's certificate of good standing?

No, Kentucky takes Form FBE without it.

How long does the Kentucky registration take?

Kentucky's standard processing takes up to 3 business days; nothing comes from Pennsylvania first.

What are the yearly costs for Pennsylvania and Kentucky?

$171 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $7 to Pennsylvania and $15 to Kentucky for the yearly reports.

Does Kentucky require a registered agent?

Yes: the Pennsylvania registered office stays, and ours covers Kentucky for year one.

Can I form a new Kentucky corporation instead?

Yes, but Pennsylvania keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15), and the original keeps Pennsylvania's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Kentucky later?

Pennsylvania companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal (Foreign Business Entity); until then, Kentucky's report stays due alongside Pennsylvania's filings.

Official sources

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