Foreign corporation registration
Texas Foreign Corporation Registration: Form 301
A corporation formed in another state registers with Texas on Form 301, Application for Registration of a Foreign For-Profit Corporation. The $750 filing fee ($767.13 with the state's card charges) and the $50 required expedite (Texas Express) go to Texas; our $199 covers preparing and filing it plus the first year of Texas registered agent service, for $1,016.13 at checkout. Texas sets its own proof rule for foreign corporations.
Texas corporation registration at a glance
- Filing
- Form 301, Application for Registration of a Foreign For-Profit Corporation
- State fee
- $750 filing fee ($767.13 with the state's card charges)
- Required expedite
- $50 (Texas Express), charged at checkout
- Total with us
- $1,016.13, first year of Texas registered agent service included
- Required expedite processing
- typically 2 to 3 business days
- Home-state certificate
- Set by the state
- Texas yearly filing
- Yearly report (named below), no fee, every year
- Filed with
- Texas Secretary of State
What Form 301 asks for
For Form 301, Texas needs:
- The exact name of your corporation as formed, with an ending Texas accepts: corporation, incorporated, company, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them, or an alternate name if that name is taken there
- The state it was formed in and its date of formation
- A Texas registered agent with a street address there; we fill in ours
- A principal office address
- The corporation's federal EIN; Texas accepts the filing while the EIN is still pending
- A signature from an authorized person; Texas does not require a notary
Texas also lets the registration take effect on a later date, up to 90 days after filing.
Corporation into Texas, by home state
Every home state pays the same $1,016.13 at checkout for Texas.
| Formed in | Home-state certificate | First year |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Alaska | Certificate of Compliance, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Arizona | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Arkansas | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| California | Certificate of Status, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Colorado | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Connecticut | Certificate of Legal Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Delaware | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Florida | Certificate of Status, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Georgia | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Hawaii | Good Standing Certificate, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Idaho | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Illinois | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Indiana | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Iowa | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Kansas | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Kentucky | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Louisiana | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Maine | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Maryland | Certificate of Status, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Massachusetts | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Michigan | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Minnesota | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Mississippi | Certificate of Good Standing / Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Missouri | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Montana | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Nebraska | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Nevada | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| New Hampshire | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| New Jersey | Standing Certificate, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| New Mexico | Certificate of Good Standing and Compliance, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| New York | Certificate of Status, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| North Carolina | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| North Dakota | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Ohio | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Oklahoma | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Oregon | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Pennsylvania | Subsistence Certificate, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Rhode Island | Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| South Carolina | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| South Dakota | Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Tennessee | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Utah | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Vermont | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Virginia | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Washington | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| West Virginia | Certificate of Existence, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Wisconsin | Certificate of Status, if asked | $1,016.13 |
| Wyoming | Certificate of Good Standing, if asked | $1,016.13 |
Texas registered agent rule
Texas requires every registered foreign corporation to keep a registered agent there (BOC 5.201). The agent must agree to serve before Texas accepts the appointment. Switching agents later costs $15 on Form 401. Our $199 includes the first year of Texas registered agent service, then $149 a year.
Texas yearly filings
Once registered, your corporation files the Texas Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report every year, with no filing fee, due May 15 each year. The Texas filing window opens January 1 of the report year and closes May 15. Filing it late adds $50.
How long Texas takes
We file Form 301 with the Texas Secretary of State. Texas required expedite processing: typically 2 to 3 business days. Checkout includes the required expedite ($50). Faster state options: next-day $500, same-day $750; they are optional and not in the total.
Leaving Texas later
If your corporation stops doing business there, it ends the registration by filing Form 608. Until that is filed, Texas's yearly filing stays due.
Texas foreign corporation questions
Do I have to register my corporation in Texas?
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 Texas cost?
$1,016.13 at checkout: the $750 filing fee ($767.13 with the state's card charges), the $50 required expedite plus our $199, which includes the first year of registered agent service.
How long does the Texas registration take?
Typically 2 to 3 business days with Texas's required expedite, included in the $1,016.13 total; a faster next-day option costs $500.
What does it cost each year to stay registered in Texas?
$149 a year: no fee for the yearly report and $149 for our registered agent service. The home state's own yearly filing stays separate.
Do I need a registered agent in Texas?
Yes. Texas requires one for every corporation registered there from another state. Ours is included for the first year, then $149 a year.
What if my company's name is taken in Texas?
Texas lets an out-of-state corporation register under an alternate name. The name must include corporation, incorporated, company, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them.
How do I withdraw from Texas later?
File Form 608 with the Texas Secretary of State.
Can I form a new Texas corporation instead?
It is possible, but that is a separate company that files Texas's yearly report (no fee), while the original keeps its home-state filings. Registering keeps one company in both states.
Is the Texas filing the same for an LLC?
No: LLCs file Form 304 ($767.13 in state fees, the same fee), and corporations file Form 301.
Is this a certificate of authority?
Texas calls it registration; other states call the same step a certificate of authority or foreign qualification.
Official Texas sources
- Texas filing page (sos.state.tx.us)
- Texas Form 301 (sos.texas.gov)
- Texas Secretary of State, Form 304 instructions
- Texas Business Organizations Code, Chapter 5 (names, registered agents)
- Texas Secretary of State, Form 608 instructions (withdrawal)
- Texas Secretary of State, foreign entity FAQs
- Texas yearly filing (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Texas yearly filing (comptroller.texas.gov)