Foreign registration · Form 326

Virginia Corporation Foreign Registration in Louisiana

To do business in Louisiana, a corporation formed in Virginia registers there on Form 326, with $160 in state fees. Louisiana may ask for Virginia's Certificate of Good Standing ($6). We file it with the Secretary of State, Commercial Division using your Virginia records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Virginia and Louisiana each ask for

	Virginia formed here	Louisiana registering here
Document	Virginia Certificate of Good Standing	Form 326, Application of Foreign Corporation for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$6	$160 at order
How it is handled	Virginia: online as an instant PDF from the Clerk's Information System	Filed with Louisiana
Paid expedite		24-hour $35, 2 to 4 hour $60
Office	Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk	Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division
Official page	scc.virginia.gov	sos.la.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee, $50, every year	Annual Report, $30, every year
Due		On or before the anniversary of the date authority to do business was issued
Agent	Your Virginia registered agent	Our Louisiana registered agent

From Virginia to Louisiana, step by step

We prepare and file Form 326
It lists us as your Louisiana registered agent, next to your Virginia name and formation date. If Louisiana wants the Virginia certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your Virginia corporation is registered with Louisiana.

Will your Virginia name work for Louisiana?

We check your exact Virginia name against Louisiana's records before filing.

Your Louisiana agent and the Virginia one

Virginia and Louisiana both call it a registered agent. Louisiana papers come to us; Virginia's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in Virginia and Louisiana

Each year your corporation files Virginia's Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee ($50) and Louisiana's Annual Report ($30). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Virginia plus Louisiana comes to $229 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Virginia to Louisiana

An LLC formed in Virginia files Form 972 with Louisiana ($190 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration ($6)). After that come Virginia's Annual Registration Fee ($50) and Louisiana's Annual Report ($35). See the LLC filing.

Common questions: Virginia to Louisiana

Does my Virginia company need to register in Louisiana?

Yes, once a Virginia business operates there; Louisiana law lists 10 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: Louisiana issues one to Virginia corporations once the form is approved.

How much does the Louisiana registration cost?

$359 at checkout; Louisiana may also want Virginia's Certificate of Good Standing, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Virginia and Louisiana?

$229 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $50 to Virginia and $30 to Louisiana for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Louisiana?

A Virginia company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does Louisiana require a registered agent?

Yes: the Virginia registered agent stays, and ours covers Louisiana for year one.

Can I form a new Louisiana corporation instead?

Yes, but Virginia keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Louisiana's Annual Report ($30), and the original keeps Virginia's Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee.

How do I get a Virginia certificate of good standing?

Virginia issues the Certificate of Good Standing online as an instant PDF from the Clerk's Information System ($6).

Official sources

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