Foreign registration · no form number

California LLC Foreign Registration in Delaware

An LLC formed in California that wants to do business in Delaware files a registration (no form number), with $200 in state fees. Delaware also asks for California's Certificate of Status ($5), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations from your California records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

California vs Delaware: the paperwork

	California formed here	Delaware registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (no form number)
State fee	$5	$200 at order
How it is handled	California: online as a PDF within minutes, or on paper by mail or drop-off in Sacramento	Filed with Delaware
Paid expedite		24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	corp.delaware.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years	Annual LLC Tax, $300, every year
Due	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Delaware registered agent

From California to Delaware, step by step

Order the California certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from California separately; it is not part of our Delaware order. An instant California certificate reaches Delaware only hours old, well inside the limit of 180 days.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Delaware registered agent, with your California name and formation date and the certificate attached. California issues the certificate instantly, so the Delaware filing can go in the same day. Once Delaware approves it, the California company can do business there.

First-year cost, California to Delaware

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$200
Certificate of Status, paid to California	$5
Our service, with a year of Delaware registered agent service	$199
First-year total, California certificate included	$404

Delaware's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Your California name and Delaware's rules

Delaware can hold a name for 120 days for $75 before you file.

Your Delaware agent and the California one

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

Yearly filings: Delaware and California

California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20); Delaware wants the Annual LLC Tax every year ($300). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, California to Delaware

A corporation formed in California files its own registration with Delaware ($245 in state fees). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Delaware's Foreign Corporation Annual Report ($125). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Delaware company in California

An LLC formed in Delaware that registers with California files Form LLC-5 with $70 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($50) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Common questions: California to Delaware

Does my California company need to register in Delaware?

Yes, once a California business operates there; Delaware registers it as a foreign LLC.

How much does the Delaware registration cost?

$399 at checkout plus $5 to California for the Certificate of Status, $404 in all (checkout is $200 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Delaware wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), no more than 180 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for California and Delaware?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), California's report ($20, every two years) and Delaware's report ($300).

What if I don't register with Delaware?

A California company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Delaware can add up to $200 for each year or part of a year.

Does Delaware require a registered agent?

Yes: the California agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Delaware for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Delaware LLC instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($400), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).

How do I withdraw from Delaware later?

California companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, Delaware's report stays due alongside California's filings.

Official sources

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