Foreign registration · Form 635_0010

California LLC Foreign Registration in Iowa

An LLC formed in California that wants to do business in Iowa files Form 635_0010, with $100 in state fees. Iowa also asks for California's Certificate of Status ($5), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services using your California records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What California and Iowa each ask for

	California formed here	Iowa registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Form 635_0010, Limited Liability Company Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$5	$100 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 Iowa
Paid expedite		5-business-day $15, 2-business-day $50
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	sos.iowa.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years	Biennial Report, $30, every two years
Due	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially	April 1 of odd-numbered years
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Iowa registered agent

How California companies register with Iowa

Order the California certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from California separately; it is not part of our Iowa order. Ordered from California on filing day, it easily meets Iowa's limit of 90 days.
We prepare and file Form 635_0010
It lists us as your Iowa registered agent, next to your California name and formation date, with the certificate attached. California issues the certificate instantly, so the Iowa filing can go in the same day. Once Iowa approves it, the California company can do business there.

Iowa costs for California companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Status, paid to California	$5
Our service, with a year of Iowa registered agent service	$199
First-year total, California certificate included	$304

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

Will your California name work for Iowa?

If another Iowa company uses the California name, an alternate name is allowed. We search Iowa's records for California's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: Iowa and California

Iowa calls it a registered agent; California says agent for service of process. Your current agent for service of process stays for California; ours takes Iowa's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Iowa and California

California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20); Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($30). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, California to Iowa

A corporation formed in California files Form 635_0110A with Iowa ($100 in state fees, the same). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Iowa's Biennial Report ($60). See the corporation filing.

Registering an Iowa company in California

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

Common questions: California to Iowa

Does my California company need to register in Iowa?

Yes, once a California business operates there; Iowa law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Iowa registration cost?

$299 at checkout plus $5 to California for the Certificate of Status, $304 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Iowa wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for California and Iowa?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), California's report ($20, every two years) and Iowa's report ($30, every two years).

What if I don't register with Iowa?

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

Does Iowa require a registered agent?

Yes: the California agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Iowa for year one.

Will Iowa accept my California name?

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

Can I form a new Iowa LLC instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Iowa's Biennial Report ($30), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).

How do I withdraw from Iowa later?

California companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal ($10); until then, Iowa's report stays due alongside California's filings.

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