Foreign registration · Form 972

California LLC Foreign Registration in Louisiana

Louisiana registers an LLC from California as a foreign LLC on Form 972, with $190 in state fees. Louisiana also wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Commercial Division from your California records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

California and Louisiana side by side

	California formed here	Louisiana registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Form 972, Application of Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$5	$190 at order (filing fee $185 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	California: online as a PDF within minutes, or on paper by mail or drop-off in Sacramento	Filed with Louisiana
Paid expedite		24-hour $35, 2 to 4 hour $60
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	sos.la.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years	Annual Report, $35, every year
Due	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially	On or before the anniversary date of registration in Louisiana
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Louisiana registered agent

From California to Louisiana, step by step

Order the California certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from California separately; it is not part of our Louisiana order. Ordered from California on filing day, it easily meets Louisiana's limit of 90 days.
We prepare and file Form 972
It names us as your Louisiana registered agent, with your California name and formation date and the certificate attached. California issues the certificate instantly, so the Louisiana filing can go in the same day. After approval, your California LLC is registered with Louisiana.

First-year cost, California to Louisiana

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$190
Certificate of Status, paid to California	$5
Our service, with a year of Louisiana registered agent service	$199
First-year total, California certificate included	$394

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

Will your California name work for Louisiana?

We search Louisiana's records for California's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Louisiana agent and the California one

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

Yearly filings: Louisiana and California

California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20); Louisiana wants the Annual Report every year ($35). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, California to Louisiana

A corporation formed in California files Form 326 with Louisiana ($160 in state fees). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Louisiana's Annual Report ($30). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Louisiana into California

An LLC formed in Louisiana that registers with California files Form LLC-5 with $70 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Common questions: California to Louisiana

Does my California company need to register in Louisiana?

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

How much does it cost to register a California LLC in Louisiana?

$389 at checkout plus $5 to California for the Certificate of Status, $394 in all (checkout is $190 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for California and Louisiana?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), California's report ($20, every two years) and Louisiana's report ($35).

What if I don't register with Louisiana?

A California company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Louisiana can add a civil penalty of up to $1,000.

Does Louisiana require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Louisiana LLC instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Louisiana's Annual Report ($40), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).

What does a Louisiana company file to register in California?

It files Form LLC-5 with $70 in state fees, plus Louisiana's good standing certificate.

Official sources

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