Maryland

Foreign registration · no form number

California LLC Foreign Registration in Maryland

Maryland registers an LLC from California as a foreign LLC on a paper registration (no form number), with $104.50 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maryland also asks for California's Certificate of Status ($5), no older than 60 days. We file it with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division using your California records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

California and Maryland side by side

	California formed here	Maryland registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Foreign Limited Liability Company Registration (no form number)
State fee	$5	$104.50 at order (filing fee $100 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 on Maryland's paper form
Required expedite		$50 at order (7 business days)
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	egov.maryland.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years	Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1), $300, every year
Due	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially	April 15
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Required expedite processing: 7 business days
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Maryland resident agent

How California companies register with Maryland

Order the California certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from California separately; it is not part of our Maryland order. An instant California certificate reaches Maryland only hours old, well inside the limit of 60 days.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Maryland resident agent, next to your California name and formation date, with the certificate attached. California issues the certificate instantly, so the Maryland filing can go in the same day. Once Maryland approves it, the California company can do business there.

Maryland costs for California companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$104.50
Required expedite (7 business days), paid at order	$50
Certificate of Status, paid to California	$5
Our service, with a year of Maryland resident agent service	$199
First-year total, California certificate included	$358.50

Your California name and Maryland's rules

Maryland can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: Maryland and California

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

Staying in good standing in California and Maryland

California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20); Maryland wants the Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) every year ($300). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, California to Maryland

A corporation formed in California files its own registration with Maryland ($104.50 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Maryland's Form 1 — Business Entity Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return ($300). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Maryland into California

An LLC formed in Maryland that registers with California files Form LLC-5 with $70 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($20) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Common questions: California to Maryland

Does my California company need to register in Maryland?

Yes, once a California business operates there; Maryland law lists 8 activities that do not count on their own.

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

$353.50 at checkout plus $5 to California for the Certificate of Status, $358.50 in all (checkout is $104.50 in state fees, the $50 required expedite and our $199).

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Maryland wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), no more than 60 days old at filing.

How long does the Maryland registration take?

7 business days with Maryland's required expedite; California's certificate is an instant download, so there is no wait before filing.

What are the yearly costs for California and Maryland?

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

What if I don't register with Maryland?

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

Does Maryland require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Maryland LLC instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Maryland's Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) ($300), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).

How do I withdraw from Maryland later?

California companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of a Foreign LLC (no state fee); until then, Maryland's report stays due alongside California's filings.

Official sources

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