Foreign registration · no form number

California LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

An LLC formed in California that wants to do business in Massachusetts files a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also wants California's Certificate of Status ($5), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division using your California records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

What California and Massachusetts each ask for

	California formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$5	$520 at order (filing fee $500 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 Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially	On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Massachusetts resident agent

From California to Massachusetts, step by step

Order the California certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from California separately; it is not part of our Massachusetts order. Ordered from California on filing day, it easily meets Massachusetts's limit of 90 days.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Massachusetts resident agent, next to your California name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from California delays the Massachusetts filing. Once Massachusetts approves it, the California company can do business there.

First-year cost, California to Massachusetts

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$520
Certificate of Status, paid to California	$5
Our service, with a year of Massachusetts resident agent service	$199
First-year total, California certificate included	$724

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

Will your California name work for Massachusetts?

Massachusetts can hold a name for $30 before you file.

Your Massachusetts agent and the California one

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

Staying in good standing in California and Massachusetts

California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20); Massachusetts wants the Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year ($500). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

Registering a Massachusetts company in California

An LLC formed in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts

Does my California company need to register in Massachusetts?

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

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

$719 at checkout plus $5 to California for the Certificate of Status, $724 in all (checkout is $520 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for California and Massachusetts?

Our resident agent renewal ($149 a year), California's report ($20, every two years) and Massachusetts's report ($500).

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

A California company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Massachusetts can add a civil penalty of up to $500.

Does Massachusetts require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

California companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal ($100); until then, Massachusetts's report stays due alongside California's filings.

Official sources

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