Minnesota

Foreign registration · no form number

California LLC Foreign Registration in Minnesota

To do business in Minnesota, an LLC formed in California registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $205 in state fees. Minnesota asks nothing of California here, not even the Certificate of Status. 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.

California vs Minnesota: the paperwork

	California formed here	Minnesota registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status (not needed here)	Foreign Limited Liability Company Certificate of Authority to Transact Business in Minnesota (no form number)
State fee	$5	$205 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 online with Minnesota
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	sos.mn.gov
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years	Annual Renewal, no fee, every year
Due	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially	December 31
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Minnesota registered agent

How California companies register with Minnesota

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Minnesota registered agent, next to your California name and formation date. Nothing has to come from California first, so the Minnesota filing can go in right away. Once Minnesota approves it, the California company can do business there.

Will your California name work for Minnesota?

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

Agents: Minnesota and California

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

Staying in good standing in California and Minnesota

California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20); Minnesota wants the Annual Renewal every year (no fee). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, California to Minnesota

A corporation formed in California files its own registration with Minnesota ($220 in state fees). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Minnesota's Annual Renewal ($115). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Minnesota company in California

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

Common questions: California to Minnesota

Does my California company need to register in Minnesota?

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

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

$404 at checkout, with nothing to pay California.

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

No, Minnesota takes the registration without it.

How long does the Minnesota registration take?

Minnesota's online processing takes 2 to 5 business days; nothing comes from California first.

What are the yearly costs for California and Minnesota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), California's report ($20, every two years) and Minnesota's report (no fee).

What if I don't register with Minnesota?

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

Does Minnesota require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Minnesota LLC instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Minnesota's Annual Renewal (no fee), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).

How do I withdraw from Minnesota later?

California companies leave by filing an Application for Withdrawal of a Foreign Limited Liability Company ($35); until then, Minnesota's report stays due alongside California's filings.

Official sources

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