Foreign registration · no form number

California LLC Foreign Registration in Montana

Montana registers an LLC from California as a foreign LLC on an online registration (no form number), with $70 in state fees. Montana needs nothing from California: no 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 Montana: the paperwork

	California formed here	Montana registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status (not needed here)	Certificate of Authority (no form number)
State fee	$5	$70 at order
How it is handled	California: online as a PDF within minutes, or on paper by mail or drop-off in Sacramento	Filed online with Montana
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	help.sosmt.gov
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially	April 15
Late yearly filing	$250 late fee	$15 late fee
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Montana registered agent

How California companies register with Montana

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Montana registered agent, next to your California name and formation date. Nothing has to come from California first, so the Montana filing can go in right away. After approval, your California LLC is registered with Montana.

Will your California name work for Montana?

We check your exact California name against Montana's records before filing.

Agents: Montana and California

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

Yearly filings: Montana and California

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

LLC or corporation, California to Montana

A corporation formed in California files its own registration with Montana ($70 in state fees, the same). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Montana's Annual Report (no fee). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Montana into California

An LLC formed in Montana 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 Montana

Does my California company need to register in Montana?

Yes, once a California business operates there; Montana does not count a one-off deal finished within 30 days.

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

$269 at checkout, with nothing to pay California.

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

No, Montana takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for California and Montana?

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

What if I don't register with Montana?

A California company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Montana can add a penalty of $5 a day, up to $1,000 a year.

Does Montana require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Montana LLC instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Montana's Annual Report ($20), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).

How do I withdraw from Montana later?

California companies leave by filing an Application for Certificate of Withdrawal (foreign limited liability company); until then, Montana's report stays due alongside California's filings.

Official sources

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