Ohio

Foreign registration · Form 617

California LLC Foreign Registration in Ohio

Ohio registers an LLC from California as a foreign LLC on Form 617, with $99 in state fees. Ohio 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 statutory agent there for the first year.

California and Ohio side by side

	California formed here	Ohio registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status (not needed here)	Form 617, Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$5	$99 at order
How it is handled	California: online as a PDF within minutes, or on paper by mail or drop-off in Sacramento	Filed with Ohio
Paid expedite		2-business-day $100, 1-business-day $200
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Ohio Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	ohiosos.gov
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years	No annual report
Due	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Ohio statutory agent

From California to Ohio, step by step

We prepare and file Form 617
It lists us as your Ohio statutory agent, next to your California name and formation date. No California paperwork holds up the Ohio filing. Once Ohio approves it, the California company can do business there.

Your California name and Ohio's rules

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

Your Ohio agent and the California one

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

Staying in good standing in California and Ohio

California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20); Ohio has no annual report for LLCs. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, California to Ohio

A corporation formed in California files Form 530A with Ohio ($99 in state fees, the same). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Ohio into California

An LLC formed in Ohio 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 Ohio

Does my California company need to register in Ohio?

Yes, once a California business operates there; Ohio law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Ohio registration cost?

$298 at checkout, with nothing to pay California.

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

No, Ohio takes Form 617 without it.

How long does the Ohio registration take?

Ohio's standard processing takes 3 to 7 business days; nothing comes from California first. Paid expedite: 2-business-day $100, 1-business-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for California and Ohio?

Our statutory agent renewal ($149 a year), California's report ($20, every two years) and no Ohio yearly report.

What if I don't register with Ohio?

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

Does Ohio require a registered agent?

Yes: the California agent for service of process stays, and ours covers Ohio for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Ohio LLC instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one has no Ohio yearly report, and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).

How do I withdraw from Ohio later?

California companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, both the Ohio registration and California's filings stay in place.

Official sources

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