Rhode Island

Foreign registration · Form 450

California LLC Foreign Registration in Rhode Island

An LLC formed in California that wants to do business in Rhode Island files Form 450, with $156 in state fees. Rhode Island also asks for California's Certificate of Status ($5), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of State, Business Services Division using your California records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

What California and Rhode Island each ask for

	California formed here	Rhode Island registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Form 450, Application for Registration for a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$5	$156 at order (filing fee $150 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 with Rhode Island
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	docs.sos.ri.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years	Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632), $50, every year
Due	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially	May 1
Late yearly filing	$250 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Rhode Island resident agent

How California companies register with Rhode Island

Order the California certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from California separately; it is not part of our Rhode Island order. An instant California certificate reaches Rhode Island only hours old, well inside the limit of 60 days.
We prepare and file Form 450
It lists us as your Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island filing. Once Rhode Island approves it, the California company can do business there.

Rhode Island costs for California companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$156
Certificate of Status, paid to California	$5
Our service, with a year of Rhode Island resident agent service	$199
First-year total, California certificate included	$360

Your California name and Rhode Island's rules

If another Rhode Island company uses the California name, an alternate name is allowed. Rhode Island can hold a name for 120 days for $50 before you file.

Agents: Rhode Island and California

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

Yearly filings: Rhode Island and California

California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20); Rhode Island wants the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) every year ($50). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, California to Rhode Island

A corporation formed in California files Form 150 with Rhode Island ($319 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($5)). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) ($50). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Rhode Island into California

An LLC formed in Rhode Island that registers with California files Form LLC-5 with $70 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Common questions: California to Rhode Island

Does my California company need to register in Rhode Island?

Yes, once a California business operates there; Rhode Island law lists 12 activities that do not count on their own.

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

$355 at checkout plus $5 to California for the Certificate of Status, $360 in all (checkout is $156 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for California and Rhode Island?

Our resident agent renewal ($149 a year), California's report ($20, every two years) and Rhode Island's report ($50).

What if I don't register with Rhode Island?

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

Does Rhode Island require a registered agent?

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

Will Rhode Island accept my California name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its California name at home.

Can I form a new Rhode Island LLC instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).

How do I withdraw from Rhode Island later?

California companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation; until then, Rhode Island's report stays due alongside California's filings.

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