Foreign registration · no form number

California LLC Foreign Registration in Washington

To do business in Washington, an LLC formed in California registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $200 in state fees. Washington also asks for California's Certificate of Status ($5), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division using your California records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

California vs Washington: the paperwork

	California formed here	Washington registering here
Document	California Certificate of Status	Foreign Registration Statement (Profit types) (no form number)
State fee	$5	$200 at order (filing fee $180 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 Washington
Office	California Secretary of State, Business Entities	Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division
Official page	bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov	sos.wa.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, $70, every year
Due	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially	Last day of the month of WA registration
Late yearly filing	$250 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your California agent for service of process	Our Washington registered agent

From California to Washington, step by step

Order the California certificate
The Certificate of Status ($5) is ordered from California separately; it is not part of our Washington order. An instant California certificate reaches Washington only hours old, well inside the limit of 60 days.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Washington registered agent, with your California name and formation date and the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from California delays the Washington filing. Once Washington approves it, the California company can do business there.

Washington costs for California companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$200
Certificate of Status, paid to California	$5
Our service, with a year of Washington registered agent service	$199
First-year total, California certificate included	$404

Will your California name work for Washington?

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

Your Washington agent and the California one

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

Yearly filings: Washington and California

California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20); Washington wants the Annual Report every year ($70). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, California to Washington

A corporation formed in California files its own registration with Washington ($200 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Status ($5)). After that come California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25) and Washington's Annual Report ($70). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Washington company in California

An LLC formed in Washington that registers with California files Form LLC-5 with $70 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($20) dated within 180 days. See that filing.

Common questions: California to Washington

Does my California company need to register in Washington?

Yes, once a California business operates there; Washington law lists 13 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Washington registration cost?

$399 at checkout plus $5 to California for the Certificate of Status, $404 in all (checkout is $200 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need California's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for California and Washington?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), California's report ($20, every two years) and Washington's report ($70).

Does Washington require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Washington LLC instead?

Yes, but California keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Washington's Annual Report ($70), and the original keeps California's Statement of Information (Form LLC-12).

How do I withdraw from Washington later?

California companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal (no state fee); until then, Washington's report stays due alongside California's filings.

What does a Washington company file to register in California?

It files Form LLC-5 with $70 in state fees, plus Washington's good standing certificate.

Official sources

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