Foreign registration · Form LLC-5

Georgia LLC Foreign Registration in California

California registers an LLC from Georgia as a foreign LLC on Form LLC-5, with $70 in state fees. California also wants Georgia's Certificate of Existence ($10), dated within 180 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities using your Georgia records and act as your agent for service of process there for the first year.

Georgia and California side by side

	Georgia formed here	California registering here
Document	Georgia Certificate of Existence	Form LLC-5
State fee	$10	$70 at order
How it is handled	Georgia: online as a PDF, processed immediately with no expedite fee	Filed with California
Paid expedite		24-hour $350, same-day $750
Office	Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division	California Secretary of State, Business Entities
Official page	ecorp.sos.ga.gov	sos.ca.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Annual Registration, $60, every year	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years
Due	April 1	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$250 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Online processing: 5 days or less
Agent	Your Georgia registered agent	Our California agent for service of process

From Georgia to California, step by step

Order the Georgia certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from Georgia separately; it is not part of our California order. Ordered from Georgia on filing day, it easily meets California's limit of 180 days.
We prepare and file Form LLC-5
It lists us as your California agent for service of process, next to your Georgia name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Georgia issues the certificate instantly, so the California filing can go in the same day. After approval, your Georgia LLC is registered with California.

First-year cost, Georgia to California

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$70
Certificate of Existence, paid to Georgia	$10
Our service, with a year of California agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Georgia certificate included	$279

California's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Your Georgia name and California's rules

California accepts your Georgia name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. If the Georgia name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. If another California company uses the Georgia name, an alternate name is allowed. California can hold a name for 60 days for $10 before you file.

Agents: California and Georgia

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

Yearly filings: California and Georgia

Georgia wants the Annual Registration every year ($60); California wants the Statement of Information (Form LLC-12) every two years ($20). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Georgia to California

A corporation formed in Georgia files Form S&DC-S/N with California ($100 in state fees). After that come Georgia's Annual Registration ($60) and California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: California into Georgia

An LLC formed in California that registers with Georgia files Form CD 241 with $235 in state fees; no California certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Georgia to California

Does my Georgia company need to register in California?

Yes, once a Georgia business operates there; California law lists 10 activities that do not count on their own.

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

$269 at checkout plus $10 to Georgia for the Certificate of Existence, $279 in all (checkout is $70 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Georgia's certificate of good standing?

Yes: California wants Georgia's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 180 days old at filing.

How long does the California registration take?

California's online processing takes 5 days or less; Georgia's certificate is an instant download, so there is no wait before filing. Paid expedite: 24-hour $350, same-day $750.

What are the yearly costs for Georgia and California?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Georgia's report ($60) and California's report ($20, every two years).

What if I don't register with California?

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

Does California require a registered agent?

Yes: the Georgia registered agent stays, and ours covers California for year one.

Will California accept my Georgia name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Georgia name at home. California names must include limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC.

Can I form a new California LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from California later?

Georgia companies leave by filing Form LLC-4/7 (no state fee); until then, California's report stays due alongside Georgia's filings.

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