Texas

Foreign registration · Form 304

Illinois LLC Foreign Registration in Texas

Texas registers an LLC from Illinois as a foreign LLC on Form 304, with $767.13 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Texas needs nothing from Illinois: no Certificate of Good Standing. We file it with the Texas Secretary of State using your Illinois records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Illinois vs Texas: the paperwork

	Illinois formed here	Texas registering here
Document	Illinois Certificate of Good Standing (not needed here)	Form 304
State fee	$25	$767.13 at order (filing fee $750 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Illinois: online as an instant PDF, printed from the receipt page or sent by email link	Filed with Texas
Required expedite		$50 at order (Texas Express)
Faster options		next-day $500, same-day $750
Office	Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division	Texas Secretary of State
Official page	ilsos.gov	sos.state.tx.us
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form LLC-50.1), $75, every year	Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	Before the first day of the entity's anniversary month each year	May 15 each year
Late yearly filing	$100 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Illinois registered agent	Our Texas registered agent

How Illinois companies register with Texas

We prepare and file Form 304
It names us as your Texas registered agent, with your Illinois name and formation date. No Illinois paperwork holds up the Texas filing. After approval, your Illinois LLC is registered with Texas.

Your Illinois name and Texas's rules

Texas accepts your Illinois name if it includes limited liability company, limited company or an abbreviation of either. If another Texas company uses the Illinois name, an alternate name is allowed. We check your exact Illinois name against Texas's records before filing.

Agents: Texas and Illinois

Illinois and Texas both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Illinois; ours takes Texas's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Texas and Illinois

Illinois wants the Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form LLC-50.1) every year ($75); Texas wants the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Illinois to Texas

A corporation formed in Illinois files Form 301 with Texas ($767.13 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05) ($75) and Texas's Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report (no fee). See the corporation filing.

Questions Illinois owners ask about Texas

Does my Illinois company need to register in Texas?

Yes, once an Illinois business operates there; Texas law lists 16 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Texas registration cost?

$1,016.13 at checkout, including the $50 required expedite, with nothing to pay Illinois.

Do I need Illinois's certificate of good standing?

No, Texas takes Form 304 without it.

How long does the Texas registration take?

Typically 2 to 3 business days with Texas's required expedite; nothing comes from Illinois first. Faster state options: next-day $500, same-day $750.

What are the yearly costs for Illinois and Texas?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Illinois's report ($75) and Texas's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with Texas?

An Illinois company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does Texas require a registered agent?

Yes: the Illinois registered agent stays, and ours covers Texas for year one.

Will Texas accept my Illinois name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Illinois name at home. Texas names must include limited liability company, limited company or an abbreviation of either.

Can I form a new Texas LLC instead?

Yes, but Illinois keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Texas's Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report, and the original keeps Illinois's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from Texas later?

Illinois companies leave by filing Form 608, Certificate of Withdrawal of Registration ($15); until then, Texas's report stays due alongside Illinois's filings.

Official sources

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