Foreign registration · Form LLC-5

Kansas LLC Foreign Registration in California

To do business in California, an LLC formed in Kansas registers there on Form LLC-5, with $70 in state fees. California also wants Kansas's Certificate of Good Standing ($7.50), dated within 180 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities from your Kansas records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

Kansas and California side by side

	Kansas formed here	California registering here
Document	Kansas Certificate of Good Standing	Form LLC-5
State fee	$7.50	$70 at order
How it is handled	Kansas: online as a PDF in your Kansas business account	Filed with California
Paid expedite		24-hour $350, same-day $750
Office	Kansas Secretary of State, Business Services Division	California Secretary of State, Business Entities
Official page	sos.ks.gov	sos.ca.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Information Report, $90, every two years	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years
Due	15th day of the 4th month after tax-year-end	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially
Late yearly filing	$10 late fee	$250 late fee
Agent	Your Kansas resident agent	Our California agent for service of process

How Kansas companies register with California

Order the Kansas certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($7.50) is ordered from Kansas separately; it is not part of our California order. California counts 180 days from the day Kansas issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form LLC-5
It names us as your California agent for service of process, with your Kansas name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Kansas certificate comes first; then the California filing goes in. Once California approves it, the Kansas company can do business there.

First-year cost, Kansas to California

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$70
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Kansas	$7.50
Our service, with a year of California agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, Kansas certificate included	$276.50

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

Your Kansas name and California's rules

California accepts your Kansas name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. If the Kansas name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. If California's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Kansas company. California can hold a name for 60 days for $10 before you file.

Agents: California and Kansas

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

Staying in good standing in Kansas and California

Kansas wants the Information Report every two years ($90); 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, Kansas to California

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

Registering a California company in Kansas

An LLC formed in California that registers with Kansas files Form FA with $115 in state fees; no California certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Kansas to California

Does my Kansas company need to register in California?

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

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

$269 at checkout plus $7.50 to Kansas for the Certificate of Good Standing, $276.50 in all (checkout is $70 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Kansas's certificate of good standing?

Yes: California wants it ($7.50), no more than 180 days old at filing.

How long does the California registration take?

California's online processing takes 5 days or less, once Kansas's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: 24-hour $350, same-day $750.

What are the yearly costs for Kansas and California?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), Kansas's report ($90, every two years) and California's report ($20, every two years).

What if I don't register with California?

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

Does California require a registered agent?

Yes: the Kansas resident agent stays, and ours covers California for year one.

Will California accept my Kansas name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Kansas 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 Kansas 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 Kansas's Information Report.

How do I withdraw from California later?

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

Official sources

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