Foreign registration · Form LLC-5

New Jersey LLC Foreign Registration in California

To do business in California, an LLC formed in New Jersey registers there on Form LLC-5, with $70 in state fees. California also wants New Jersey's Standing Certificate ($50), dated within 180 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Entities from your New Jersey records, then serve as your agent for service of process there for year one.

What New Jersey and California each ask for

	New Jersey formed here	California registering here
Document	New Jersey Standing Certificate	Form LLC-5
State fee	$50	$70 at order
How it is handled	New Jersey: online as an electronic certificate, or by mail, fax or in person	Filed with California
Paid expedite		24-hour $350, same-day $750
Office	New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services (DORES), Department of the Treasury	California Secretary of State, Business Entities
Official page	nj.gov	sos.ca.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Name endings	LTD Liability Co., LTD Liability Company, Limited Liability Co., Limited Liability Company or L.L.C.	limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $75, every year	Statement of Information (Form LLC-12), $20, every two years
Due	Last day of the LLC's anniversary month each year	Last day of the LLC's registration-anniversary month, biennially
Agent	Your New Jersey registered agent	Our California agent for service of process

How New Jersey companies register with California

Order the New Jersey certificate
The Standing Certificate ($50) is ordered from New Jersey separately; it is not part of our California order. It comes as a short form ($50) or a long form ($100). California accepts it within 180 days of New Jersey's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form LLC-5
It names us as your California agent for service of process, with your New Jersey name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once New Jersey's certificate is in hand, California's filing goes in. Once California approves it, the New Jersey company can do business there.

California costs for New Jersey companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$70
Standing Certificate, paid to New Jersey	$50
Our service, with a year of California agent for service of process service	$199
First-year total, New Jersey certificate included	$319

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

Will your New Jersey name work for California?

California accepts your New Jersey name if it includes limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC. New Jersey's list (LTD Liability Co., LTD Liability Company, Limited Liability Co., Limited Liability Company or L.L.C.) is not the same, but an ending such as “limited liability company” works in both states. If another California company uses the New Jersey name, an alternate name is allowed. California can hold a name for 60 days for $10 before you file.

Your California agent and the New Jersey one

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

Yearly filings: California and New Jersey

New Jersey wants the Annual Report every year ($75); 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, New Jersey to California

A corporation formed in New Jersey files Form S&DC-S/N with California ($100 in state fees). After that come New Jersey's Annual Report ($75) and California's Statement of Information (Form SI-550) ($25). See the corporation filing.

Registering a California company in New Jersey

An LLC formed in California that registers with New Jersey files New Jersey's registration (no form number) with $100 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status ($5). See that filing.

Common questions: New Jersey to California

Does my New Jersey company need to register in California?

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

How much does the California registration cost?

$269 at checkout plus $50 to New Jersey for the Standing Certificate, $319 in all (checkout is $70 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need New Jersey's certificate of good standing?

Yes: California wants New Jersey's Standing Certificate ($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 New Jersey's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: 24-hour $350, same-day $750.

What are the yearly costs for New Jersey and California?

Our agent for service of process renewal ($149 a year), New Jersey's report ($75) and California's report ($20, every two years).

What if I don't register with California?

A New Jersey company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does California require a registered agent?

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

Will California accept my New Jersey name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its New Jersey name at home. California names must include limited liability company, L.L.C. or LLC; “limited liability company” works in both states.

Can I form a new California LLC instead?

Yes, but New Jersey 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 New Jersey's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from California later?

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

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