Texas

Foreign registration · Form 304

Pennsylvania LLC Foreign Registration in Texas

An LLC formed in Pennsylvania that wants to do business in Texas files Form 304, with $767.13 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Texas needs nothing from Pennsylvania: no Subsistence Certificate. We file it with the Texas Secretary of State from your Pennsylvania records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Pennsylvania and Texas side by side

	Pennsylvania formed here	Texas registering here
Document	Pennsylvania Subsistence Certificate (not needed here)	Form 304
State fee	$40	$767.13 at order (filing fee $750 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Pennsylvania: online through Business Filing Services, or by mail on the copy and certificate request form	Filed with Texas
Required expedite		$50 at order (Texas Express)
Faster options		next-day $500, same-day $750
Office	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations	Texas Secretary of State
Official page	file.dos.pa.gov	sos.state.tx.us
Name endings	the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state	limited liability company, limited company or an abbreviation of either
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $7, every year	Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	September 30	May 15 each year
Agent	Your Pennsylvania registered office	Our Texas registered agent

How Pennsylvania companies register with Texas

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

Your Pennsylvania name and Texas's rules

Texas accepts your Pennsylvania name if it includes limited liability company, limited company or an abbreviation of either. Pennsylvania's list (the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state) is not the same, but an ending such as “limited liability company” works in both states. If Texas's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Pennsylvania company. We search Texas's records for Pennsylvania's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: Texas and Pennsylvania

Texas calls it a registered agent; Pennsylvania says registered office. Texas papers come to us; Pennsylvania's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in Pennsylvania and Texas

Pennsylvania wants the Annual Report every year ($7); Texas wants the Public Information Report + Franchise Tax Report every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Pennsylvania to Texas

A corporation formed in Pennsylvania files Form 301 with Texas ($767.13 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same). After that come Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) and Texas's Franchise Tax Report + Public Information Report (no fee). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Texas into Pennsylvania

An LLC formed in Texas that registers with Pennsylvania files Form DSCB:15-412 with $250 in state fees; no Texas certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Pennsylvania to Texas

Does my Pennsylvania company need to register in Texas?

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

How much does it cost to register a Pennsylvania LLC in Texas?

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

Do I need Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania first. Faster state options: next-day $500, same-day $750.

What are the yearly costs for Pennsylvania and Texas?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Pennsylvania's report ($7) and Texas's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with Texas?

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

Does Texas require a registered agent?

Yes: the Pennsylvania registered office stays, and ours covers Texas for year one.

Will Texas accept my Pennsylvania name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Pennsylvania name at home. Texas names must include limited liability company, limited company or an abbreviation of either; “limited liability company” works in both states.

Can I form a new Texas LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Texas later?

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

Official sources

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