Ready to expand your business into California? You’ll need to register a foreign corporation first.
To complete your California foreign corporation registration:
Look, if that sounds like a labyrinth of paperwork, you’re not alone. Chances are you didn’t get into business to become an expert on state filings. That’s our job, and you can hire us to handle everything for you.
We register California companies every day right here in our Sacramento office building, ensuring you get quick, secure, and comprehensive business services.
Register a Foreign Corporation Now
Because we own our building in Midtown Sacramento outright, we can help you register your out-of-state corporation (a process known as “foreign qualification”) while providing unrivaled value. For $149 plus state filing fees, we cover all your bases for registering a foreign corporation in California:
As a truly local registered agent service with a permanent building address, we give you the stability, security, and the infrastructure to grow your business in California—all for an affordable low price.
Launch Your Foreign Corporation Today
One of the most important steps to starting a new company is setting up an online business presence. When it comes time to register a foreign corporation, this can get especially tricky and leave you jugging multiple registrars, vendors, and accounts.
Not with us. We can give you everything you need under one roof. When you hire us to register your foreign corporation, you can add our California Business Presence package and get a unique domain name, secure business website, email addresses linked to your domain, and local phone service. The best part? You can get started for FREE and get a 20% when you keep all the services.
Make it easy for your customers to find your business by registering a unique business domain name!
Your business domain (also called your web address or URL) is your real estate on the internet. It serves as the address for anyone to find your business on online search engines.
When you hire us to register your domain, you get a FREE domain name for the first year (up to $25 value). After that, you can renew your domain name for a low annual fee based on the market value of your domain (typically $25).
Establish your online business presence with a custom website!
Our web-hosting service includes a website that you can customize with the content and visuals that best represent your brand. If your domain name is your real estate on the web, your website is the virtual building for your business. There’s no coding experience required to get started, and our web support team can help you really fine-tune your site for your company.
Our web-hosting service is FREE for 90 days and just $9 a month after that.
Protect yourself and your customers with SSL security that signals trustworthiness.
SSL stands for “Secure Sockets Layer” and is basically an encryption protocol that makes website browsing and online sales secure for you and your audience. Without SSL, your customers will typically be confronted by a warning that your site is not secure. Needless to say this isn’t the first impression business owners want for their customers.
Get SSL security FREE for 90 days and just $9 a month after that.
Stand out as a legit professional business with email addresses linked directly to your domain name.
If your company’s domain name is “mybusinessnamehere.com,” you can set up your email address as “[email protected].”
Create 10 domain-linked email addresses FREE for 90 days and just $9 a month after that.
Set up a phone line and maintain work-life balance with our Virtual Phone Service.
Our VoIP phone service allows you to choose a number with any available California area code. With an internet connection, it’s easy to access through your computer or cell phone. You can also download our free iOS or Android apps so that you can access your business phone line on your current mobile device.
Our CA phone service is FREE for 90 days and just $9 a month after that.
We know this stuff can get pretty technical. Don’t worry—our team of specialists will call you to make sure everything’s set up for your business needs.
We can even help you transfer an existing domain for your foreign corporation or we can walk you through adding on a new domain that’s more location-specific for your California business.
Whatever you need, our customer support team is ready to support you throughout.
We get it—some people are just born DIYers. But all foreign corporations must appoint a California registered agent. Hire us to be your California registered agent ($49/year) and you’ll also get access to a secure online account. In your account, you’ll find the correct form to register your foreign corporation and instructions to help you fill it out quickly and correctly.
If at any point you think you’d rather have us handle the paperwork for you, you can select the option to “Register a Company” inside your client account. Click that, and you’ll be on your way!
Or you can hire us to register your foreign corporation right now and we’ll take care of everything, including requesting a Certificate of Good Standing from your home state.
Register Foreign Corporation Now
A foreign corporation is simply a corporation that was formed outside of California but has registered with the California Secretary of State to do business in California. So in this case, foreign simply means “out-of-state.”
Foreign corporations that register with the California Secretary of State receive a California Certificate of Authority. The process of registering a foreign corporation in California is also referred to as foreign qualification and applying for a California Certificate of Authority.
Yes. Any corporation operating in the state of California is required to appoint and maintain a registered agent. The registered agent must have a physical street address in California, keep regular business hours, and agree to accept legal mail on behalf of your corporation. We offer California registered agent service for just $49/year. As soon as you receive legal mail in our Sacramento office, we will scan it and upload it to your secure account.
A Certificate of Good Standing is simply a document stating that your corporation is current on fees and filing requirements in your home state. If your corporation is not in compliance, you’ll need to fix the issues that caused your corporation to lose its good standing. That may mean paying taxes or filing late Statements of Information.
Yes. A Certificate of Good Standing is required to qualify your foreign corporation in California. You’ll need to attach it to your foreign registration filing.
Every state has a different process for applying for a Certificate of Good Standing. Some states require paper requests and have long wait times. Others allow you to apply online and receive your Certificate of Good Standing immediately. The price (if any) and wait time for receiving a Certificate of Good Standing depend on your home state’s process.
Yes. It doesn’t matter where you initially formed your corporation—if you want to do business in California, you’ll have to pay the California Franchise Tax (a minimum of $800). There’s no way around it.
The filing fee to register a foreign corporation in California is $100. For $149 plus state fees (and your state’s Certificate of Good Standing fee), we’ll register your foreign corporation in California on your behalf.
Most foreign corporations (including nonprofits) will also file the Statement and Designation by Foreign Corporation (Form S&DC – S/N). Foreign professional corporations that practice law or accountancy will need to file Form S&DC-PC. Foreign corporations that provide insurance services should use form Form S&DC-INS. To file, you will also need a Certificate of Good Standing from your home state and a California registered agent.