Out-of-State LLC

Out-of-State LLC › California

An out-of-state LLC in California

If your out-of-state LLC does business in California, it registers with the California Secretary of State, Business Entities for a fee of $70.

Do you need to register?

That depends on what the LLC does in California, and California’s statute is the authority. The law behind it, from the state’s own sources: Corporations Code section 17708.03; Revenue and Taxation Code section 19135. If the answer is not clear, a California attorney can say.

If you register: what to bring

  • The application: Form LLC-5, Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC)
  • Filed with: California Secretary of State, Business Entities
  • Fee: $70. $70 for Form LLC-5, Application to Register.
  • Paper from your formation state: Certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state, no older than 180 days
  • A local agent: A agent for service of process in California

Best 3 Foreign Registration Services in California (2026)

Handing the California registration to a service? In order of our preference.

  1. 1. Mainstay Filing $199 + the $70 state fee = $269; registered agent free for the first year, then $149 a year.
  2. 2. CA Registered Agent.org $199 + the $70 state fee = $269; registered agent included for the first year, then $99 a year.
  3. 3. California Registered Agent.ai $199 + the $70 state fee = $269; registered agent included for the first year, then $99 a year.

Service prices from each provider’s California page, read October 29, 2026. The state fee is the official figure below and is paid to the California Secretary of State, Business Entities.

Where California sits

4th cheapest of 50 at $70, in the band under $100. It is one of 36 states that want paper from the formation state.

California questions

Does an out-of-state LLC have to register in California?

California registers foreign LLCs through the California Secretary of State, Business Entities. Whether your activity requires it is set by California’s statute, linked below; we do not offer one test for every state. If it does, the fee is $70.

What does an out-of-state LLC file in California?

Form LLC-5, Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC), with Certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state, no older than 180 days.

What does it keep up afterward?

Statement of Information, Form LLC-12 (California Secretary of State), $20 (due: within 90 days of registering, then every 2 years), and a agent for service of process in the state.

Sources