California Foreign Registration · Form LLC-5
California Form LLC-5, the foreign LLC application
California Form LLC-5 is the Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC): an LLC chartered elsewhere sends it to the California Secretary of State, Business Entities, where it costs $70 and goes in with a current certificate of good standing. Our service prepares and files Form LLC-5 for $199 on top of the state fee; the field notes below also work if you would rather complete it yourself.
Form LLC-5 at a glance
- Who files
- A foreign LLC that is transacting intrastate business in California
- State fee
- $70
- Must be filed with
- A certificate of good standing from the home jurisdiction, issued within 6 months
- Signature
- Someone with authority to sign on the LLC's behalf
- Filing
- bizfile Online, by mail, or by drop-off in Sacramento
- Handling target
- 5 days or less online, 10+ days on paper
- Expedite
- $350 for 24 hours, $750 same day
Walking through Form LLC-5, field by field
| Field | Entry | Common slip |
|---|---|---|
| Contact person | A name and phone number for the Secretary of State to reach about the filing | Use someone who will answer; it is the one line on the form meant for a person |
| 1a. LLC name | The name exactly as it appears on the attached certificate of good standing | Punctuation and the ending must match the certificate letter for letter |
| 1b. California alternate name | Only if the name in 1a cannot be used in California | Leave blank otherwise; a name that fails Section 17701.08 needs an alternate |
| 2. Jurisdiction | The state, country or place where the LLC was formed | Must match the certificate. The authority statement below it is pre-printed and must not be altered |
| 3a. Principal office | The street address of the principal office | No P.O. box and no in-care-of address; spell out the city |
| 3b. California office | The street address of the principal office in California, if the LLC has one | Leave blank if there is none; it must be a street address too |
| 4. Service of process | Either an individual with a California street address, or a registered corporate agent | Fill in the individual lines (4a, 4b) or the corporate line (4c), never both |
| 5. Signature | Signed by someone with authority to act for the foreign LLC | A computer-generated signature is not accepted on paper filings |
The form carries no field for managers or members, no business purpose and no effective date choice. That information goes on the Statement of Information instead.
The attachment: a certificate of good standing
Form LLC-5 says on its face that it must be submitted with a current certificate of good standing issued by the government agency where the LLC was formed. The statute sets the age limit at 6 months (Corp. Code 17708.02(b)). Request it from the home state's records office shortly before filing; an online filing takes it as an uploaded attachment. The name on the certificate controls: if it shows "Harbor Ridge, LLC", the form must too.
What Form LLC-5 costs and where it goes
The filing fee is $70. Online, the portal takes payment as part of the submission. On paper, make the check payable to the Secretary of State and mail it with the form to P.O. Box 944260, Sacramento, CA 94244-2600, or deliver it to 1500 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 between the drop-off hours of Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except state holidays. A drop-off carries a $15 special handling fee, which the state keeps whether the filing is approved or rejected.
How long Form LLC-5 takes
California's handling target is 5 days or less for online submissions and 10+ days for PDF forms. Faster tiers are available at a state charge: $350 for a response within 24 hours and $750 for a same-day response when the filing is in by 9:30 a.m.. We do not promise a specific day for an unexpedited filing.
Why Form LLC-5 filings come back
- The certificate of good standing is missing, older than 6 months, or issued under a slightly different name.
- Item 3a or 3b is a P.O. box or an in-care-of address, or the city is abbreviated.
- The agent is the LLC itself, or a corporation that has not filed a registered corporate agent certificate.
- Both the individual and the corporate agent lines are filled in.
- The authority statement was edited, or the signature is a typed font on a paper filing.
- A name that fails the California designator or distinguishability rules was filed without an alternate name.
Having us file Form LLC-5
Place the order
Keep the formation papers and the principal office address nearby.
We check the name
Designator, distinguishability and an alternate name if California needs one.
We order the certificate
A newly issued good standing certificate from the home state, timed for the filing.
We complete every item
Including the agent for service of process, whether yours or ours.
We file and pay
On bizfile Online with the $70 fee.
You get the registration
With the date the first Statement of Information is due, 90 days from registration.
Registered agent: first year included, then $149 a year
$199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Form LLC-5 questions
Is Form LLC-5 the California certificate of authority?
It is the application for what California calls a certificate of registration. In everyday speech it is the California certificate of authority or foreign qualification.
Does Form LLC-5 ask for the managers or members?
No. Managers or members are reported on the Statement of Information due after registration.
Who signs Form LLC-5?
Someone authorized to sign for the foreign LLC. The title is not required on the form.
Our fee, plus the state fee at cost
Register in California
California$199
+ $70 Secretary of State fee
- Form LLC-5 for an LLC or the Statement and Designation by Foreign Corporation for a corporation
- A current certificate from your home state, which we order
- Submitted to Sacramento through bizfile Online
- A California agent for service of process: ours, or the one you name
- The certificate of registration, sent to you once issued
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
Checkout lists our fee and the state fee as separate lines. The state fee is charged at cost. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Where these facts come from
- California Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms and fees
- California Corporations Code 17708.02 (application to register)
- California Secretary of State, Business Entities FAQs
- California Secretary of State, foreign corporation forms and fees
- California Secretary of State, foreign limited partnership forms and fees
- California Secretary of State, Form LP-5 (Application for Registration, Foreign LP)
- Franchise Tax Board, Form FTB 3522 instructions (LLC tax voucher)
- Franchise Tax Board, Form 568 booklet (annual LLC tax)
- California Secretary of State, special handling and expedited filing services
- California Secretary of State, Form LLC-5 (Application to Register a Foreign LLC)
- California Secretary of State, Form LLC-12 (Statement of Information) and instructions
- California Corporations Code 17708.04 (filing of the application)
Registering an out-of-state company in California?
Order online, and we prepare the filing, get the certificate from your home state and file in Sacramento.