Foreign Registration in California

If your company is registered outside of California it is required to obtain a certificate of authority before transacting business in the state.

This process is called “Foreign Qualification”, and it involves filing Certificate of Authority with the California Secretary of State.

To approve foreign qualification application California Secretary of State requires certificate of good standing or its equivalent from the home state. The certificate must be current within 6 months. Keep in mind, foreign entity is required to appoint and maintain a registered agent in California on file at all times in order to be in good standing.

The filing process with California Secretary of State could take as long as 2 months or as short as 1 week. Expedited options exist for extra fee. We recommend you to contact our office to check the most recent processing times. Applicants should also allow additional time for obtaining the certificate of good standing from their home state.