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What Is Foreign Qualification?

Written byRegistryWise Editorial TeamFact-checked against official sources · How we research

The short answer

Foreign qualification is registering a company formed in one state to do business in another state. The company is "foreign" in the second state, which is why the filing is often called a certificate of authority or a foreign registration.

Also called: Certificate of authority, Foreign registration, Application for authority

On this page
  1. When you need it
  2. What it involves

When you need it

Usually when the company has a real presence in another state: an office or store there, employees working there, or ongoing business activity. A Wyoming LLC run from Texas, for example, generally has to register in Texas too.

What it involves

You file a form with the second state, pay its fee, name a registered agent in that state, and often attach a certificate of good standing from your home state. After that the company files annual reports in both states.

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