Georgia Foreign Corporation
What is a foreign corporation?
In Georgia, a foreign corporation (also known as an out-of-state corporation) is a corporation that conducts business in Georgia but was initially formed in another state. To expand your business into Georgia, you must file an Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Profit or Nonprofit Corporation with the Secretary of State.
Ready to get started? For just $355, we'll file your application on your behalf and provide a year of local registered agent service. You'll also get a secure online account, unlimited access to our library of business resources, and compliance support for zero upfront fees.
If you'd rather file yourself, keep reading to learn how to register your foreign Georgia corporation. Remember, you can still hire us for Georgia Registered Agent Service at just $25 a year.
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Our Out-of-State Corporation Registration Package includes Georgia registered agent service, official business documents, and same-day filing.
GET STARTEDHow to Register an Out-of-State Corporation
If your out-of-state corporation is seeking to do business in Georgia, you must first acquire a Certificate of Authority for Foreign Corporation from Georgia’s Secretary of State.
An out-of-state corporation, also known as a “Foreign Corporation,” is any corporation that has been formed in a state other than Georgia. For example, if your corporation was formed in Alabama, but you want to expand your business into Georgia, you will need to register your corporation with the Georgia Secretary of State.
The first step to obtaining a Certificate of Authority for Foreign Corporation is getting a Certificate of Good Standing or a Certificate of Existence from the state that your corporation was originally incorporated in. You can do this through the Secretary of State Office in that state, typically through their website.
Once you have the Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Existence, you have 90 days to file an Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Corporation with the Georgia Secretary of State. This can be completed online ($230) or by mailing a paper form ($235) to the Secretary of State.
More Information
How much does registering my out-of-state corporation in Georgia cost?
Filing the Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Corporation in Georgia costs $230 (online) or $235 (paper). You are also required to pay an annual registration fee of $55.
How do I file the Certificate of Authority for Foreign Corporation?
In order to comply with § 14-2-202 of the Georgia Code of Rules, the following information must be included on your Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Corporation:
- The name of your corporation
- The name and address of the filer
- The name and address of your Georgia Registered Agent
- The primary address for your corporation
- The initial county and state of incorporation
- The name and address of at least one corporate officer
In addition to the completed Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Corporation, you must include a copy of the Certificate of Good Standing of Certificate of Existence from the initial state of incorporation with your submission.
What if my corporation’s name is not available in Georgia?
If the name of your corporation isn’t available in the state of Georgia, you must choose an assumed name for use in Georgia. You can do this by filing a DBA form that will be provided at the Clerk’s Office of the county that you will primarily be doing business out of.
Do I need to register as a foreign corporation in Georgia?
You’ll have to qualify your corporation as foreign in Georgia if your business is “conducting activities” in Georgia. If you have an online business that statement may seem very vague. Typically, what the state means by “conducting activities” or “transacting business” is that you are physically doing business in the state in one of the following capacities:
- You have a business location in Georgia
- You have contractors physically doing work or selling items in Georgia
- You employ a sales rep in the state who services customers in Georgia
Most online companies who ship items to every state in the US do not need to register as foreign corporations in Georgia. However, if you’re unsure, you may want to consult a business attorney.
What if I don’t register as a foreign corporation?
If you get caught (and if you’re physically operating in the state, it’s likely that you will), you’ll have to pay a bunch of fees and penalties. You also won’t be able to take people who owe your corporation money to court in Georgia. So, it’s probably worth the effort to just save yourself the headache and register as a foreign corporation with the state if you need to do so.
Foreign Corporation Service
We charge $100 plus the Georgia State filing fee to prepare and file the foreign corporation Certificate of Authority form with the Georgia Secretary of State. We also will find the documentation needed from the home state of your incorporation to file your documents. If you want to submit the paperwork yourself, you just need to sign up for our Georgia registered agent service and the foreign corporation form is in your client account immediately. As an added bonus, we’ve included some filing tips on how to make the filing with the state easier. Your business needs to have a Georgia registered agent anyway, so we try to make this a simple process for you, whether you want us to submit your papers or you want to do the filing yourself.
If I’m ready to register my corporation in Georgia, how can I get started?
- Sign up with Georgia Registered Agent first.
- Then, take a look at the Foreign Corporations Form and the filing tips in your online account. If you decide that you don’t want to file it yourself, click the “Add Services” tab and add the Foreign Corporation Filing Services to your order.
- At any time, you can login into your account and check the read time status on the progress of your foreign corporation filing.
- Once the filing is complete, we store your official documents online in your secure client portal, email you a status update, and send you the original filed documents by mail.