Foreign LLC Filing › California
Filing a foreign LLC in California
To file a foreign LLC in California, send Form LLC-5, Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) and the $70 fee to the California Secretary of State, Business Entities, with a home-state certificate.
The filing packet
| Item | California requirement | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Application | Form LLC-5, Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) | Download from the office |
| Filing fee | $70 | Paid to the state |
| Home-state certificate | Certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state, no older than 180 days | Order from the home state first |
| Registered agent | A agent for service of process with a California street address | Named on the application |
$70 for Form LLC-5, Application to Register.
Where it goes
- Receiving office
- California Secretary of State, Business Entities
- Application
- Form LLC-5, Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC)
- Fee
- $70
Paying for it
The $70 is the whole state charge for the filing.
Best 3 Foreign Registration Services in California (2026)
A service can assemble and send this packet. For California these are the three we would choose.
1. Mainstay Filing
$199 + $70 state fee = $269
Registered agent free for the first year, then $149 a year.
2. CA Registered Agent.org
$199 + $70 state fee = $269
Registered agent included for the first year, then $99 a year.
3. California Registered Agent.ai
$199 + $70 state fee = $269
Registered agent included for the first year, then $99 a year.
Service prices read from each provider’s California page on October 28, 2026. The state fee is the official figure below and is paid to the California Secretary of State, Business Entities.
California filing questions
Where do I file a foreign LLC in California?
With the California Secretary of State, Business Entities. Its filing page is linked in the table above.
What do I attach to the California filing?
Certificate of good standing (existence or status) from the home state, no older than 180 days, with Form LLC-5, Application to Register a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC).
What does the California filing cost?
$70 to the state. $70 for Form LLC-5, Application to Register. A filing service adds its own $199.
Sources
- California Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms and fees (Form LLC-5 $70.00): www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/forms/limited-liability-companies-foreign-out-state-or-out-country, checked October 28, 2026
- California Form LLC-5 (PDF): bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov/llc/forms/llc-5.pdf, checked October 28, 2026
- Corporations Code section 17708.03: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CORP§ionNum=17708.03, checked October 8, 2026
- Revenue and Taxation Code section 19135: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=RTC§ionNum=19135, checked October 8, 2026
- Franchise Tax Board, LLC filing requirements: www.ftb.ca.gov/file/business/types/limited-liability-company/index.html, checked October 8, 2026