What is a Foreign Limited Liability Company?

If you have an existing LLC and want to register to do business elsewhere, you will need to form a foreign LLC in that state.

What is a Foreign LLC

When an LLC expands beyond state lines, it is considered “foreign” by all states except the one it was founded in. It is important to register as a “foreign LLC” in any new states you conduct business in. Failure to do so can lead to piercing your corporate veil, incurring financial penalties, and voiding of important legal contracts.

What qualifies as “conducting business” can vary between states. Typically, an LLC is considered to operate within any state where it has any of the following:

A business bank account
An office, store, warehouse, or other commercial site
Ownership of property
A distributor or manufacturer’s representative
Meetings or transacts business
Employees

We recommend consulting a lawyer about particular circumstances or specific state requirements for registering your foreign Limited Liability Company.

Domestic LLCs vs Foreign LLCs

A domestic LLC just refers to any LLC that operates within the state of its founding. Foreign LLCs are typically subject to the same fees and taxes as Domestic LLCs. For that reason, we recommend not registering your business in any more states than you need to. While there is plenty of hype about founding your business in states like Delaware or Wyoming, this will just lead you to pay an extra set of maintenance fees.

Form Your Foreign Limited Liability Company

If you are ready to register your Foreign LLC, we will direct you to the documents you need to file. Select your state below, and follow any instructions we provide.

*If you have not first filed a domestic LLC please visit our: How to Form an LLC Page.