Connecticut Foreign Registration › Corporations
Registering a foreign corporation in Connecticut
A corporation formed elsewhere registers in Connecticut with the Application for Certificate of Authority, which costs $385 for a stock corporation, of which $285 is a license fee, and $40 for a nonstock corporation. The yearly cost afterwards is $435 for a stock corporation and $50 for a nonstock one. This site leads with LLCs, but corporations register in the same state under the same clock.
Corporation fees at a glance
| Item | Stock corporation | Nonstock corporation |
|---|---|---|
| Application for Certificate of Authority | $385, including the $285 license fee | $40 |
| Annual report | $435 | $50 |
| Change of agent | $50 | $20 |
| Interim notice of change of officer or director | $20 | $20 |
| Name change | $100 | $20 |
| Certificate of withdrawal | $0 | $0 |
The same lists show a corrected annual report for a stock corporation at $100.
Why a corporation pays more
The jump from $120 for an LLC to $385 for a stock corporation comes from the license fee that Connecticut folds into the application. The application includes a $285 license fee. That leaves $100 for the filing itself. A nonstock corporation pays $40, and the application form prints that figure as an exception for nonstock corporations.
The application
Connecticut posts an Application for Certificate of Authority for foreign corporations, and the online route is through a Business.CT.gov account. The posted form is plain about the cost of leaving something out: failure to provide any of the required information results in the document being rejected. It asks for a six-digit NAICS code, a place to which a confirmation will be sent, and an agent in item 14. A fictitious-name note on the form concerns a corporation that cannot use its own name in Connecticut.
Stock versus nonstock, in one line each
A stock corporation has shares and pays $385 to apply. A nonstock corporation, which covers most nonprofits, pays $40. If you are unsure which your entity is, the answer is in its home-state formation papers, and the filing screens depend on it. Later changes are priced separately: a change of agent is $50 for a stock corporation and $20 for a nonstock one, and a name change is $100 or $20.
Item 14: the agent
Item 14 has three parts, A, B and C, and the form says to check A or complete B or C, never more than one. The options are a Connecticut resident aged 18 or over, another business registered with the office that has a Connecticut address, or the Secretary of the State for a foreign entity. A change of agent later is $50 for a stock corporation and $20 for a nonstock one.
The penalty for a corporation
For corporations the clock is the same. The statute for foreign corporations, section 33-921, sets $300 a month, partial months included, for transacting business without authority, with no monthly penalty if the corporation obtains its certificate within 90 days of starting (Conn. Gen. Stat. 33-921(d)). It also lets the Attorney General seek a restraining order against the corporation until fees and penalties are paid. The penalty page sets out the demand-letter process for every entity type.
The annual report for a corporation
A stock corporation's annual report costs $435, a good deal more than an LLC's $80, and a nonstock corporation's costs $50. The January 1 to March 31 window applies to LLCs and LLPs. A corporation's annual report is filed online from the Business.CT.gov dashboard, and a confirmation of the application is sent to the address given on it. For a corporation the express form of that certificate is $50 and the short form $80. Reminders are sent about a month before a report is due, and a corporation can look up its own date on the filing page after logging in.
What a corporation pays in the first year
| Case | Built from | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Stock corporation, application and first annual report | $385 plus $435 | $820 |
| Nonstock corporation, application and first annual report | $40 plus $50 | $90 |
Registering a corporation through us
Give us the entity type and the start date
Stock or nonstock, the home state and the day work began in Connecticut.
Choose the agent
Item 14: tick A, or complete B or C.
We complete the application
Including the NAICS code and the confirmation address.
We file and pay
We pay Connecticut the amount it lists.
Corporation questions
What does the license fee in the application cover?
The $385 application includes a $285 license fee; the other $100 is the filing itself.
Is a nonprofit charged the same?
No. A foreign nonstock corporation pays $40 to apply.
Does a corporation get the same 90-day grace as an LLC?
The corporation statute carries a 90-day provision, and the monthly figure is $300.
Where does a corporation file?
Online through a Business.CT.gov account. Paper forms exist, but expedited service is not available by mail.
Our rate, then the Connecticut fee
Register in Connecticut
+ $120 Connecticut fee
- The Foreign Registration Statement, prepared from your answers
- Proof of existence from the home state, requested where the filing calls for it
- A Connecticut registered agent: ours, or one you already have
- The filing and the date your annual report window opens
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
$199
Start my Connecticut filingOur rate and the state fee are separate lines at checkout. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Sources
- Business.CT.gov, foreign LLC forms and fees
- Connecticut Secretary of the State, Foreign Registration Statement for a limited liability company (PDF)
- Business.CT.gov, foreign annual report forms and fees
- Business.CT.gov, foreign stock corporation forms and fees
- Business.CT.gov, foreign nonstock corporation forms and fees
- Connecticut Secretary of the State, Application for Certificate of Authority, foreign corporation (PDF)
- Business.CT.gov, how to change a business name
- Connecticut General Statutes, chapter 601 (foreign corporations)
- Business.CT.gov, certificate of legal existence forms and fees
Already working in Connecticut?
Tell us when the LLC started. We check it against the 90-day window when we prepare the filing.