Certificate of authority for Connecticut
Connecticut authority for a corporation formed elsewhere
The application, the license fee inside it and the yearly report that follows, laid out before you order.
DelawareConnecticut
Order
Entity type, name, home state and a Connecticut agent.
Application filed
The application goes to the Secretary of the State with the fee.
Authorized
Connecticut records the certificate of authority and the annual report cycle begins.
A corporation formed outside Connecticut applies for a certificate of authority with the Secretary of the State, and the state lists the Application for Certificate of Authority at $385 for a stock corporation; $285 of it is the license charge, or $40 for a nonstock one. For $199 we do our work on the application.
Two features set Connecticut apart. The fee is high for a state filing because a license fee is folded into it. And the annual report that follows is priced by entity type, from $50 to $435. LLCs and LLPs register on a different statement, covered further down.
State of Connecticut
Certificate of Authority, Sample
- Entity
- Sample Nutmeg Holdings Inc.
- Formed in
- Delaware
- Agent
- Named
Illustration only. The record you receive shows the true entity data.
- License fee shown, not buried
- Home-state proof handled
- Connecticut agent available
What the order includes
Application prepared
The Application for Certificate of Authority is filled in from the answers you give when you order.
Fee broken out
Of the $385 Connecticut charges a stock corporation, $285 is a license fee. You see that before you pay.
Home-state proof
We ask the state of formation for proof that the entity exists and keep a copy with your papers.
An agent in place
We can act as your Connecticut agent. The Secretary of the State or a person of your choosing also works.
The yearly cost, flagged
A stock corporation's annual report is $435. We tell you before you order, not after.
One point of contact
Whoever prepares your application answers your questions.
From order to authorized
Order with the corporation details
Stock or nonstock, the exact name, the state of formation and the day Connecticut work began or will begin.
Choose the Connecticut agent
We can serve, or you can name a person or business. Item 14 on the application offers three routes.
We prepare the application
Your answers go onto the form, including the industry code and the address for confirmation.
We file and pay
Connecticut's $385 goes in online, or $40 for a nonstock corporation.
You receive the record and a cost sheet
We send what Connecticut posts and a note of what the first annual report will cost.
Corporation authority in Connecticut: the numbers
- Filing
- Application for Certificate of Authority
- Filed with
- Connecticut Secretary of the State, Business Services Division
- Stock corporation
- $385; $285 of it is the license charge
- Nonstock corporation
- $40
- Annual report
- $435 stock, $50 nonstock
- How to file
- Online with a Business.CT.gov login; a paper form exists but mail cannot be rushed
- Withdrawal
- Application for Certificate of Withdrawal, $0
What each entity pays Connecticut to get started
| Entity | Connecticut filing | State fee | Annual report |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock corporation | Application for Certificate of Authority | $385 | $435 |
| Nonstock corporation | Application for Certificate of Authority | $40 | $50 |
| LLC | Foreign Registration Statement | $120 | $80 |
| LLP | Foreign Registration Statement | $120 | $80 |
The fee page adds the smaller filings and a worked first-year total for each type.
Where the stock corporation fee comes from
Connecticut prints the fee as one line, $385, with a note that a license charge of $285 sits inside it. That leaves $100 as the part that pays for the filing. A nonstock corporation pays $40, shown on the application as an exception for nonstock corporations.
Certificate of authority, and the other certificate
Two documents carry similar names and do different jobs. A certificate of authority is permission for an out-of-state corporation to do business in Connecticut. A certificate of legal existence is proof of registration and current filings, the kind of document banks and lenders often request. You can order the second only after you hold the first and your annual report is current. The office states that the certificate of legal existence is not required to start a business. For a corporation the express form costs $50 and the short form $80. Our guide covers both.
The yearly cost is the real number
Authority is a one-time filing, but a stock corporation's annual report is $435 every year, well above the filing portion of the application. A nonstock corporation's report is $50. Over a few years the annual reports dominate. The annual report page covers the window and the consequences of skipping one.
What a missed filing costs
The foreign corporation statute sets $300 for each month a corporation transacts business without authority, partial months included, and gives a grace of 90 days from the start of business (Conn. Gen. Stat. 33-921(d)). The Attorney General may also seek a court order against the corporation until it pays what is owed. The Foreign Investigations Unit sends the demand letter. The penalty page describes the steps.
LLCs and LLPs on the same site
An LLC does not apply for a certificate of authority. It files a Foreign Registration Statement for $120, and an LLP files the same statement for $120. The LLC page walks through the twelve items. If you are choosing between entity types for a Connecticut project, the table above puts the state's charges side by side. An LLC's yearly state cost is the $80 annual report, and its first year with the statement comes to $200.
Delaware and Wyoming entities
A Delaware or Wyoming entity keeps paying its home state whatever happens here. The Delaware page and the Wyoming page put the two sets of charges next to each other, using an LLC as the example. If you would rather make the filing yourself, see the self-filing page.
Authority is not a trade licence
A certificate of authority lets a foreign corporation operate in Connecticut. It does not license the thing the corporation does. Connecticut points applicants for licences and permits to its eLicense site and sorts them by field: agriculture, banking and finance, childcare, transport, environment and energy, healthcare, insurance, notaries and tax preparers among them. The state also reminds new businesses that a tax registration number comes into the picture before a licence application. Plan on the authority filing being one step in a longer sequence, and try the state's checklist tool for new businesses to see the remaining steps.
Everything you file is public
The Secretary of the State treats the content of every submitted document as public record. The principal business address can be outside Connecticut, and a home address is permitted, though the office warns that it then appears on its website. Officer, director and agent details that go on forms are public in the same way. If the people behind a nonprofit or a closely held corporation care about that, settle who is named and with which address before the application goes in.
A short word about names
If the corporation's own name is already taken in Connecticut, the application has a fictitious-name part to use only in that case. Applying to register or reserve a name, at $60, locks it for 120 days, with the filing day as the first. Changing the name later costs $100 where there are shares and $20 where there are none, and the state steers those filings online.
What the state's own tools offer
Business.CT.gov lets a filer keep a dashboard of past filings, save a draft and finish it later, and see reminders of what is coming. The state lists faster processing and fewer rejections among the reasons to file online. Those are the practical reasons our own work is done there, and why we think the paper form is the fallback.
Three projects, three sets of costs
A stock corporation formed in Delaware opens a sales office in Hartford. It applies at $385 and files its first annual report at $435, which is $820 in state charges. A nonprofit formed elsewhere runs a summer programme in Connecticut. It applies at $40 and reports at $50, $90 for the year. An LLC from another state hires a remote employee here. It files its registration statement at $120 and its report at $80, $200 in all. Agents and our fee are extra in each case.
Prepare these before you order
- Whether the corporation has stock, since that decides which fee applies.
- The name copied from the home-state record, plus an alternative in case Connecticut cannot use it.
- The day work in Connecticut began, or the day it will.
- Your choice of Connecticut agent and, for an individual, their addresses.
- A six-digit industry code and an address for the confirmation.
- The officer who will sign for the corporation.
Which page answers which question
| Question | Page |
|---|---|
| What the fee includes, with totals | Fees |
| Whether the corporation needs authority | When authority is required |
| What the application asks | The application |
| What the annual report costs | Annual report |
| Who can be the agent | Agent rules |
| How to close the registration | Withdrawing |
Registered agent: first year included, then $149 a year
$199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Our fee, then the Connecticut fee
Get authority in Connecticut
Delaware or any stateConnecticut
$199
+ $385 Connecticut fee
- The Application for Certificate of Authority, completed from what you tell us
- Home-state proof of existence, ordered if the filing needs it
- A Connecticut agent: ours, the Secretary of the State, or a person you already trust
- The filing, then your annual report dates
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
Our fee and the Connecticut fee show as separate lines at checkout. A nonstock corporation pays less, and an LLC pays its own fee. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Questions about authority in Connecticut
What is the price of a Connecticut certificate of authority?
$385 for a stock corporation, which has a $285 license charge built in, and $40 for a nonstock corporation.
What is the annual report fee for a corporation?
$435 if it issues shares and $50 if it does not.
Can I file online?
Yes, from a Business.CT.gov login. A paper form is also available, but a mailed filing cannot be rushed.
Is there a faster option?
Online filings can be rushed for $50 per transaction, though the state says most go through automatically.
Does an LLC need a certificate of authority?
No. An LLC files the Foreign Registration Statement for $120.
Can the Secretary of the State be my agent?
The state says foreign entities may use the Secretary of the State as agent.
What if I started work in Connecticut months ago?
Apply now. The statute counts $300 per month, with a 90-day grace, so each month adds to it.
How do I leave Connecticut later?
A foreign corporation files the Application for Certificate of Withdrawal, which the state lists at $0.
Sources
- Business.CT.gov, foreign stock corporation forms and fees
- Connecticut Secretary of the State, Application for Certificate of Authority, foreign corporation (PDF)
- Business.CT.gov, foreign annual report forms and fees
- Business.CT.gov, foreign LLC forms and fees
- Business.CT.gov, foreign nonstock corporation forms and fees
- Business.CT.gov, foreign limited liability partnership forms and fees
- Business.CT.gov, certificate of legal existence forms and fees
- Connecticut General Statutes, chapter 601 (foreign corporations)
- Business.CT.gov, why reserve a business name
- Business.CT.gov, how to change a business name
- Business.CT.gov, expedited services
Need authority to operate in Connecticut?
Give us the entity type and its home state. We prepare the application and settle the agent details.