Connecticut Certificate of Authority / LLC registration
The LLC route: the Connecticut Foreign Registration Statement
An LLC formed elsewhere does not apply for a certificate of authority in Connecticut. It files the Foreign Registration Statement for $120, a twelve-item statement, and then an annual report for $80. We prepare it for $199.
LLC filing in brief
- Name
- Foreign Registration Statement, Limited Liability Company
- Fee
- $120
- Items
- 12
- Annual report
- $80, from January 1 to March 31 each year
- Where
- Online through Business.CT.gov, with a paper alternative
- Agent
- Item 10: the Secretary of the State, an individual or a business
The twelve items in four groups
| Group | Items | What they cover |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | 1 to 4 | Name with designator, alternate name, state of formation and formation date |
| Activity | 5 to 7 | Start of Connecticut business, principal office and any home-state office |
| Contact and industry | 8 and 9 | Entity email and six-digit NAICS code |
| People | 10 to 12 | Agent, a manager or member, and the signature |
Identity: items 1 to 4
Item 1 needs the name as the home state has it, with an ending such as LLC or L.L.C. Item 2 is blank unless the item 1 name cannot be used in Connecticut. Items 3 and 4 name the place of formation and the formation date. These four should read exactly like the certificate from the home state, since the office compares them.
Activity: items 5 to 7
Item 5 records when Connecticut work began or will begin. It is the day the grace period counts from. Item 6 is the principal office and a mailing address; the office cannot be a P.O. box, and it need not be in Connecticut. Item 7 is only for an LLC that its home state requires to keep an office there.
Contact and industry: items 8 and 9
An entity email address is required, and so is a six-digit NAICS code. The email matters for years afterwards, as the state uses the address on file to send annual report reminders.
People: items 10 to 12
In item 10, the LLC picks A (the Secretary of the State), B (an individual who signs and gives three Connecticut addresses) or C (a business with a Connecticut business address and mailing address). Item 11 needs at least a single manager or member. Item 12 is signed by an authorized official, with printed name, capacity and date, under penalty of false statement. The form is explicit that the LLC cannot be appointed its own agent.
Which agent route suits an LLC
For an LLC with no one in Connecticut, route A, the Secretary of the State, is the simplest. For an LLC with a member who lives here, route B puts that member's three Connecticut addresses on the public record. For an LLC that uses a paid agent, route C names the business. The LLC itself cannot be the agent, so the choice is always someone or something else.
The signer and the record
An authorized official signs item 12, printing a name and capacity beside the date. The statement carries a warning that it is made under penalty of false statement, so the signer should have read each item. Everything on the filing, including the manager or member addresses and the principal office, enters the public record, and the state warns that a home address will be visible on its website.
LLC route and corporation route compared
| LLC | Stock corporation | |
|---|---|---|
| Filing | Foreign Registration Statement | Application for Certificate of Authority |
| State fee | $120 | $385 |
| Annual report | $80 | $435 |
| Agent can be the entity itself | No | Only as a Connecticut resident |
| Withdrawal | Quoted when you order | Application for Certificate of Withdrawal, $0 |
Money, speed and the annual report
The fee is $120. Online expedite is $50 and available only on online filings. After registration the LLC files an annual report every year between January 1 and March 31 for $80. The annual report page includes the LLC figures next to the corporate ones.
What is missing for LLCs
The state's list for foreign LLCs shows no withdrawal form for a registered LLC, only a statement of withdrawal for a pending record at $120. If an LLC plans to leave, tell us first and we confirm the filing. Our withdrawal page explains what the lists show for each entity.
Filing the LLC statement through us
Order
Give us the LLC, its home state and the day Connecticut work began.
Agent
Choose A, B or C.
Review
We complete the twelve items for you to check.
File
Connecticut's $120 fee is paid online.
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.
LLC statement questions
Does an LLC pay a license fee?
The state's list shows $120 for the statement and no separate license fee.
Can an LLP use the same filing?
The state shows a Foreign Registration Statement for LLPs at $120.
Where is the principal office?
Anywhere. The state says an out-of-state address is fine.
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.
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
- Connecticut Secretary of the State, Foreign Registration Statement for a limited liability company (PDF)
- Business.CT.gov, foreign limited liability partnership forms and fees
- 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.