Connecticut Certificate of Authority / Self-filing
Applying for a Connecticut certificate of authority on your own
A corporation can apply for its Connecticut certificate of authority itself, online, for $385 ($40 if nonstock), once it has a Business.CT.gov account and the right facts. Our own order sits below for $199, for those who prefer to hand it off.
Whether doing it yourself makes sense
For a single corporation with a settled agent, yes. The online system saves progress, shows the fee and offers expedite at the end. The reasons people hand it off are not technical. They want someone else to choose the agent route, check the name and tell them what the annual report will cost. If you are comfortable with those, the filing is a short session.
Prepare before you start
| What | Why | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Exact corporate name | The application and the search | Home-state record |
| Stock or nonstock | Fee: $385 or $40 | Formation papers |
| Day work in Connecticut began | Starts the grace | Your records |
| Agent details | Item 14 | The agent |
| Six-digit NAICS code | Required line | Your industry |
| A confirmation address | Where the state sends proof | You |
| An authorized officer | Signs for the corporation | The corporation |
The screens, in order
Create your account
Open business.ct.gov, pick Sign in, then Sign up now, and fill in the personal details and credentials it asks for.
Verify
Confirm the code sent to your email or phone, or skip that step.
Pick the application
Choose the foreign corporation application from the filing list.
Complete the items
Name, agent, industry code, confirmation address and the officer.
Decide on expedite
It is offered at the end for $50.
Pay and save
Pay $385 or $40 and keep the confirmation.
What to watch
The fee line. If the corporation has stock it pays the larger fee, which includes a license fee. A nonprofit without stock pays the smaller one. Choose with care.
The agent. Pick one of three routes. A person must be an adult living in Connecticut. A business must be registered with the office and have a Connecticut address. For a foreign entity the Secretary of the State is an option.
The name. Copy the home-state spelling. If Connecticut cannot take it, use the fictitious-name part.
The record you create. Everything filed is public, so check each answer as a stranger would read it.
What the years after cost
After the application, the yearly cost is the annual report, $435 with shares or $50 without. A change of agent is $50 or $20, a name change $100 or $20, and verifying a certificate of legal existence is free when logged in.
The paper alternative
A downloadable application exists. Send it with a check payable to the Secretary of the State. Mail cannot be expedited. The state encourages the online route, saying it brings faster processing and fewer rejections, so check the form header for the current mailing address before posting.
Time
The office says most online filings are accepted automatically. What takes time is the preparation: locating the formation papers, getting the agent's consent and choosing the officer. Allow for those, not for the screens.
Choosing who signs
An officer with authority should approve the application. Choose someone who knows the corporation's formation details and who will be around to receive questions. If the signer changes jobs, the account does not change with them, so note who set up the account and who filed.
Getting the agent's consent
The agent must agree to serve, so ask first. For an individual, you will need their Connecticut business address, residence address and mailing address. For a business agent, you need its name exactly as the office has it and a Connecticut business and mailing address. For the Secretary of the State route, you need nothing from anyone.
Working out your first-year cost
Write the sum before you file. Application: $385 or $40. First annual report: $435 or $50. Agent, if paid. Expedite, if wanted: $50. That gives you $820 or $90 before agent and expedite, and the figure is the one to put in a budget.
A one-page checklist
- Account created under a lasting email address.
- Entity type confirmed, stock or nonstock.
- Name copied from the home-state record.
- Start date of Connecticut work written down.
- Agent route chosen and consent in hand.
- Industry code and confirmation address ready.
- Officer ready to approve.
- Payment method ready.
Questions to ask yourself before filing
Is the entity stock or nonstock? Does the name match the home-state record? Is the start date the true one? Does the agent know and agree? Is the account tied to an address that will last? Can you say, in a sentence, who approves the application? If any answer is a guess, resolve it first.
If something goes wrong online
If the system will not accept a filing, take a screenshot of the message. Do not file the same application twice in the hope that the second try works, since you may pay the fee twice.
Making the account
Open business.ct.gov, press Sign in, and follow Sign up now. The sign-up page asks for your details and a login of your choice. After you tick the human check you can confirm a code sent to your email or phone, or skip it. Do not reuse an old CONCORD login: the state says those credentials no longer work. Use an address that will outlive the person setting it up, since every later filing runs through the account.
Reading the review screen
Before you pay, read the application the way the state will. Match the name to the home-state record, character by character. Read the agent route aloud to the agent. Check that the fee shown matches the entity type. Note that every field is a public record once filed. If anything is off, go back; after payment the fixes carry fees of their own, such as $100 for a name change.
Paying and saving the proof
Online filings are paid through the account. Save the confirmation as a PDF and store it with the corporation's records, together with the agent's written consent. A year later, whoever files the annual report will need to know who the agent is and when work began.
Where applicants stumble
- Paying the stock fee for a corporation without stock.
- Completing two parts of item 14.
- A non-resident individual as agent.
- Leaving out the industry code.
- Budgeting for the annual report with the wrong price, or expecting the wrong season.
After the application
Look up the record, note when the annual report is due on the filing page, and make sure the email on file reaches a person. Put $435 or $50 in the budget. If the corporation needs a certificate of legal existence for a bank, order it only after the record shows the annual report is current.
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.
Questions before you file alone
Do I need a lawyer to apply?
No. A Connecticut lawyer is the adviser for the threshold question and for any reply to a demand.
Can I save my progress?
Yes. The state describes online filing as something you can save and return to.
Can I fix a mistake later?
An amendment of a registration is $120 for an LLC; for corporations, the state lists a name change at $100 and a corrected annual report at $100.
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
- Business.CT.gov, expedited services
- Business.CT.gov, how to change a business name
Need authority to operate in Connecticut?
Give us the entity type and its home state. We prepare the application and settle the agent details.