Florida Foreign Registration / Fees
What it costs to register a foreign LLC in Florida
The Florida Division of Corporations charges $125 to register a foreign LLC, which is a $100 filing fee plus a $25 registered agent designation fee, and $70 for a corporation. We add $199 for preparing the packet and filing it. After approval the LLC owes a $138.75 annual report each year, so the figures below cover the first year too.
The Division of Corporations fee schedule
| Item | LLC | Corporation |
|---|---|---|
| Filing fee | $100 | $35 |
| Registered agent designation | $25 | $35 |
| Total to register | $125 | $70 |
| Certificate of status (optional) | $5 | $8.75 |
| Certified copy (optional) | $30 | $8.75 |
| Name reservation | $25 | $35 |
A nonprofit corporation pays the same $70 as a profit corporation to register. Florida issues a letter of acknowledgment free once the application is registered.
Speed
The application goes in as a paper packet to the Registration Section in Tallahassee, with one check made out to the Florida Department of State. What we control is the front end: a correct packet with a fresh certificate of existence, so it is not returned.
What our fee covers
The work of building and sending the packet is covered by $199: choosing the right form, checking your name against Florida's LLC naming rules, ordering the certificate of existence, drafting the cover letter, filling in all ten items, getting the registered agent's signed acceptance, checking the check total and following up with the Registration Section. It includes our Florida registered agent if you choose that option.
Costs outside the filing fee
The certificate of existence is bought from the home state. Delaware charges $50 for a good standing certificate; Wyoming provides its certificate online at no cost. Every other state sets its own price. Florida's age limit is 90 days at delivery.
After approval the recurring bill starts: a $138.75 annual report filed between January 1 and May 1 beginning the year after authorization, a $50 amended annual report if you need to correct one, and $25 for most amendments. Changing the registered agent costs $25, and a name reservation $25.
Worked totals
| Scenario | Florida charges | Made up of |
|---|---|---|
| LLC registration only | $125 | $100 filing plus $25 agent designation |
| LLC with a certificate of status | $130 | $125 registration plus $5 |
| LLC with a certified copy | $155 | $125 registration plus $30 |
| LLC with both optional papers | $160 | $125 registration, $5 certificate of status and $30 certified copy |
| LLC, registration plus first annual report on time | $263.75 | $125 plus the $138.75 report |
| LLC, registration plus first annual report after May 1 | $663.75 | $125 plus the $538.75 late report |
| Corporation with both optional papers | $87.50 | $70 registration plus $8.75 and $8.75 |
| Corporation, registration plus first annual report on time | $220 | $70 plus the $150 report |
These are the state charges only. At checkout our fee appears on its own line, and the home-state certificate is bought from the home state.
Annual report fees by entity type
| Entity type | On time | After May 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Limited liability company | $138.75 | $538.75 |
| Profit corporation | $150 | $550 |
| Nonprofit corporation | $61.25 | See the Division fee table |
| Limited partnership or LLLP | $500 | See the Division fee table |
The on-time figure for an LLC includes a supplemental fee, so it is the total you pay, not a base amount with extras on top.
The cost of a missed report
The LLC annual report is $138.75 between January 1 and May 1 and $538.75 afterwards: the same report plus a $400 late fee that Florida says it has no provision to waive. A corporation's profit report moves from $150 to $550. If the report stays unfiled the certificate of authority is revoked, and reinstating an LLC costs $100 plus the annual report fee for each year missed: $238.75 for one missed year, $377.50 for two.
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.
Florida cost questions
Is there an extra fee for the registered agent?
The $25 in the state fee is the agent designation fee, charged by the state whoever the agent is. An agent company charges its own fee separately.
Does the state charge more for a corporation?
No, less: $70 against $125. But the corporation's annual report is $150 against $138.75 for an LLC.
Is the annual report a state tax?
It is a filing fee collected by the Division of Corporations for keeping the record active. Taxes are a separate matter that the Division of Corporations does not collect.
$199, Florida fee at cost
Qualify in Florida
Florida
$199
+ $125 Division of Corporations fee
- Form CR2E027 for an LLC or Form CR2E007 for a corporation, completed for you
- Your home state's certificate of existence, which we order so it is dated inside the window
- Sent to the Division of Corporations in Tallahassee
- A Florida registered agent: ours, or one you have already
- The filed authorization and your first annual report date
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
Our fee and the Florida fee appear on separate lines at checkout. The state fee is not marked up. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Sources for this page
- Florida Division of Corporations, LLC fees
- Florida Division of Corporations, Form CR2E027 instructions (foreign LLC)
- Florida Division of Corporations, Form CR2E007 (foreign corporation)
- Florida Statutes 605.0902 (application for certificate of authority)
- Florida Division of Corporations, corporate fees
- Delaware Division of Corporations fee schedule (PDF)
- Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division fee schedule
- Florida Division of Corporations, annual report fees
Bringing your company into Florida?
Order in a few minutes. We gather the certificate, complete the application and file it for you.