Ohio Foreign Registration › Form 530A
Ohio Form 530A and the foreign corporation license
A foreign corporation enters Ohio on Form 530A, the Foreign For-Profit Corporation Application for License, for $99, and the application carries a certificate of good standing dated within 90 days of the filing. We prepare it for $199.
The corporation filing at a glance
- Title
- Foreign For-Profit Corporation Application for License
- Form
- Form 530A
- Law
- R.C. 1703.03 to 1703.05
- Fee
- $99
- Home-state paper
- A certificate of good standing or subsistence dated within 90 days of filing
- Sworn
- Verified under oath by an authorized officer, with a notary block on the form
- Kind of license
- Permanent, or temporary for 6 months
- Nonprofits
- Form 530B, $99
Why a corporation gets a license and an LLC does not
Ohio keeps two chapters. The LLC Act asks a foreign LLC to register. Chapter 1703 bars a foreign corporation from transacting business here without an unexpired, uncanceled license from the Secretary of State, which it obtains by applying, paying the fee and observing the upkeep rules. The corporation chapter excepts a corporation engaged here solely in interstate commerce, and a short list of regulated businesses such as credit unions, insurers and public utilities. That second rule is narrower than the LLC list, so a corporation should not read the LLC activities as its own safe harbor.
What goes into the application
The statute lists 7 things the verified application states: the corporation's name and, if that name is not available, the trade name it will use in Ohio; the state of incorporation; the principal office address; the county and municipality of any Ohio office; the designated agent and the agent's complete address; its irrevocable consent to be served through that agent and, in listed cases, through the Secretary of State; and a brief summary of the corporate purposes to be exercised in the state.
The home-state certificate
Unlike an LLC, a corporation must file a certificate of good standing or subsistence with the application. It must be dated not earlier than 90 days before the filing, bear the seal of the home official, and set out the exact corporate title and the fact that the corporation is in good standing. Use the same name on the application as appears on the certificate. Start the clock at the date printed on the certificate, and request it only when the rest of the application is nearly ready.
The oath and the notary
The application is verified by the oath of an authorized officer, and the form includes a notary block for the sworn statement. Plan for the officer to sign before a notary. A typed signature is not what this form asks for.
Names and assumed names
If the corporate name is not distinguishable on Ohio's records from another corporation, LLC, partnership, limited partnership or registered trade name, the application is not accepted unless the other holder consents in writing. A corporation can also file a signed statement that it will transact business in Ohio only under an assumed name, and the schedule lists that statement at no fee on Form 591.
The agent
A corporation also designates an agent in Ohio with a complete address, and the form bars post office boxes and commercial mail receiving agency addresses. If the agent cannot be found, no agent was named, or the license has expired or been canceled, the Secretary of State becomes the agent for process, and a party who serves it pays a fee of $5. Agent changes use Form 521, the same form an LLC uses, for $25.
Permanent or temporary
Form 530A lets the corporation ask for a permanent license or a temporary license valid for 6 months. On acceptance and payment, the Secretary of State issues a license certificate that authorizes the corporation to transact business, subject to expiration or cancellation.
After the license
A corporation that changes information in its application files a certificate of amendment on Form 565 for $50. A cancelled license can be reinstated within 2 years on Form 525A for $25, and when the tax year differs from the cancellation year the application also carries a certificate of reinstatement from the Department of Taxation. Leaving Ohio takes a certificate of surrender, covered on the cancellation page.
Nonprofits
A foreign nonprofit corporation applies on Form 530B for $99. It files a certificate of good standing and a statement verified under oath by an officer, and the corporation chapter's rules on agents, service and penalties apply to it as well. The Secretary of State may require reports verifying the nonprofit's continued existence, and the license expires if the report is not filed within 30 days after notice by certified mail. A statement of continued existence is also due every 5 years on Form 522 for $25 when no other filings have been made.
What an unlicensed corporation faces
A corporation that transacts business without the license faces a forfeiture of $250 up to $10,000, and cannot maintain a lawsuit until it is licensed. The penalty page has the full set, including the 15 percent add-on to the fees.
Filing Form 530A through us
Send your answers
The corporate name, home state, principal office, Ohio agent and an officer to sign.
Order the certificate
A good standing certificate issued by the home state, no older than 90 days on filing day.
Confirm the name
We check it against Ohio's records and tell you if an assumed name is needed.
Sign before a notary
An authorized officer verifies the application under oath.
We file
The application and certificate go to the Secretary of State with the $99 fee.
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.
Corporation questions
Does a corporation need a home-state certificate?
Yes, dated within 90 days of the application.
Is the fee the same as for an LLC?
Yes, $99 for the first filing.
Can a corporation apply for a short license?
Yes, a temporary license valid for 6 months.
Does a corporation owe Ohio a yearly report?
The Secretary of State list of maintenance filings names none for a for-profit corporation.
Our fee and Ohio's
Register in Ohio
- Form 617 typed from what you tell us
- The statutory agent paperwork finished, whether the agent is ours or yours
- The name checked against Ohio's naming rule before the form goes in
- The approved registration handed back to you
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
$199
+ $99 Ohio fee
Ohio's fee is $99. It is listed apart from our own. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Sources
- Ohio Secretary of State, filing forms and fee schedule
- Form 617, Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company
- R.C. 111.16, fees of the Secretary of State
- Form 530A, Foreign For-Profit Corporation Application for License
- R.C. 1703.27, foreign nonprofit corporations
- R.C. 1703.04, application for license
- R.C. 1703.13, temporary license
- R.C. 1703.03, license required
- R.C. 1703.02, corporations excepted
- R.C. 1703.19, service of process on the Secretary of State
- Form 521, Statutory Agent Update
- R.C. 1703.15, cancellation of license
- Form 525A, Reinstatement and Appointment of Agent
- Ohio Secretary of State, maintaining active business status
- R.C. 1703.28, forfeiture for transacting business without a license
- R.C. 1703.29, unlicensed corporation contracts and actions
Ready to register in Ohio?
Order now and the form is typed from your answers.