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Wyoming Foreign Corporation

A foreign Wyoming corporation is a corporation that was formed in another state that has registered to do business in Wyoming. All foreign corporations in Wyoming must register to do business in our state with the Wyoming Secretary of State.

Below, you’ll find an explanation of the process and costs associated with registering a foreign corporation in Wyoming.

Registering an Out-of-State Corporation in Wyoming

Four Steps to Completing Wyoming Foreign Corporation Certificate of Authority

Wyoming Foreign Corporation Costs and Fees

Ongoing Requirements for Wyoming Foreign Corporations

Registering an Out-of-State Corporation in Wyoming

Certificate of Authority Overview

What to know about registering a foreign corporation in Wyoming:

  • Out-of-state corporations registering to do business in Wyoming are known as foreign corporations.
  • Foreign corporations that actively engaged in business in our state must register with the Wyoming Secretary of State by filing a form called a For Profit Corporation Application Certificate of Authority.
  • The Wyoming Certificate of Authority costs $100 to file.
  • Wyoming also requires foreign corporations to provide a certificate of good standing, which, depending on your home state, could cost anywhere from $0 to $50. Certificates of good standing also go by other names, certificate of existence or certificate of status.
  • The Wyoming Certificate of Authority can only be completed by paper filing currently, which means you can either walk the filing in or mail it. The Wyoming Secretary of State typically requires about 10 days to complete the filing.
  • You will also need to have a Wyoming registered agent, an individual or business that can accept service of process at a physical location in Wyoming.
  • We offer the best registered agent service in Wyoming for $50 a year. We let you use our address and not yours, plus we include free mail forwarding (up to 3 documents a year).
  • We can also register your out-of-state corporation to do business in Wyoming for $200 plus the cost of your certificate of good standing from your home state. Unlike other incorporation services, we’re more than willing to obtain your certificate of good standing from your home state—we just ask that you cover the cost of the state fees.

How to Complete the Wyoming Certificate of Authority

The Wyoming For Profit Corporation Application for Certificate of Authority is a straight forward form, but if you make a mistake, it’ll double if not triple the filing times. We register foreign corporations in Wyoming all the time, and we’ve got foreign corp registration process down to a science. That’s why we’re the best! We charge $50 for the filing, $50 for Wyoming registered agent service, and will get your certificate of good standing for free, but you have to cover the filing fee (Note: since we’ve done so many foreign registrations, we know the fastest way to get these documents in each state, so if filing speed is a concern, it’s worth hiring us). However, if you want to do it on your own, take a look at the steps below for a general overview of the process:

4 Steps to Completing Wyoming Foreign Corporation Certificate of Authority 

  1. Get a Certificate of Good Standing

    The Wyoming Secretary of State requires you to include a Certificate of Existence from your home state—the state where the corporation was originally created. States have a different name for the necessary document—often a Certificate of Status or Certificate of Good Standing. No matter the name, the document verifies the same thing: that your corporation was formed and remains active in that state. Wyoming requires that you attach this document to your completed Certificate of Authority and the Certificate of Existence must be no more than 60 days old. In many states, you can obtain a Certificate of Good Standing online at a cost of $0 to $50. The corporation’s name on the certificate must match the name you put on your application for Certificate of Authority. The certificate must also be an original

    Certificate of Existence Prices by State

    Oregon:

    $10

    Montana:

    $5

    Colorado

    $0

    Utah:

    $12

    Delaware:

    $50

    Nevada:

    $50

    California:

    $5

    Takes 3-4 weeks, unless you expedite, but it costs $75 to expedite a California certificate of status.

  2. Complete the For Profit Corporation Application for Certificate of Authority

    Your next step is to complete the Certificate of Authority application. The Wyoming Foreign Corp Certificate of Authority requires the following information:

    • Name of corporation as incorporated (must match certificate of existence)
    • Where the corporation was originally incorporated
    • Date of original incorporation
    • Corporation’s period of duration (most likely answer is “perpetual”)
    • Mailing and principal addresses of the corporation.
    • Name and address of Wyoming registered agent
    • Effective date of filing
    • Date when the corporation began doing business in Wyoming (you may have to pay back taxes if corporation has been actively doing business in the state before qualifying as a foreign corp in Wyoming)
    • Registered Agent consent form
    • Original certificate of existence/good standing
  3. Obtain your registered agent’s consent and signature

    Wyoming requires that your registered agent here consents to appointment by signing the registered agent consent form. If you hire us as your Wyoming registered agent, we’ll set up an online account for you with a foreign corp available right away. All of the registered agent information is filled for you.

  4. Submit your documents and wait for processing

    Once you obtain the certificate of existence/good standing from your home state, attach it to your completed For Profit Corporation Application for Certificate of Authority. The certificate must be the original. You must submit your foreign registration documents to the Wyoming Secretary of State by mail. It will take the secretary of state about 10 days to complete your filing.

    Send Filing to:
    Wyoming Secretary of State
    Herschler Building East
    122 W 25th St
    Suites 100 and 101
    Cheyenne, WY 82002

Wyoming Foreign Corporation Costs and Fees

For Profit Corporation Application for Certificate of Authority filing fee $100
Best Wyoming Registered Agent Foreign Corporation Qualification fee $50
One Year of Best Wyoming Registered Agent service $50
Certificate of Good Standing fee $0 to $50
Total Wyoming Foreign Corporation Qualification Cost:For $200, plus the cost of the certificate of good standing, we’ll qualify your corporation to do business in Wyoming and give you a year of the best Wyoming registered agent service.

Ongoing Requirements for Wyoming Foreign Corporations 

Foreign Corporation Annual Reports:

Out-of-state corporations the register to do business in Wyoming must file an annual report each year. Wyoming foreign corp annual reports are due on the first day of the month in which the corporation originally qualified to do business in our state. For example, if an corporation registers to do business in Wyoming on March 15, each year after, the corporation will need to file an annual report by March 1. Wyoming annual reports cost $60 to file, but there is a $2 convenience fee online. You can file annual reports online on the Wyoming Secretary of State’s website for a $2 convenience fee. Wyoming annual reports are basic reports on which the LLC confirms basic business information.

Wyoming Sales Tax License:
If the foreign corporation sells anything (services, products, etc.) in Wyoming, it must obtain a Wyoming sales tax license.  The qualifying corporation must complete a one-page form with Wyoming Department of Revenue and pay the $60 application fee. A week or two later, you’ll receive a packet of info from the Department of Revenue and WY state employment and labor agencies concerning the corporation’s ongoing requirements in our state.

If you want to have your corporation formed under the laws of Wyoming, you can easily incorporate in Wyoming even if you don’t live here, though, you may have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

We Make Foreign Corp Registration Simple

Our main goal is to make doing business in Wyoming simple. We love our state and want businesses here to succeed. If your corporation needs to register to do business in Wyoming, we offer you piece of mind with the following:

  • Fast service from Wyoming business specialists
  • Same day filings—within one business day we’ll file your Certificate of Authority
  • Wyoming registered agent service—we provide clients with secure, online accounts; document tracking; e-document delivery; access to pre-populated state forms; and the best Wyoming registered agent service
  • Secure address—we are one of a few business specialists in Wyoming that own our building, others either rent or have virtual offices
  • Fair price—we operate on a high-volume, low-cost business model, as we specialized in doing a few things extremely well
  • The best customer service—we’re here to help your business at every turn, call us today to find out why we’re the best