Illinois Foreign Qualification

There are a few basic steps that must be taken by a business in order to successfully register for Illinois foreign qualification. These include the following.

1. Obtain Certificates – Start by obtaining the Application for Admission to Transact Business in Illinois for LLCs. Corporations will need the Application for Authority. These forms are available at the Secretary of State website for businesses to download and complete. Additionally, LLCs need to acquire a Certificate of Good Standing or Existence from the home state while corporations must get a certified copy of the Articles of Incorporation with all the amendments and mergers.

2. Collect And Submit Information – You’ll have to provide a lot of basic information when you register.

LLC

• LLC name registered in the home state
• The assumed name, if original name is unavailable
• Name of the home state
• The original date of organization
• The duration of the LLC, which should be perpetual unless the operating agreement states a dissolution date
• The principal office street address
• Registered agent information
• The date the LLC will start conducting business in Illinois
• Purpose of the LLC and the nature of its business in Illinois
• The management structure
• The members and managers’ names and street addresses
• An authorized signature

Corporation

• Name of Corporation
• An assumed corporate name if the original name is unavailable
• Name of the home state
• The original date of incorporation
• The period of duration of the company
• The principal office address in the home state
• The principal office address in Illinois
• Registered agent information
• List of all names and addresses of officers and directors
• The purpose of the corporation and the nature of its business in Illinois
• The class, series, and par value of the authorized and issued shares
• Paid in capital amount
• Estimated total value of all the property (home state), estimated total value of all the property (Illinois), State estimated total business of the corporation to be transacted by it everywhere, State estimated annual business of the corporation to be transacted by it at or from places of business in Illinois. 
• Verify of the corporation is transacting business in the state currently and the date it began

3. Appoint Registered Agent – You’ll have to appoint a registered agent who will be responsible for handling most aspects of foreign qualification. They accept documents from the state and pass them on to the LLC or corporation. Most businesses will turn to a third party provider such as DoMyLLC to serve as their registered agent since it takes the burden from their shoulders.

4. File The Application – Upon completion of the forms, you will file them with the Secretary of State along with a filing fee of $150 for LLCs and $175 for corporations.

5. Ongoing Maintenance – Illinois requires that any business file an annual report with the state each year. It must be filed by the end of the month before your business registered – if you registered for foreign qualification in March, your annual report must be filed by the end of February each year. The filing fee is $75.