Register Your Puerto Rico Foreign Corporation

Even though Puerto Rico’s foreign corporation registration doesn’t state this on the form, your corporation name must be distinguishable from other registered Puerto Rico businesses. You can do a free name search on the Department of State’s website to make sure your desired business name is available. You may elect to do business under a trade name or DBA if your name isn’t available.

Concerned your business name won’t be available for future foreign registrations? Consider applying for a federal trademark for your business name to ensure it’s available in all fifty states.

Puerto Rico requires all corporations, including foreign ones, to have a registered agent in the state. A registered agent is a person or entity that is authorized to accept legal mail on behalf of your business. Your foreign corporation registered agent must be an individual or business based in Puerto Rico.

Northwest offers reliable Puerto Rico registered agent service. When you hire Northwest as your registered agent, it’s a flat rate yearly price of $125 a year.

Once your business is legal in the new state, you’ll want to be ready to make sales. Forming your business identity, or the way you present yourself to your potential clients, can prepare customers for your upcoming products and services.

Maybe you’ve never started getting your business out there. Now’s a great chance to start a business website or get a custom business email address.

Maybe you already have a digital presence, but now you want to make it easier for out-of-state people to find you, and start building awareness and a trustworthy reputation in your new territory. Consider getting a phone service that has the local area code or a local business address to use on documents where possible. Either way, make sure your business has a way to market itself in the new state, especially if you are not opening a brick-and-mortar.

Your Puerto Rico Certificate of Authorization to do Business of a Foreign Corporation must be submitted with a copy of a certificate of existence or good standing from your corporation’s home state. If your certificate of existence is in a foreign language outside of English, you’ll need to have it translated and attach the translator’s sworn statement to your foreign registration application along with your original certificate.

To submit your Puerto Rico Certificate of Authorization to do Business of a Foreign Corporation, you’ll need to include a certificate of existence from your home state and include the following information:

• Corporation name
• State of origin
• Corporate office physical address
• Total of corporate financial assets
• Mailing address of principal office
• Registered agent address and name
• Names and addresses of governors, often called directors and officers

Upon approval of your Puerto Rico Certificate of Authorization to do Business of a Foreign Corporation, the Department of State will issue your corporation a certificate of authority to transact business in Puerto Rico. You’ll want to keep this certificate with your business’s internal documents.

Your foreign corporation will now have Puerto Rico taxes and reports to file independent of the ones you file in your home state.

• Income Tax: Puerto Rico does not handle corporate income tax like many states since its a territory of the US. Most business have a 4% income tax rate, but they’ll have to qualify for Act 60. Check out our breakdown of how Puerto Rico handles taxes.
• Annual Report: The Puerto Rico Annual Report is filed every year online. The annual report asks for the name of your business, principal address, registered agent name and address, and information about your company’s officers and directors for updating in the Department of State records. Your Puerto Rico annual report costs $150.