Register Your Kansas Foreign Corporation
To register a foreign corporation in Kansas, you must file an Application for Registration Foreign Covered Business with the Kansas Secretary of State. You can submit this document by mail or in person. This application that all out-of-state corporations need to file in order to transact business in the state costs $115 to file.
Our guide takes you through the steps on how to register a foreign corporation in Kansas. Don’t got time to read? Hire us to register your corporation for you. We can also act as your registered agent in Kansas and handle your legal mail.
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GET STARTEDHow to Register as a Foreign Corporation in Kansas
If your business was formed in another state but you want to expand your business into a new state, you have to use the process called foreign qualification. Not to be confused with domestication, which entails dissolving your business in one state in order to move it to another. Foreign qualification is all about growth.
Instead of forming a whole new business, you’ll be registering your already existing business in order to do business in another state. You won’t be getting a different or new EIN or submitting your original Articles of Incorporation to Kansas.
Here’s everything you need to do to conduct business as a foreign corporation in Kansas.
1. Name Your Kansas Corporation
Before filing the Kansas Application for Registration Foreign Covered Business, you’ll need to make sure the business name you are using is available for use in Kansas. You can do a free name search on the Secretary of State’s website to make sure your desired business name is available.
If your name isn’t available, you’ll need to either get permission from the business using the name or write a letter of advertisement. The Kansas letter of advertisement for foreign corporations states that your business will advertise as a non-Kansas business under your company’s original name.
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.
2. Designate a Registered Agent
A registered agent is a person or entity that is authorized to accept legal mail on behalf of your business. You are required by law to have a registered agent for your Kansas foreign corporation that resides in Kansas. You can use a friend, relative, or another individual who lives in the state to act as your Kansas registered agent. Or you can do what smart business owners do and hire Northwest to act as your registered agent in both your business’s home state and Kansas.
3. Start Your Business Identity
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.
4. Submit Application for Registration Foreign Covered Business
To submit your Kansas Application for Registration Foreign Covered Business, you’ll need to pay the $115 filing fee. If your corporation’s name isn’t available, you’ll need to make sure to include either a letter of advertisement or permission note from the business who is using the name in Kansas.
Your form must include the following information:
- Contact information
- Payment information
- Entity type
- Name of business
- Registered agent address and name
- Nature of business
You can file your Kansas Application for Registration Foreign Covered Business by mail or in person. Online submissions are not available for registering foreign corporations in Kansas.
By mail or in person:
Kansas Secretary of State
Memorial Hall, 1st Floor
120 SW 10th Avenue
Topeka KS 66612
Kansas accepts foreign corporation filings by mail or in person. Processing times depend on the method of filing.
- In person: Hand-deliver your completed application and Kansas will process it while you wait.
- Mail: Kansas will process mailed applications in about 7-10 business days. Factor in additional time for the mail to reach the Secretary of State’s office.
5. Receive Certified Copy of Your Foreign Registration Application
Once the Kansas Secretary of State has completed your foreign registration filing, they will give you a certified copy of your Application for Registration Foreign Covered Business. If you did not do this filing in person, your copy will come in the mail to the address of the sender.
6. File Kansas Reports & Taxes
After being approved to be a foreign corporation in Kansas, you’ll now be responsible for Kansas corporate taxes and reports.
- Income Tax: Corporations in Kansas pay a flat income corporate tax rate of 4%. If your business pulls in more than $50,000 in net come, you’ll be charged a 3% surtax.
- Biennial Report: The Kansas Biennial Report is filed every two years either online or submitted by mail. The online filing is $100 and the mailed in paper form is $110. This report is for updating the state to any changes with your corporation like stock or director changes.
Northwest Can Register Your Kansas Foreign Corporation
If doing things on your own sounds overwhelming, boring, or generally like not a good use of your time, we’re ready to help. Our foreign qualification package is $225 + Kansas fees. This includes:
- Registering your business as a Kansas Foreign Corporation. We’ll file your paperwork and let you know when it’s approved.
- Serving as your business’ Kansas Registered Agent. We can be your RA in as many states as you want to expand into.
- Launching your business identity. We’ll get you a digital presence, including a business email address, phone service, and mail forwarding. Plus, we’ll put together a custom website with a domain, web hosting, and security in place. These will all be free for 90 days. After that, most services are $9/month.
- Sending reminders for your Kansas annual report. We can even file this for you. We’ll send you a reminder about the report 90 days before they’re due, and you can either have us file for you or opt out of the service.
Kansas Foreign Corporation FAQs
To update your foreign corporation registration with Kansas, you’ll need to submit the Business Entity Certificate of Amendment and pay the $25 fee.
Kansas law doesn’t explicitly define what it considers to be doing business. However, your corporation will generally need to register as a foreign corporation in Kansas if it has employees, owns or leases property, sells retail items or performs services for customers in Kansas.
For more information, check out our resource on what it means to do business in another state.
No.
An authorized officer must sign the application form.
County filing or publication is not necessary, unless specifically required by the county in which your registered agent resides.
Absolutely! We also offer registered agent service so can act as your Kansas registered agent and receive any of your Kansas legal mail. Our registered agent service has add-ons like a business website, domain name, email, and more.