Pennsylvania Certificate of Authority · The statement
The Foreign Registration Statement, line by line and entity by entity
DSCB:15-412, the Foreign Registration Statement, costs $250 for every entity type and takes the place of a certificate of authority. It runs to 8 numbered items, one set of instructions and one signature. Our charge to prepare it is $199.
The statement at a glance
| Official title | Foreign Registration Statement |
|---|---|
| Number | DSCB:15-412 |
| Governing section | 15 Pa.C.S. 412 |
| Fee, any entity | $250 |
| Companion | Docketing statement, DSCB:15-134A |
| Optional attachments | Any needed consent to appropriate a name (DSCB:19-17.2) and any needed governmental approvals |
| Who signs | An authorized representative of the foreign association |
| Where it goes | Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations |
The items and what each kind of entity writes
| Item | What it asks | Notes by entity type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The type of association | One box only, matching the type named on the formation papers |
| 2 | Exact name in the home state | The punctuation and designator are copied as the home state has them |
| 2A | Alternate name for Pennsylvania | Used only when the name is not available or lacks a designator; then required on every later filing |
| 3 | Jurisdiction of formation | Any state or country except Pennsylvania |
| 4 | Principal office | May be anywhere |
| 4A | Office the home state requires | Needed only if the home state requires one |
| 5 | Pennsylvania registered office | Street address and county, or provider and county |
| 6 | Series | A yes-or-no choice drawn from the home state law |
| 7 | Effective date | The filing date, or a date and hour later than it |
| 8 | Professional services | LLCs only |
The top of the form takes a return name and address, plus an email address if the filed copy is to be sent as a download link.
LLCs
An LLC fills in every item and answers item 8. Tick the first box if the company is not set up to render a restricted professional service. Tick the second if it is, and then pick at least one service from the Department's 10: chiropractic, dentistry, law, medicine and surgery, optometry, osteopathic medicine and surgery, podiatric medicine, public accounting, psychology and veterinary medicine. A restricted professional company then also owes a certificate of annual registration every April 15, in addition to its annual report.
Business corporations
A corporation leaves item 8 blank. Its name in item 2 must carry a corporate designator or an equivalent: the word corporation, company, incorporated or limited, an abbreviation, the word association, fund or syndicate, or words of like import used in the home state. It publishes the notice described on the guide before or after filing, and keeps the proof with its minutes. A corporation's name may not contain the words limited liability company.
Nonprofit corporations
A nonprofit ticks its own box in item 1 and skips item 8. A designator is allowed in its name without being compulsory. It publishes the same notice as a business corporation, and its annual report costs $0.
Partnerships
An LP or an LLP uses the same statement and skips item 8. An LLP's name needs the term company, limited or limited liability partnership, an abbreviation, or words of like import. Neither publishes notice, and an LLP pays $470 per general partner each April 15 for its certificate of annual registration.
Signing
An authorized representative of the foreign association signs with the date and a title. The signature is an assurance of accuracy, and the state's unsworn falsification penalties back it.
The docketing statement
DSCB:15-134A is the companion form. It collects the entity name, the person responsible for initial tax reports with a mailing address, a description of the business activity, the federal employer identification number and the fiscal year end.
Attachments
Add only what applies: any needed consent to appropriate a name (DSCB:19-17.2) and any needed governmental approvals. No home-state certificate is listed, so an entity does not have to order one. A veteran-owned or reservist-owned small business ticks the exemption box and attaches proof.
Paying and filing
The fee is $250, tendered as a check or money order payable to the Pennsylvania Department of State. A check must carry the account holder's pre-printed name and address, a signature, and a date within the past six months. Online filing is at corporations.pa.gov; paper goes to P.O. Box 8722, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8722. Handling can be sped up for $100, $300 or $1,000, though not by mail.
What gets a filing returned
The Department must turn away a document whose only address is a post office box. Filings also come back for a name too close to one on file, a check that breaks its rules, a backdated effective date, and a missing signature or docketing statement. Nothing is refunded after a rejection.
Through us
You answer questions about the entity type, the name, the offices and the signer. We prepare the statement and the docketing statement, enter the Pennsylvania office, and file. The price is $199 plus $250 to the state.
Filing the Foreign Registration Statement through us
Tell us the entity type
It decides the box in item 1 and whether item 8 applies.
Send the details
Home name, state of formation, where the business is managed, and which Pennsylvania office you want.
Check the draft and sign
An authorized representative of the foreign association signs it.
We file
The package goes in with the $250 fee.
Copy returned
The filed statement arrives by mail or download link.
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.
Statement questions
Is there a separate form for corporations?
No. The same statement serves them; item 1 selects the type.
Who completes item 8?
Only limited liability companies.
Can the principal office be outside Pennsylvania?
Yes. It may be anywhere. The registered office in item 5 must be in Pennsylvania.
Is a notary needed?
The instructions ask for a signature and an affirmation, not a notary.
Fees at a glance
Get Pennsylvania authority
+ $250 state fee
- Your Foreign Registration Statement, drafted from a short questionnaire
- The docketing statement filed alongside it
- A Pennsylvania registered office entry, ours or one you hold
- The filed copy sent back to you
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
$199
Pennsylvania
Get authority to operateThe $250 goes to the Department of State and appears on its own line. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Official sources
- Pennsylvania Department of State, fees and payments
- DSCB:15-412, Foreign Registration Statement, with instructions
- Pennsylvania Department of State, foreign associations
- Pennsylvania Department of State, annual reports
- Pennsylvania Department of State, commercial registered office providers
- DSCB:15-134A, Docketing Statement, New Entity
- 15 Pa.C.S. 412, foreign registration statement
- Pennsylvania Department of State, certificates of annual registration
- DSCB:15-415/417, Statement of Withdrawal of Foreign Registration, with instructions
Need to operate in Pennsylvania?
Tell us the entity type and we prepare the filing.