Arizona Foreign Registration / Packet guide
Registering a foreign LLC in Arizona, start to finish
To register a foreign LLC in Arizona you file Form L025 with the Arizona Corporation Commission for $150, attach a certificate of existence no older than 60 days, add a certified copy of your organizing documents and the statutory agent's signed acceptance, and choose how fast the Commission should review it. This guide follows the packet from the first decision to the day after approval.
Step zero: whether Arizona applies at all
Arizona does not let a foreign LLC operate before it registers (A.R.S. 29-3902(A)). The statute then excuses 11 kinds of activity, and it adds that someone whose only tie is a membership or management role in a foreign LLC operating here is not thereby a participant in the business (A.R.S. 29-3905(B)). The Commission declines to say which side of the line any company falls on, because that requires legal advice. It leaves the judgment to the LLC and, if there is doubt, to an attorney. The doing business page covers the list in detail.
One more thing to settle before anything is ordered: registration does not widen what the company can do. The statute says registering does not authorize activities an Arizona LLC could not carry on, and the foreign LLC has no greater rights than a domestic one in its dealings in the state (A.R.S. 29-3901(D)). The home state's law still governs the internal affairs and the members' liability (A.R.S. 29-3901(A)).
Step one: settle the name
The name in Arizona has to carry limited liability company, limited company, L.L.C., L.C., LLC or LC, and has to avoid the words association, corporation and incorporated. A name containing a word such as bank, trust or credit union must clear the Department of Financial Institutions in writing before filing (). Reserving a name is optional. A reservation under Form L001 lasts a non-renewal period of 120 days and costs $10 at regular speed, and a foreign LLC can also register its name for one year, though that grants no authority to do business (A.R.S. 29-3114).
If the home-state name is not available in Arizona or does not meet Arizona's name rules, the LLC adopts an alternate name by company resolution and attaches the resolution to the statement (A.R.S. 29-3906). After registering it does business under the alternate name, or under its own name with its home jurisdiction added. If it later changes its name at home to one that does not comply, it must amend the registration before doing business under that name (A.R.S. 29-3906(B)).
Step two: choose the statutory agent
Every registered foreign LLC keeps a statutory agent in Arizona. The agent can be an individual resident of Arizona, an Arizona corporation or LLC, or a foreign corporation or LLC authorized to transact business in Arizona (A.R.S. 29-3115(B)). The LLC cannot be its own agent, but one of its managers or members can serve as an individual. A person serving alone must live in Arizona full time and have a street address here, and any mailing address must be in Arizona as well (). Nothing takes effect until the agent has signed an acceptance, and the agent's street address goes on the public record (), so pick someone you are content to name there. The statutory agent page has the detail.
Step three: assemble the packet
The packet has six parts, and the Commission looks for each.
- The statement. Form L025, signed under penalty of law by an authorized person.
- Home-state proof. a certificate of existence, certificate of good standing or similar document from the state or country of formation, dated not more than 60 days before delivery.
- Certified organizing documents. A certified copy of whatever is on file where the LLC was formed.
- Agent acceptance. Form M002, the Statutory Agent Acceptance, signed by the agent.
- Structure attachment. The manager or member version, matching the choice made on the statement.
- Cover sheet. A miscellaneous form that goes on every document.
Add a resolution if the name differs, and an approval letter if a regulated word appears in the name or the business needs one from the Department of Insurance or the Department of Financial Institutions (). The Commission does not require its own forms; any document that meets the statute is acceptable ().
Step four: complete the statement
The instructions run through 14 numbered items. In outline: the type of LLC, its exact true name, the name it will use in Arizona, a description of professional services if it is a professional LLC, the state and date of formation, the purpose or character of its Arizona business, the Arizona statutory agent, the principal address, whether the home jurisdiction requires a physical office, series details if any, the management structure, and the signature. The statute lists what the statement must say, including the name, the jurisdiction, the principal address, the agent, and the managers or members (A.R.S. 29-3903(A)(6)-(7)). For a manager-managed LLC that means each manager and every member holding 20 percent or more of the capital or profits. The Form L025 page goes through every item.
Step five: choose a speed
The Commission describes regular handling as typically 14 to 16 days, an expedite as typically 3 to 5 days, and publishes current times each week (). The day tiers are promises about review, not approval: next day, same day and two-hour reviews cost $100, $200 and $400 on top of the filing fee. Pick a day tier only when the packet is final. A returned packet restarts the clock and the tier fee is gone. The fees page totals each option.
Step six: submit it
Filing through the Commission's ABC online system is the route it urges, and certain online filings are handled at once (). The paper route is by mail or in person to Arizona Corporation Commission, Corporations Division, Examination Section, 1300 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona 85007. The forms for paper filing are downloaded from the Commission's site after logging in to ABC. Keep a copy of everything you send.
What the Commission is looking at
An examiner reads the statement against the attachments. The name must match the certificate. The formation date must match the home record. The agent must be eligible and must have accepted. The management choice on the form must match the attachment. An empty box can be enough to reject the statement, and the instructions say so for the name selection and for the agent acceptance. Examiners also treat every address on the filing as public record (), so choose the principal address with that in mind. An LLC's principal address must be a mailing address, and the Commission's FAQ says a P.O. box can be used for it.
After approval
A registration lasts until the company withdraws or the Commission ends it. Three habits keep it clean. First, amend the registration when any fact in the statement changes, except for a change of agent or address that has been reported on a statement of change (). Second, within 60 days of any amendment or restatement of your organizing documents taking effect, send the Commission a copy. Third, keep a statutory agent at a valid address on file without a break. A statement of change costs $5 and an amendment $25.
How a registration ends badly
Termination after notice can rest on any of these grounds: word from the home state that the company has ceased to exist; a fee or penalty more than 60 days overdue; a missing statutory agent; 60 straight days with no principal address; an agent or address change, or an agent's resignation, not reported within 60 days; a registration statement left unamended; or interrogatories left unanswered (A.R.S. 29-3910(A)). The notice carries an effective date at least 60 days out, and the company can cure each ground before that date and have the cure recorded (A.R.S. 29-3910(D)). Reinstatement after a termination is an application at $100.
Corporations follow a heavier path
A foreign business or nonprofit corporation files Form C018 for $175. Its packet includes a Certificate of Disclosure (Form C003) dated not more than 30 days before delivery, a certified copy of the original articles of incorporation and of any amendments, a certificate of existence at most 60 days old, the agent acceptance, and any required approval letters. The corporation lists each director and an Arizona known place of business, which can be the agent's street address. It must publish notice, but only after the Commission approves the document (A.R.S. 10-1503). The Form C018 page covers it.
Leaving Arizona
An LLC withdraws by filing a statement under A.R.S. 29-3911 that says it is not doing business here, withdraws its registration, revokes its agent's authority and gives an address for service of process (A.R.S. 29-3911(A)(3)). The fee is $10, and no publication is required. See the withdrawal page.
Lining the certificate up against the clock
Only one item in the packet goes stale while you work: the proof of existence. The Commission counts its age to the day the statement is delivered, so the sensible order of work is to settle everything else first and order the certificate last. If the agent is slow to sign, or the structure attachment needs a second opinion, let those finish before the certificate is requested. A certificate that lands the same week you file leaves the full 60 days of room for the post, for an unexpected question from the examiner and for a fix to a minor error. One that arrives early eats that room, and a re-order costs a fee.
A checklist before anything is filed
- The LLC's name is identical on the certificate, the certified documents and the statement.
- The management box on the statement matches the attachment.
- The agent has signed an acceptance, and has a qualifying Arizona address.
- A cover sheet sits on top of the set.
- Every address you do not want public has been swapped for one you do.
- The total covers the filing fee and whichever tier you picked.
Examiners work through the same list. If one line on it makes you hesitate, resolve that point before sending anything, since it is the one an examiner will find.
The packet and the clock at a glance
| Order | Task | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm Arizona applies and settle the name | No fee, or the name fee if you reserve |
| 2 | Choose and brief the statutory agent | Agent's own price |
| 3 | Order the certificate and certified documents | Home state's prices |
| 4 | Complete the statement and attachments | No cost |
| 5 | Choose a tier and file | $150 plus any tier fee |
| 6 | Diary amendments, agent changes and withdrawal | $25, $5, $10 |
Registering in Arizona in order
Check the activity list
Match your activity against the excluded kinds.
Settle the name
Use the true name if available, or an alternate by resolution.
Brief the agent
An eligible agent who will sign the acceptance.
Order the home papers
A certificate under 60 days old and a certified copy of the organizing documents.
Complete the statement
Form L025, with the structure attachment and cover sheet.
File and pay
$150 plus any tier, online or on paper.
Arizona packet questions
Why does Arizona ask for a certified copy of the organizing documents?
The statute requires the registration application to include a certified copy of the organizational documents on file in the home jurisdiction, with proof of existence within sixty days.
Is the Commission's form required?
No. The Commission's form meets the minimum statutory requirements, and any document that satisfies the statute may be used. Using the form makes an omission less likely.
Where does the cover sheet go?
On top of every document you send.
What happens if the packet is incomplete?
The Commission sends back what is missing, and the filing waits. Speed tiers guarantee a review, not an approval.
Can I name a manager as my statutory agent?
Yes, as an individual, provided that person is a full-time Arizona resident with an Arizona street address.
Can my P.O. box be the principal address?
For an LLC, the Commission's FAQ says a P.O. box may be used. The address becomes public record either way.
Our price and the Commission fee
Arizona registration order
- Form L025 for an LLC or Form C018 for a corporation, completed and signed
- The home-state certificate and certified organizational documents, ordered for you
- The statutory agent acceptance and the structure attachment
- An Arizona statutory agent, from us or already yours
- Filing with the Commission at the speed tier you choose
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
$199
+ $150 Commission fee
Start my Arizona registrationCheckout shows our price, the Commission fee and any speed tier as separate lines. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Where these facts come from
- Arizona Corporation Commission LLC fee schedule
- Arizona Form L025 instructions (Foreign Registration Statement)
- Arizona Corporation Commission, LLC forms
- Arizona Form C018 instructions (Application for Authority)
- Arizona Corporation Commission, corporation forms
- Arizona Corporation Commission corporation fee schedule
- Arizona Corporation Commission, business services FAQs
- A.R.S. 29-3903, foreign registration statement
- A.R.S. 29-3902, registration to do business
- A.R.S. 29-3905, activities not constituting doing business
- A.R.S. 29-3901, governing law of a foreign LLC
- Arizona Form L047 instructions (Application to Register Foreign LLC Name)
- A.R.S. 29-3906, noncomplying name of foreign LLC
- A.R.S. 29-3115, statutory agent
- Arizona Form M002 instructions (Statutory Agent Acceptance)
- A.R.S. 29-3904, amendment of foreign registration statement
- Arizona Form L017 instructions (Articles of Amendment to Foreign Registration Statement)
- Arizona Form L020 instructions (LLC Statement of Change of Principal Address or Statutory Agent)
- A.R.S. 29-3910, termination of registration
- A.R.S. 29-3911, withdrawal of registration
Opening an Arizona branch of an out-of-state company?
Order online and we assemble the packet, file with the Commission and follow it to approval.