Arizona Foreign Registration / Form C018
Arizona Form C018, the Application for Authority
Form C018, the Application for Authority to Transact Business or Conduct Affairs in Arizona, costs $175 for a business corporation and $175 for a nonprofit. It must be filed before the corporation transacts business or conducts affairs in Arizona, and unlike an LLC registration it is published after approval. We prepare it for $199 plus the Commission fee.
Form C018 in brief
- Filed by
- A foreign for-profit or nonprofit corporation
- Commission fee
- $175, or $210 expedited
- Attach
- 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 under 60 days old; the agent acceptance
- Publication
- Required, but only after the Commission approves the document
- Name rule
- A for-profit name carries one of: association, bank, company, corporation, limited or incorporated, or an abbreviation
- Yearly after
- Annual report: $45 for-profit, $10 nonprofit
What the application asks
| Part | Entry | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Entity type | One box for the exact type | More than one box |
| 2. True name | Exactly as in the home state, with spelling and the corporate ending | Punctuation that differs from the certificate |
| 3. Name for Arizona | The true name, the true name plus an identifier, or a fictitious name with a resolution | No box ticked |
| 4 and 5. Home state and date | Where and when the corporation was incorporated | |
| 6. Duration | Check a box only if the corporation is not perpetual | A box ticked with the blank empty |
| 7. Purpose limits | Leave blank unless the corporation has limits on purpose | Describing ordinary activities here |
| 8. Business | A short description of the business or affairs in Arizona | Leaving it blank |
| 9. Principal office | A street address in the home state or country | A mailbox |
| 10. Known place of business | An Arizona street address, which may be the agent's | A P.O. box |
| 11. Statutory agent | Name, street address and the signed acceptance | No acceptance on file |
| 12. Directors | Each director and a business address | A missing director |
| 18. Licensing statement | If applicable, the licensing authority statement | Forgetting a regulated business |
The form also asks for share information from a for-profit corporation, including authorized and issued shares, and a signature block like the one on the LLC statement.
The name rules for corporations
A for-profit foreign corporation's Arizona name has to contain one of association, bank, company, corporation, limited or incorporated, or an abbreviation, and it cannot contain LLC wording. If the home name lacks an identifier, add one in item 3 and list the full name in item 3.4. A fictitious name is allowed only where the true name cannot be used in Arizona, and the corporation then attaches a resolution approved by its board and certified by its secretary (for-profit) or by a duly authorized officer (nonprofit). A name with banking or trust wording has to be cleared in advance, in writing, by the Department of Financial Institutions.
The attachments
Beyond the signed application, the Commission wants 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 or good standing dated within 60 days of delivery, the statutory agent's acceptance, any required approval letter from the Department of Insurance or the Department of Financial Institutions, and the licensing authority statement when it applies. A fictitious name needs its resolution. Together they are a larger packet than an LLC files, which is the main reason a corporation takes longer to assemble.
Publication, and when to do it
A foreign corporation must publish notice of its application (A.R.S. 10-1503). The instructions are firm on timing: publish only after the Commission approves the document. The approval letter explains how and where. Filing the affidavit of publication afterwards is optional.
Directors, the known place of business and the agent
Item 12 lists every director with a business address. The known place of business in item 10 must be a street address in Arizona and may be the agent's street address if you tick the yes box (). The agent rules are the same as for LLCs, and the corporation cannot be its own agent. A corporation that loses its agent or its known place of business risks administrative revocation, so keep both current.
Fees, speed and delivery
The fee is $175. An expedite adds $35; the day tiers add $100, $200 or $400. Deliver to Arizona Corporation Commission, Corporations Division, Examination Section, 1300 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona 85007, or file in the ABC system. Checks are payable to the Arizona Corporation Commission.
Filing Form C018
Order the home papers
The certified articles and amendments, plus a certificate under 60 days old.
Complete the Certificate of Disclosure
It is Form C003 and is dated within thirty days.
Brief the agent
The agent signs an acceptance.
Complete the application
Directors, shares, known place of business and business description.
File with payment
$175 plus any tier.
Publish after approval
Follow the approval letter.
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.
Form C018 questions
Is C018 used for nonprofits?
Yes. A foreign nonprofit conducts affairs under the same form, at $175.
When is the Certificate of Disclosure due?
It goes in with the application and must be dated not more than thirty days before delivery.
Do I publish before or after filing?
After. The Commission says not to publish until it approves the document.
Can the corporation be its own agent?
No. It appoints someone else, such as a director or officer acting as an individual.
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
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.