Register Your Idaho Foreign Corporation
A foreign corporation is not just a corporation from outside the US, but any corporation that does business both in the state it was originally formed and another state. To legally do business in Idaho, you must file a Foreign Registration Statement with Idaho’s Secretary of State. You can submit this document by mail, in person, or online. Online filings cost $100 (add $4 if paying by credit card or add $20 if filing by mail).
You can use our guide below to register your foreign corporation on your own. Or we can help you file and get your business going in Idaho.
Ready to Register A Foreign Corporation?
GET STARTEDHow to Register as a Foreign Corporation in Idaho
By submitting the Idaho Foreign Registration Statement you are doing something called foreign qualification. This is the process that tells the Idaho Secretary of State that you want to do business in the state and allows you to legally do so.
Foreign qualification isn’t like forming a whole new business, but instead is a way of keeping the business you have in one state and expanding it to another. You won’t be getting a different or new EIN or submitting your original Articles of Incorporation to Idaho (they actually won’t accept them!).
Here’s everything you need to do to conduct business as a foreign corporation in Idaho.
1. Name Your Idaho Corporation
In order for your Foreign Registration Statement to be accepted, you’ll need to include your business’s name, and it must be available within the state. Check Idaho’s Business Search to see if your company’s name is available before submitting your form. You may elect to do business under an alternative name if your name isn’t available, which does not have to comply with Idaho’s DBA or assumed business name laws.
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. All Idaho corporations, including foreign ones, are required to have a registered agent in the state. Your registered agent for a foreign corporation should be an Idaho resident or a registered agent company that is based in Idaho. You’re in luck! Northwest offers reliable Idaho registered agent service.
3. Start Your Business Identity
Once your business is legal in the new state, you’ll want to be ready to connect with customers. Forming your business identity, or the way you present yourself to your potential clients, can help.
Now’s a prime opportunity to start a business website or get a custom business email address.
Your business should have a way to market itself in a new, well, market. Consider getting phone service that has the local area code or a local business address to use on documents where possible.
4. Get Certificate of Existence
Your Foreign Registration Statement must be submitted with a copy of a certificate of existence or good standing from your corporation’s home state. Your certificate of existence must be no more than 90 days old at the time you file your application.
5. Submit Foreign Registration Statement
To submit your Idaho Foreign Registration Statement, you’ll need to include a certificate of existence from your home state. It costs $100 to file online and $120 to file by mail.
Your form must include the following information:
- Corporation name or alternative name
- Entity type
- State of origin
- Mailing address of principal office
- Certificate of existence
- Registered agent address and name
- Names and addresses of governors, often called directors and officers
You can file your Foreign Registration Statement online or by mail.
By mail:
Office of the Idaho Secretary of State
450 N 4th Street
PO Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0080
Online:
Processing times depend on the method of filing you choose.
- Online: Idaho processes online filings in about 7 to 10 business days.
- Mail: Idaho can take up to 3 weeks to process paper applications (factor in the time it takes for your mailed documents to arrive).
- Expedited Service: For an extra $40, Idaho will process your paperwork in one day. Mailed filings will have to account for the speed of the postal service.
- Same Day Service: Add $100 to the filing fee and Idaho will process your application right away. Again, if filing by mail you’ll need to factor in mail times.
6. Receive Copy of Your Foreign Registration Statement
Unlike a lot of states, Idaho does not give foreign corporations a certificate of authority authorizing them to do business within the state. Instead, Idaho sends back a stamped Foreign Registration Statement.
7. File Idaho Reports and Taxes
Your foreign corporation will now have Idaho taxes and reports to file independent of the ones you file in your home state. To pay your Idaho taxes, you’ll need to register with the Idaho Department of Revenue through the Idaho Business Registration System.
- Income Tax: Corporations have to pay a flat 6.925% Idaho corporate net income tax with a minimum tax fee of $20.
- Annual Report: The Idaho Annual Report is filed every year either online or submitted by mail. You can also file in person at the Department of Business Services in the Secretary of State’s office. 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 – their names, titles, and mailing addresses.
Northwest Can Register Your Idaho 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 + Idaho fees. This includes:
- Registering your business as an Idaho Foreign Corporation. We’ll file your paperwork and let you know when it’s approved.
- Serving as your business’ Idaho 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 Idaho 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.
Idaho Foreign Corporation FAQs
To update your Foreign Registration Statement in Idaho, you’ll need to submit the Amendment of Foreign Registration Statement form and pay the $50 fee. This form must be signed by one of your corporation’s officers or directors.
While Idaho state statutes don’t specifically define what counts as doing business, the Idaho State Tax Commission offers a list of activities that qualify, including owning or leasing Idaho property, hiring and paying employees, soliciting business in Idaho, or being a member of a partnership or S-corp with business in Idaho. The statutes do outline what Idaho constitutes as not doing business within the state in ID Code § 30-21-505.
For more information, check out our resource on what it means to do business in another state.
No.
A director of an officer of the corporation must sign the form.
County filing or publication is not necessary for foreign corporations, unless specifically required by the county in which your registered agent resides.
We can do more than just that. We can register your foreign corporation, be your Idaho registered agent, provide you with a business domain, email address, phone number, and a website.