Foreign LLC registration for Arkansas
Register your out-of-state LLC in Arkansas
Filed online at the lower fee, with the home-state certificate and the agent handled, and the May 1 tax date marked.
Arkansas registers a foreign LLC on Form FL-01, the Application for Certificate of Registration of Foreign Limited Liability Company, and the Secretary of State charges $270 when it is filed online and $300 when it is filed on paper. A home-state certificate of existence goes with it. We file online, so your company pays the lower of the two, plus $199 for our work.
The price difference is the first of three things that shape an Arkansas registration. The second is the home-state certificate, and the third is the franchise tax report that falls due on May 1.
Your order includes
The lower fee
Arkansas lists $270 for an online LLC filing and $300 on paper. We file online.
Certificate ordered for you
The home-state certificate of existence is requested when your Arkansas filing is ready, so the two travel together.
Form FL-01 drafted
Your answers become the application. You review the draft before it goes in.
Agent on the form
Choose us as your Arkansas agent, or keep your own and we copy their details across.
A date to remember
Arkansas LLCs file a franchise tax report by May 1. We flag it when your registration is done.
Real replies
Write to us about an Arkansas situation and the person who files the paperwork answers.
What you get back
- Certificate of registrationIssued by the Arkansas Secretary of State once the application is accepted.
- Certificate of existence copyThe home-state document that went with the filing.
- Agent recordOurs or yours, now on file in Arkansas.
- May 1 reminderThe date the first franchise tax report comes due.
- Online filing fee of $270, not the paper fee
- Certificate of existence ordered
- Arkansas agent available
From order to registration
Order and answer our questions
The company name as its home state spells it, where and when it was formed, its offices, one officer, and the person signing.
The home-state certificate is requested
The home state's records office issues it. Form FL-01 names no age limit for the certificate of existence, so we ask for a fresh one with each filing instead of reusing an old copy.
Choose the Arkansas agent
Pick ours, or tell us who your agent is.
We file online
Form FL-01 goes in through the Secretary of State's online system, paid by card at the $270 rate.
You receive the registration
We send the certificate and mark May 1 for the first franchise tax report.
Arkansas registration at a glance
| Form | Form FL-01, Application for Certificate of Registration of Foreign Limited Liability Company |
|---|---|
| Agency | Arkansas Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services |
| Fee online | $270 |
| Fee on paper | $300 |
| Filing time | The Secretary of State posts an expected three to five business days for LLC filings by any route, citing heavy volume |
| Home-state proof | Required: a certificate of existence (or document of similar import) authorized by the official having custody of the records where the company was formed |
| Yearly filing | Franchise tax report, $150, due May 1 |
| Registered agent | A street address in Arkansas; no post office box or mail drop |
Online fee against paper fee, form by form
| Filing | Form | Online | Paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register a foreign LLC | Form FL-01 | $270 | $300 |
| Amend an LLC registration | Form FL-02 | $270 | $300 |
| Cancel an LLC registration | Form FL-04 | $45 | $50 |
| Foreign corporation certificate of authority | Form F-01 | $270 | $300 |
| Withdraw a foreign corporation | Form F-13 | $270 | $300 |
| Reserve a name | Form RN-06 | $22.50 | $25 |
| Change of registered agent | Form DO-03 | No fee | No fee |
The online rate is lower on every filing that has one. On the registration alone the gap is $30.
Do you have to register?
Arkansas bars an out-of-state LLC from doing business until it has registered (A.C.A. 4-38-902). The statute then names 11 activities that fall outside that rule: one isolated deal, holding property with no other activity, orders accepted outside Arkansas, sales through independent contractors, court matters and a bank account. The page on whether you need to register goes through them and through the common cases.
The certificate of existence
Every Arkansas registration needs an authenticated certificate from the home state showing the company exists there. The form describes it as a certificate of existence (or document of similar import) authorized by the official having custody of the records where the company was formed. Arkansas states no age limit on the form, so the safe course is a recent one. The full guide explains how to get it and what to check on it before filing.
May 1 and the franchise tax report
Registration is followed by a yearly report that doubles as a tax payment. An LLC pays $150 in franchise tax, due May 1 each year, and the filing form even includes a franchise tax registration sheet. A late report adds $25 plus daily interest. A report counts as on time when it is received by the close of business on May 1 or postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service no later than midnight on May 1. A company that has not received a form by March 20 can ask in writing for paper forms, download the fillable PDF or file online. The franchise tax report page has the details, including the point that Arkansas allows no extensions.
If an LLC skips registration
An LLC that does business in Arkansas unregistered loses access to Arkansas courts, owes the fees registration would have cost, and can be fined as much as $5,000 for every twelve months it operates that way, a partial stretch counting as a whole one (A.C.A. 4-38-913(e)). Contracts stay valid. The penalty page sets out each point.
Agents, corporations and leaving
The registered agent needs a street address in Arkansas where they can be found; the agent page covers the rules, and changing an agent costs nothing. Corporations register on Form F-01, and a company that stops working in Arkansas closes out with Form FL-04. Companies from Delaware and from Wyoming each get a page of their own: Delaware and Wyoming.
Why the online route is the default
Online filing is cheaper by $30 on the registration, it is paid by card, and the filing goes in as soon as you submit it rather than after the mail. The Secretary of State's current notice says that filing times for mailed, dropped-off and online filings are all expected to run three to five business days, so paper no longer buys speed. It still suits a company that must pay by check, or whose officers want a wet signature on a printed form. Everyone else saves money online.
What the state does not tell you
Form FL-01 gives no age limit for the certificate of existence. Whether you must register depends on your facts, and the state will not say for a particular company; an Arkansas business lawyer can tell you.
Information to gather first
- The LLC's name, spelled as on the home-state certificate.
- Its jurisdiction of formation, its formation date and any termination date.
- The office the home jurisdiction requires, and the principal office in Arkansas.
- The name and title of one officer, who can be a member or a manager.
- Who will act as your Arkansas agent (ours, if you prefer).
- The person who will sign the application.
Corporations in brief
A foreign business corporation registers on Form F-01, the certificate of authority application, at $270 online or $300 on paper, an original certificate of existence goes with it, and an authorized officer signs under an oath that carries a misdemeanor warning. The form has 11 items. A corporation that skips the step cannot sue in an Arkansas court on a claim from its Arkansas business and faces civil penalties from $100 to $5,000.
Quick routes to the right page
| Your question | Page |
|---|---|
| Online or paper, and what each costs | Cost |
| Is my LLC doing business here at all? | The Arkansas test |
| What each item of the form asks | Form FL-01 |
| When the tax is due and what it adds up to | The May 1 report |
| The risks of staying unregistered | The penalty page |
| Choosing and changing the agent | Registered agent rules |
How the fee and the tax fit together
Two payments bracket an Arkansas registration. The first is the filing fee, $270 online, paid once. The second is the franchise tax, $150, paid every year from the first May after registration. A missed May 1 adds $25 and interest. We list both on the order page, and we mark the first May on the calendar we send back.
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.
Our fee and the Arkansas fee
Register in Arkansas
+ $270 Arkansas fee
- Form FL-01, Application for Certificate of Registration of Foreign Limited Liability Company, filed online at the lower fee
- Your home state's certificate of existence, ordered for the filing
- An Arkansas registered agent: ours, or the one you already have
- The filed certificate of registration, sent to you with your first franchise tax date
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
$199
Arkansas
Start my Arkansas filingWe show our fee and the Arkansas fee as two lines at checkout. The Arkansas fee passes through at cost. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Arkansas registration questions
What will the Secretary of State bill a foreign LLC at registration?
$270 online or $300 on paper. The franchise tax report that follows is $150 a year, so the first year's state bill is $420 online.
How long does Arkansas take?
The Secretary of State's notice gives three to five business days for mailed, dropped-off and online filings alike. A filing's effective date is the date the filing is received by the Business and Commercial Services Division.
Is a certificate from my home state required?
Yes. The form calls for a certificate of existence (or document of similar import) authorized by the official having custody of the records where the company was formed.
Can my agent be a post office box service?
No. The agent needs a street address in Arkansas and has to be found there. P.O. boxes and mail drops do not qualify.
What happens on May 1?
The LLC franchise tax report and its $150 payment are due. A late one adds $25 and interest.
What if Arkansas won't take my LLC's name?
Item 1b takes a fictitious name for use in Arkansas, with a copy of the members' resolution adopting it. That resolution has no filing fee.
Does registering cost the same for every LLC?
Yes, $270 online. The home state makes no difference to the Arkansas fee.
How do I close out later?
File Form FL-04 with a final franchise tax report. Online that is $45 for the form and $150 for the report.
Official pages used
- Arkansas Secretary of State, foreign LLC forms and fees
- Arkansas Form FL-01
- Arkansas LLC franchise tax report and instructions
- Arkansas Secretary of State, foreign corporation forms and fees
- Arkansas Secretary of State, filing times for new businesses
- Arkansas Form FL-04, Application for Cancellation by Foreign LLC
- Arkansas Secretary of State, business services FAQ
- Arkansas Act 1041, Uniform LLC Act
- Arkansas Form F-01, Application for Certificate of Authority
Working in Arkansas?
File through us and your company pays the online rate while we handle the certificate, the application and the agent.