If you’ve formed your legal entity in a location other than Florida and wish to do business in the state, you are required to obtain a Certificate of Authority (CoA) to foreign qualify. Doing so will register your firm as a legal entity and let you legally run operations.
Conversely, not having one can result in hefty fines and cause issues when Florida’s licensing department asks for your organizational papers. To help you expedite this task, we’ll go over the process of obtaining a Certificate of Authority in Florida. We’ll also introduce Harbor Compliance, a reliable service provider that can help you streamline the process.
What Is a Certificate of Authority?
A Certificate of Authority or CoA is a document that allows entities to conduct business operations in a location other than the state of formation. Most states require you to obtain one if you wish to conduct business intrastate.
The document’s name may vary. While Florida refers to it as a Qualification Certificate/Form, other states may call it an Application for Registration or an Application for Authority. The requirements and processes to retrieve one also differ depending on the state.
When Do Entities Need a Certificate of Authority in Florida?
Since a Certificate of Authority enables entities to legally do business in Florida, it’s only required for specific situations. The most common ones include:
- Hiring an employee who resides in Florida.
- Opening a new office branch in the state.
- Acquiring a business license in Florida.
You may also need a certificate of authority when doing business with the state directly or establishing a relationship with a Florida-based bank.
How To Obtain a Florida Certificate of Authority
The process of obtaining a Certificate of Authority to do business in Florida consists of several parts. These include:
- Finding the appropriate forms that you need to submit, along with the Certificate of Authority
- Appointing a registered agent
- Submitting the documentation
1. Find the Appropriate Documentation
The state of Florida provides a different qualification form for every type of business. Below, we’ve listed all the forms:
- Qualification of Foreign form—Applies to foreign Limited Liability Companies (LLCs)
- Statement of Qualification for Florida or Foreign LLLP and LP—Applies to foreign Limited Liability Limited Partnerships (LLLPs) and Limited Partnerships (LPs)
- Qualification of LLP form—Applies to foreign Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs)
- Profit Qualification Form —Applies to foreign for-profit corporations
- Nonprofit Qualification Form —Applies to foreign nonprofit corporations
2. Appoint Your Registered Agent
While filling out the Qualification of Foreign LLC or Profit Qualification Form, you’ll need to provide information about your current registered agent in Florida. While you can always set yourself as a registered agent, doing so can be problematic.
A registered agent receives all legal correspondence on behalf of your company, and you may miss out on any notices sent outside your business hours or when you weren’t present in the office. Further, having your place of residence as a registered agent address will make it available to the public.
This is why it’s recommended to opt for a professional and reliable service provider, such as Harbor Compliance, as your registered agent.
3. Submit Your Qualification Form
Once complete, submit your qualification form to the Division of Corporations online through the website form or by mail. If you choose the latter, ensure that you attach a check with the required filing fee mentioned on your qualification form. The fees for different businesses are as follows:
| Type of Business | Filing Fee |
|---|---|
| LLC | $125–$160 |
| LP and LLLP | $1,000–$1,061.25 |
| LLP | $50 |
| For-profit corporation | $70–$131.25 |
| Nonprofit corporation | $70–$131.25 |
Juggling the various requirements and filing fees can be challenging, especially if you don’t have time to focus on such tasks. That’s why delegating this workload to professional service providers like Harbor Compliance is a smart move.
Enjoy Hassle-Free Foreign Qualification With Harbor Compliance
At Harbor Compliance, we provide comprehensive Foreign Qualification services that help entities of all types spread their operations to other states quickly. For Florida specifically, we’ll prepare all the foreign qualification documents you need, along with a certificate of authority.
Here are some of the main benefits of our Foreign Qualification services:
- Name check—We check whether your current business trade name is available in the state of Florida.
- Complete support—From creating your initial application to sending Certificates of Authority or certified copies, we provide end-to-end filing support to ensure you focus on your primary work.
- Registered agent—As part of our Foreign Qualification package, we also offer a year of Registered Agent Service. With offices in all 50 U.S. states, you’ll receive electronic copies of all legal notices in 24 hours.
- Expert guidance—Once you’re onboard, we’ll connect you to a compliance expert who will immediately work on your filings and expedite the entire process, if needed quickly.
- Entity Manager—Another value-adding option is our Entity Management Software, which automates your annual filing report and lets you know if your organization ever falls out of compliance in Florida.
In addition to obtaining a certificate of authority/certified copies, we also help you retrieve business licenses/permits in a new state to ensure your entity never falls out of good standing. This includes both general and industry-specific licenses, such as:
If needed, you can also leverage our entire Software Suite to benefit from a complete compliance solution that simplifies licensing, ownership information, and tax-related tasks.
Getting Started With Harbor Compliance's Service
Explore the quick step-by-step guide below to navigate our signup wizard and order the Foreign Qualification services:
- Open the Foreign Qualification wizard.
- Add the requested information, such as the state of formation and business structure.
- Enter your organization's details.
- Submit the order.
Once you have checked out, our team will begin working on your filings and will update you when they’re approved.
Additional Harbor Compliance Services
Apart from providing foreign qualifying and licensing services, our range of offerings also includes other beneficial services. Check out the table below to learn more:
| Service Category | Services |
|---|---|
| Entity lifecycle management | |
| Tax services | |
| Document filing and retrieval | |
| Nonprofit formation | |
| BOI reporting |
Turn to Harbor Compliance for Quick Foreign Qualifying
Instead of spending hours researching and staying updated with Florida’s foreign qualifying laws, you can easily delegate this work to Harbor Compliance.
Opt for our Foreign Qualification Service to ensure you can run your business in any other state as soon as possible with all required documentation. Take advantage of our Software Suite to maintain good standing in your home and new states simultaneously.
Engage with us to benefit from top-notch regulatory services or schedule a demo to understand our platform better.
Not sure what your entity’s standing currently looks like? Get a Harbor Compliance Score™ to find out any areas of improvement and contact our team for a tailored solution.
Want to learn more about the regulatory requirements or foreign qualification processes in other U.S. states? Visit our Information Center and explore the table below:
