Kentucky Foreign Qualification

Why You Need To Do It – Your corporation or LLC must foreign qualify if it plans on having any kind of business presence in Kentucky. This includes things like opening a warehouse, opening a store, or even just having representatives working in the state.

When Should You Do It? – Businesses should start the process of foreign qualification as soon as they finalize their decision to move into Kentucky. Failing to do so could lead to delays in the process. Generally, you will need Kentucky foreign qualification if your company falls under any of the following criteria:

• Has a physical presence in Kentucky
• Buying a property there
• Have remote employees
• Accepts orders in Kentucky
• Owns a bank account in Kentucky

There are several steps that a business must take in order to obtain Kentucky foreign qualification. These include the following.

1. Obtain Certificates – Filing requires that you turn in the Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity). This form is available on the Kentucky Secretary of State website and is the same form for any type of registered business. You may also need to secure a Certificate of Existence from your home state or at least a statement certifying your business’ existence.

2. Collect And Submit Information – The form will request all basic business information about your company.

LLC

• Type of business entity
• LLC name registered in the home state
• LLC name you will use in Kentucky if the original name is unavailable
• Name of home state
• The original date of formation
• The period of duration
• The principal office mailing address
• The street address of the registered office in Kentucky
• Names and business addresses of business representatives (secretary, officers/directors, managers, trustees, or general partners)
• The Kentucky county where you will operate the business
• Size of the business
• Indicate whether 50% of the business is women-owned, vetarn-owned, or minority-owned
• An authorized signature

Corporation

• Type of business entity
• Corporation name registered in the home state
• Corporation name you will use in Kentucky if the original name is unavailable
• Name of home state
• The original date of formation
• The period of duration
• The principal office mailing address
• The street address of the registered office in Kentucky
• Names and business addresses of business representatives (secretary, officers/directors, managers, trustees, or general partners)
• The Kentucky county where you will operate the business
• Size of the business
• Indicate whether 50% of the business is women-owned, vetarn-owned, or minority-owned
• An authorized signature

3. Appoint Registered Agent – Registered agents are responsible for handling most of the work involving your foreign qualification. They receive documents and work to keep you compliant. Most businesses turn to a third party provider like DoMyLLC to serve as their registered agent in order to lower their own workload.

4. File The Application – Once you complete the forms, file them with the Secretary of State along with the filing fee of $90.

5. Ongoing Maintenance – Kentucky requires any business to file an annual report each year by June 15th. This can be done by mail or online and the fee is $15.

Businesses already have a tremendous amount of work that they have to do. We take the stress and burden of Kentucky foreign qualification off your shoulders. We’ll provide everything you need including:

•     Dedicated account manager
•     Name availability check
•     Full filing and registration service
•     Ongoing customer support

We do everything so you don’t have to, giving you back more time to focus on other aspects of running your business and alleviating some of the stress and hassle in your workday. Contact us today to get started.

Kentucky Office of Secretary of State
Phone Number:
502.564.3490

Address:
Kentucky Secretary of State
700 Capital Avenue Suite 152, State Capitol
Frankfort, KY 40601