To register a Texas Foreign LLC, you will need to appoint a Texas registrar agent with a Texas street address, fill out an Application for Registration of a Foreign LLC (Form 304), and submit your application to the Texas Secretary of State (SOS). You can use our guide below to do everything yourself and file with the Secretary of State by mail, in person, or (the fastest way) online.
Keep in mind that there is a steep $999 state filing fee, so you’ll want to get this right. We can help. Hire us today, and we’ll register your Texas foreign LLC quickly, securely, and most importantly, correctly.

How to Register a Foreign LLC in Texas

If you own an LLC located outside of Texas and want to operate in Texas, you’ll need a Texas registrar agent with a Texas street address. Your designated agent must be available at their registered address to receive legal documents during normal business hours. Unless you reside in the state of Texas, you cannot serve as your own Texas registrar agent. For most Texas foreign LLCs, the best option is to hire a professional Texas registrar agent service.
Still looking for a Texas registrar agent? Our local registrar agent service is perfect for out-of-state LLCs because it includes a professional and permanent Texas business address to list on your public filings, free limited mail forwarding, and compliance tracking for your foreign LLC.

Once you’ve got your registrar agent, you’re ready to start the Texas application for registration process (also known as foreign qualification). Unless, of course, you hire someone to take care of that for you (such as local business experts like us!). But if that’s not the case, you’ll need to fill out your Application for Registration (Form 304). Here’s what you will need to include and how to obtain the right information:
Your LLC name. You can check if your LLC name is available in Texas through the SOSDirect Web Portal ($1 state fee per search). You can also inquire about LLC name availability by contacting the Texas Secretary of State’s business and public filings clerks at (512) 463-5555 or corpinfo@sos.texas.gov. If your original LLC name is not available, you will have to adopt an “assumed name” and file an assumed name certificate (Form 503) with the Texas SOS. Your LLC’s federal employer identification number (FEIN). If you do not have an FEIN for your business, make a note of it on your application. State and date in which you initially formed your LLC. You can review your LLC’s initial articles of organization if you do not have this information handy. Your LLC principal business address. This should be the principal business address for the state in which your LLC was originally formed. Your Texas registrar agent name and address. This is the part where having a registrar agent with an actual street address in Texas is crucial. If you don’t reside in Texas, you will need someone to serve as your Texas registrar agent and accept service of process on behalf of your business. Name and address of each LLC member. If privacy is a concern for you, it’s important to hire a registrar agent that allows use of their permanent business address. That way, the business address goes on the public filings instead of each member’s personal home address. Name, date, and signature. You will need the name, date, and signature of a person authorized to sign on behalf of the business. This is typically a member, manager, or registrar agent. As you can see, the two big steps are appointing a Texas registrar agent and completing your Texas.