Louisiana Foreign Registration / Form 326
Louisiana Form 326, the foreign corporation application, item by item
Form 326 is the Application of Foreign Corporation for Certificate of Authority, and a corporation formed outside Louisiana files it with the Commercial Division. The form has 10 numbered items, goes in two copies, and is signed by an officer before a notary. We prepare Form 326 for $199.
Form 326 at a glance
- Official title
- Application of Foreign Corporation for Certificate of Authority
- Statute
- La. R.S. 12:304
- Fee
- Quoted when you order
- Copies
- 2, or three for a banking corporation
- Signer
- any officer
- Attached
- A certificate of existence or good standing dated within 90 days
- Return address
- Commercial Division, P. O. Box 94125, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125
Who uses Form 326
A foreign business corporation uses it, and so does a foreign nonprofit, because the form has a business box and a non profit box at the top. A second pair of boxes marks an original or an amended application. An LLC does not use it; the LLC form is a different paper.
Items 1 to 5: name, offices and tax number
Item 1 is the corporation's name, taken from the home-state certificate, item 2 a previous name, and item 3 the principal office address in the state or country of incorporation. Item 4 is the federal tax identification number. Leaving it blank does not invalidate the application or cause the Secretary of State to reject it. Item 5 is the principal business office address.
Items 6 to 8: the Louisiana footprint
Item 6 is the principal business establishment in Louisiana, item 7 the registered office, and item 8 the agent's name and address. As on the LLC form, a street address is required. The statute lets a corporation use the same three kinds of agent that an LLC may use, with the addition that an agent that is a company must have filed its own notarized affidavit of acceptance.
Item 9: limiting the corporation's authority
Item 9 is filled in only when the corporation proposes to limit its authority in Louisiana. If it does, the certificate that issues recites the limit. The limit does not reduce its tax liability or give it any exemption that banks, insurers or nonprofits hold. Most corporations leave item 9 blank and take the full authority their charter allows.
Item 10: directors and officers
Item 10 lists the names and addresses of the directors and officers, with an addendum for more. A corporation that does business with the state also files a separate statement naming holders of an ownership or voting interest of five percent or more. Publicly traded corporations and electric or gas service agreements are excepted.
The signature and the agent acceptance
An officer signs, adds a title and date, and swears before a notary. The agent signs the acceptance block and swears as well. The statute requires two copies of the application, or three for a banking corporation, delivered with a certificate of existence or good standing. The certificate must be signed in the original, and not a certified copy of the articles.
Names with engineer or surveyor in them
A name containing engineer, engineering, surveyor or surveying triggers an extra step. The statute requires written notice to the Louisiana Professional Engineering and Land Surveying Board at least 10 days before the certificate issues, unless the board signs a waiver.
The fee on this form
The filing fee for a foreign corporation is quoted when you order, after we check the schedule in force since October 1.
Sending Form 326
Form 326 goes in two copies, or three for a banking corporation, with the certificate and payment to the Secretary of State. The package is mailed to Commercial Division, P. O. Box 94125, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125, and cash is never accepted. Rush handling uses the same tiers as the LLC form, $35 for 24 hours or $60 for 2 to 4 hour service.
Why a corporation application is returned
- A single copy sent where two are required.
- A certificate older than 90 days or not signed in the original.
- A name that differs from the certificate.
- An officer signature without the notary block completed.
- An agent acceptance left unsigned.
- An address in item 7 that is a post office box.
How we prepare Form 326
You choose business or nonprofit
We tick the right box.
We fill in the ten items
From your certificate and your officer list.
An officer and the agent sign before a notary
Both blocks are sworn.
We assemble two copies
With the certificate and a transmittal page.
We file
In Baton Rouge, with the fee printed on the form.
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.
Form 326 questions
Does a nonprofit file Form 326?
Yes. The form has a non profit box at the top.
Must the tax number be filled in?
No. Leaving it out does not cause rejection.
How many copies do I send?
Two, or three for a banking corporation.
Our fee and Louisiana's
Begin my Louisiana application
$199
+ $185 Louisiana fee
- Form 972 completed in duplicate for the member or manager to sign
- A review of your home-state certificate against the 90-day limit
- A Louisiana registered agent and office that meet the statute, ours or yours, with the agent's notarized acceptance
- The package filed in Baton Rouge, then your grant of authority sent back
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
Louisiana's $185 is shown as its own line at checkout. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Sources
- Louisiana Secretary of State, forms and fee schedule
- Louisiana Secretary of State fee schedule effective 10/1/26
- La. R.S. 12:1345, application for certificate of authority
- Louisiana Form 972, application of a foreign limited liability company
- La. R.S. 12:1350.1, annual report
- Louisiana Form 326, application of a foreign corporation for certificate of authority
- La. R.S. 12:304, application of a foreign corporation
- La. R.S. 12:308, registered agent of a foreign corporation
Louisiana paperwork, assembled for you
Give us the details and we prepare the form, the acceptance and the cover sheet.