Louisiana Foreign Registration / Self-filing
Filing Form 972 on your own: the Louisiana self-service route
Nothing stops a foreign LLC from registering in Louisiana without help: download Form 972, fill in 10 items, get two notarized signatures, attach a home-state certificate under 90 days old and send it with $185 to the Commercial Division.
Before you start: what a DIY filer needs on the table
Have these within reach before you open the form. The exact name of the LLC as the home state spells it. The formation date. The street address of the principal office and of any other business office. The names and addresses of every member and manager. A Louisiana street address and a person or company to serve as registered agent. A notary. A payment method. A printer, because the paper route needs two copies.
The documents, with who supplies each
| Document | Supplied by | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Form 972, two copies | You | 10 items; download from the Secretary of State forms page |
| Home-state certificate | The formation state | Original signature; dated within 90 days |
| Agent acceptance | The registered agent | Printed on the form, sworn before a notary |
| Transmittal page | You | First page of the form pack; service level and payment |
| Payment | You | $185 to the Secretary of State; no cash |
Step 1: get the home-state certificate first, but not too early
Order it from the LLC's formation state. Most people order it the day they decide to file, then lose a week to scheduling a notary and find the certificate close to its limit. Better to line up the notary and the agent first, then order the certificate so it arrives with a margin. The 90 days are counted to the date you submit, not the date the application is processed.
Step 2: download the right revision
The Commercial Division updates its forms when fees change. The current edition is marked 10/26 and prints the current fee. Download from the Secretary of State's forms and fee schedule page.
Step 3: fill in the form in this order
Start with item 1 and copy the name from the certificate. Then do the three addresses, which take the most thought. Then the registered office and agent, then the nature of the business, then the members and managers. Leave the signature lines and both notary blocks empty until the notary is in front of you. Type it or print clearly.
Step 4: sign in the presence of the notary
A manager or member signs the main block, and the registered agent signs the acceptance block, each sworn before a notary. They can do it at one appointment or at two. Make sure the notary prints a name and notary or bar roll number on the document, as the form requires. Sign both copies, since the application is executed in duplicate. Bring photo identification and a pen, and have the registered agent's printed name ready, so the notary can complete the block on one visit.
Step 5: complete the transmittal page
The first page asks for the business name, the person filing, a daytime phone, an address, and a fax or email. It also has the service level boxes and the payment method. Select standard handling, the $35 24-hour tier or the $60 priority tier. The page warns you not to write card details on the form.
Step 6: choose how to deliver it
By mail, the address is Commercial Division, P. O. Box 94125, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125. In person, the office is at 8585 Archives Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70809. If the LLC's business is in one of the fourteen parishes named on the form, which are Ascension, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Lafayette, Livingston, Orleans, Ouachita, Rapides, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Terrebonne, the form says business owners there must file all available business documents online in geauxBIZ. Tell us your parish and we prepare the package for the route it requires.
Step 7: wait and check
The transmittal page says evidence of filing is mailed to the person named on it. When the state is satisfied, it endorses the application as filed and issues the certificate of authority. If you are working to a deadline, use a rush tier.
Where people get stuck
- The certificate lapses between ordering it and filing.
- The agent is out of town on the day the notary is booked.
- The registered office address is not the agent's street address.
- The wrong form: Form 326 is for corporations and nonprofits.
- One copy sent instead of two.
- The principal office is typed as a post office box where the form wants a street address.
How long the job really takes
The calendar part depends on three outside parties: the home state's certificate, the agent's availability and the Commercial Division. Plan around the rush tiers if you have a start date. After the grant, put the annual report anniversary in a calendar.
Paying the state
Pay $185 to the Secretary of State by check or money order, never in cash. A card payment adds $5 and goes through a geauxBIZ profile, not the paper form, and a returned check carries a $25 charge. Rush handling is $35 for 24 hours or $60 for 2 to 4 hour service, and after the grant the annual report is $35.
Costs when you do it yourself
The state's side is $185 plus any rush tier. The home-state certificate adds whatever your formation state charges, a notary may charge a small fee, and an outside registered agent charges its own fee. Doing the filing yourself saves $199 and costs your time. See the cost page for totals.
When to hand it over
If the LLC has a changed name, several managers to list, or an agent who is hard to reach, the package is easier to manage with someone checking dates. We do not mind if you file yourself, and the order button stays here if you change your mind.
Filing Louisiana Form 972 yourself
Line up the notary and the agent
Both signatures are sworn.
Order the home-state certificate
It must be dated within 90 days when you submit.
Fill in Form 972 twice
Ten items, complete street addresses.
Sign and swear
The signer and the agent each use a notary block.
Complete the transmittal page
Pick a service level and a payment method.
Mail or file online
Send $185 to the Commercial Division, or use geauxBIZ where required.
A checklist to print
| Check | Done when |
|---|---|
| Form 972 downloaded | The page footer shows 10/26 |
| Two copies filled in | Every item answered, street addresses complete |
| Certificate in hand | Dated within 90 days of your mailing date |
| Agent has agreed | The agent has signed the acceptance block before a notary |
| Signer has sworn | A member or manager has signed before a notary on both copies |
| Transmittal page done | Service level and payment method marked |
| Payment ready | $185, payable to the Secretary of State |
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.
Self-filing questions
Can I file Form 972 myself?
Yes. Nothing requires a filing service.
Can I pay by credit card?
Not on the paper form. The transmittal page says to keep card details in a geauxBIZ profile, and a card payment adds $5.
What if I do not live in one of the geauxBIZ parishes?
You can mail the package to the Commercial Division.
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
- Louisiana Form 338, application to withdraw a foreign corporation or limited liability company
- Louisiana Form 346, statement of change for a foreign corporation or limited liability company
- La. R.S. 12:1346, issuing a certificate of authority
Louisiana paperwork, assembled for you
Give us the details and we prepare the form, the acceptance and the cover sheet.