Hawaii Foreign Corporation

In Hawaii, a foreign corporation filing is required of any corporation registered outside the state but doing business in the state. If your home state (or "domestic state") is not Hawaii, it's likely you will be required to register with the Business Registration Division in Honolulu before doing business across state lines.

There are two main documents necessary to register a foreign corporation in Hawaii: the Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Corporation in Hawaii, and the Certificate of Good Standing from your domestic state.

1. Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Corporation (Form FC-1)

This complicated-sounding document is, in fact, very similar to your Articles of Incorporation you filed to begin your corporation: it asks basic information about your existing business, as well as about its affairs within Hawaii.

A typical Application for Certificate of Authority for Foreign Corporation will include the following information:

  1. "The corporation is: Profit / Nonprofit"
  2. The name of the corporation exactly as recorded with the domestic state
  3. The state in which the corporation was initially registered
  4. The date of incorporation in the domestic state
  5. The mailing address of the principal office
  6. Registered agent information for the new state (must be a person or business that lives in or is registered in Hawaii)
  7. The names, titles, and addresses of all officers and directors
  8. (Nonprofit corporations only) "The corporation: has members / has no members"
  9. The name, title, and signature of either an officer or the chairperson of the board of directors

2. Certificate of Good Standing

This is a document that you'll need to order from your domestic state—it will tell the Hawaii Secretary of State that you are in good standing and active status. (If you are not, it is likely a result of failure to file an annual report or some other correctable issue; you may need to pay a penalty for your status to be reinstated.)

The certificate of good standing must be dated within 60 days of the day the Application for Certificate of Authority is filed. If the certificate of good standing is in another language, there must be a translated copy, signed by the translator, attached.

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When you let us handle the legwork, you save time, headache, and frustration. Just give us some information about your business and sign a form for us. We'll take care of the rest. It's that simple!

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Other Businesses in Hawaii

Only businesses that have already registered outside the state are eligible to register as a foreign corporation in Hawaii. If you are starting a new business, take a look at the links below to learn more about domestic businesses: