How to Register a Business in Texas: Foreign Registration Guide (2026)
If your company was formed in another state and now has employees, an office or regular business in Texas, you register with the Texas Secretary of State. Corporations file Form 301 and LLCs file Form 304, an Application for Registration. Texas has no annual report with the Secretary of State; instead, you file franchise tax reports with the Comptroller. Here is what it costs, what you need, and what comes after.
Texas at a glance
Item | Texas |
|---|---|
Filing | Application for Registration: Form 301 (corporations) or Form 304 (LLCs) |
Where | Texas Secretary of State, online through SOSPortal, by mail or in person |
State fee | $750 for corporations and LLCs |
Typical processing | 1–2 weeks |
You'll need | No certificate of good standing; the application states your company exists in its home state |
Registered agent | Required, at a Texas street address (not just a mailbox service) |
Ongoing filing | Franchise tax report and Public Information Report with the Texas Comptroller, due May 15 |
Do you need to register in Texas?
You generally need to register if your company is "doing business" in Texas, for example if you:
Have an office, store or warehouse in Texas
Employ people who live and work in Texas
Regularly sell to, or provide services for, Texas customers
Activities that usually don't count on their own include holding a bank account in Texas, holding internal meetings there, and isolated one-off transactions. If you're unsure, check with your attorney or book a call with us.
Hiring a remote employee in Texas always means opening Texas payroll tax accounts, even when Secretary of State registration isn't required. See the payroll section below.
How to register, step by step
Choose a Texas registered agent. See the rules below.
File Form 301 or Form 304. File online through SOSPortal, by mail to the Secretary of State, P.O. Box 13697, Austin, TX 78711-3697, or in person in Austin. The fee is $750; card payments online add a small convenience fee.
Save your approval and Texas file number. You'll need them for franchise tax and payroll registrations.
Registered agent rules in Texas
Every business registered in Texas must keep a registered agent with a Texas street address where legal papers can be delivered in person during business hours. A mailbox service or answering service alone doesn't count, and an LLC can't act as its own agent. The agent must agree to serve before you name them.
Using an employee as your agent is allowed, but it means legal papers go to one person's home, and they're lost if that person leaves. A commercial registered agent avoids that. Every AbstractOps plan includes registered agent service.
Franchise tax reports: every year by May 15
Texas doesn't have a Secretary of State annual report for corporations and LLCs. Instead, every company registered in Texas files a franchise tax report with the Texas Comptroller each year by May 15, along with a Public Information Report listing its officers, directors or managers.
For reports due in 2026, companies with annualized revenue of $2.65 million or less owe no franchise tax and don't file a no-tax-due report, but they still file the Public Information Report. Late reports cost $50 each, and companies that stop filing can lose their right to do business in Texas.
Waiting to register has its own cost: if you've done business in Texas for more than 90 days before registering, Texas adds a $750 late fee for each year you were unregistered.
Texas payroll accounts
If you have employees in Texas, you'll also need:
No state income tax withholding. Texas doesn't have a personal income tax.
An unemployment tax account with the Texas Workforce Commission.
Our Texas payroll tax registration guide walks through the details.
Texas registration FAQ
How much does it cost to register a foreign LLC or corporation in Texas?
$750 in state fees for either.
How long does Texas take?
Typically 1–2 weeks.
Does Texas require a certificate of good standing?
No. The application includes a statement that your company exists in its home state.
Does Texas have an annual report?
Not with the Secretary of State. You file a franchise tax report and Public Information Report with the Texas Comptroller every year by May 15.
Let us handle Texas for you
AbstractOps files your Texas registration, acts as your registered agent, opens your payroll accounts and tracks your annual filings, from $250 per state per year. Start a 7-day free trial or book a 15-minute call.
This guide is for general information and isn't tax or legal advice. Fees and rules change; confirm current requirements with the Texas Secretary of State and Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.