Doing Business in Another State › States › Louisiana
Doing business in Louisiana from another state
If your LLC does business in Louisiana as Louisiana defines it, you register with the Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division for $185.
Step 1: put these questions to Louisiana’s law
- An employee or contractor works from the state. Ask whether the statute counts work done by people located in the state, and whether employees and independent contractors are treated alike.
- You sell to customers there but have no one on the ground. Ask whether the statute treats sales from outside the state differently from activity inside it.
- The LLC owns or leases property there. Ask whether owning or leasing real estate is listed as an activity that does, or does not, count.
- You open an office, shop or warehouse. Ask whether a fixed place of business is named in the statute. Settle the answer before you sign a lease.
- You hold meetings or keep a bank account there. Ask whether the statute lists these ancillary activities, and whether they count by themselves.
The law, as listed in the state’s own sources: R.S. 12:1345, application for authority; R.S. 12:1354, effect of failing to obtain authority; R.S. 12:1350, registered agent.
Step 2: if the answer is yes
- Form
- Form 972, Application for Authority to Transact Business in Louisiana, Foreign Limited Liability Company
- Fee
- $185
- Paper from your home state
- Certificate of existence or good standing from the jurisdiction of organization, no older than 90 days
- Agent
- A registered agent in Louisiana
$185 from October 1, 2026 (Act 921 of 2026); it was $150 before.
Best 3 Foreign Registration Services in Louisiana (2026)
Step 3: if you would rather not file it yourself.
| # | Service | Service fee | Louisiana fee | Agent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mainstay Filing | $199 | $185 | Year one included, then $149/yr |
| 2 | LA Registered Agent.org | $199 | $185 | Year one included, then $99/yr |
| 3 | Louisiana Registered Agent.co | $199 | $185 | Year one included, then $99/yr |
Mainstay Filing: Its Louisiana checkout showed $389 in total on October 28, 2026, including $5 in state processing charges.
Service prices read from each provider’s Louisiana page on October 28, 2026. The state fee is the official figure below and is paid to the Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division.
Louisiana questions
When does an LLC from another state have to register in Louisiana?
When its activity in Louisiana meets Louisiana’s own definition of doing business. We do not paraphrase it; read it in the law linked below.
What does registering in Louisiana cost?
$185 to the Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division. $185 from October 1, 2026 (Act 921 of 2026); it was $150 before.
What is required after registering?
Annual report (Louisiana Secretary of State), $35 (due: on or before the anniversary of your qualification), and a registered agent in Louisiana.
Sources
- Louisiana Secretary of State fee schedule effective 10/1/26 (Application of Foreign Limited Liability Company $185): static.sos.la.gov/shared/fee_changes_2026.pdf, checked October 28, 2026
- Louisiana Secretary of State, forms and fee schedule: www.sos.la.gov/business-services/forms-fee-schedule, checked October 8, 2026
- Form 972, foreign LLC application: www.sos.la.gov/media/ablp3yv5/972-application-of-foreign-limited-liability-company.pdf, checked October 8, 2026
- R.S. 12:1345, application for authority: legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=76300, checked October 8, 2026
- R.S. 12:1354, effect of failing to obtain authority: legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=76311, checked October 8, 2026
- R.S. 12:1350, registered agent: legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=76306, checked October 8, 2026