Start with two places: where your entity was formed and where you plan to operate. Then choose the LLC or corporation record for the destination state. Use this guide to prepare questions and documents for that agency; do not make a legal determination about your activities from a fee table.
Ask whether your activities require authority
Describe the work you plan to do, the locations involved and the planned start date. Ask the destination agency which activities fall within its rule and which exceptions matter. Keep the answer with your application checklist.
Illinois LLCs: Obtain admission from the Secretary of State before transacting business in Illinois, subject to the Insurance Code exception.
Source and quotation
(a) Except as provided in Article V of the Illinois Insurance Code, before transacting business in this State, a foreign limited liability company shall be admitted to do so by the Secretary of State. In order to be admitted, aOfficial source
Verified 2026-10-25
New York LLCs: Apply for authority before doing business in New York.
Source and quotation
Before doing business in this state, a foreign limited liability company shall apply for authority to do business in this stateOfficial source
Verified 2026-10-25
Order the documents for the correct entity
Use the agency’s checklist for your entity type. Check document names, authentication requirements and age limits before ordering a certificate. A document prepared for one application should not be assumed suitable for another.
Illinois LLCs: Application for Admission to Transact Business, accompanied by a certificate of good standing or existence authenticated within the last 60 days.
Source and quotation
This application is accompanied by a Certificate of Good Standing or Existence, duly authenticated within the last 60 days, by the officer of the state or country wherein the LLC is formed.Official source
Verified 2026-10-25
New York corporations: Application for Authority and Certificate of Existence dated within one year; Tax Commission consent if already conducting New York business before applying.
Source and quotation
Complete and file an Application for Authority with the Department of State. Attached to the Application for Authority must be a Certificate of Existence from the official who files and maintains corporate records in the jurisdiction of the corporation. (Please Note: This official is generally the Secretary of State, and many jurisdictions refer to the Certificate of Existence as a Certificate of Good Standing.) The Certificate of Existence must be dated within one year. The completed Application for Authority and statutory filing fee of $225, made payable to the New York Department of State, should be forwarded to the New York Department of State, Division of Corporations, One Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12231. However, if the foreign corporation has been conducting business in New York State prior to filing its Application for Authority, it must obtain the consent of the New York State Tax Commission (§1304 (a)(8), Business Corporation Law). To request consent, call the New York State Tax Commission at (518) 485-2639. The completed Application for Authority, consent of the New York State Tax Commission and the filing fee of $225 should be forwarded to the New York Department of State at the address indicated above.Official source
Verified 2026-10-25
Keep the application fee in scope
Record the fee beside the particular application and entity it covers. Budget for separately listed charges only when the agency identifies them. Confirm the payment instructions before submitting rather than treating this guide as a payment quotation.
Illinois’s LLC application fee is $150.
New York’s LLC application fee is $250.
Source and quotation
5. The application for authority must be submitted with a $250 filing fee made payable to the Department of State.Official source
Verified 2026-10-25
Address an unregistered period explicitly
If operations have already started, give the agency the actual start date and ask how to correct the record. Review the unregistered-business consequence separately from the ordinary application fee. Keep registration and ongoing filing tasks as separate checklist items.
Illinois LLCs: Cannot maintain a civil action until admitted; owes fees for the unauthorized period. Failure to obtain admission within 60 days triggers $2,000 plus $100 for each month or fraction of a month of unauthorized business.
Source and quotation
(a) A foreign limited liability company transacting business in this State may not maintain a civil action in any court of this State until the limited liability company is admitted to transact business in this State. … (d) A foreign limited liability company that transacts business in this State without being admitted to do so shall be liable to the State for the years or parts thereof during which it transacted business in this State without being admitted in an amount equal to all fees that would have been imposed by this Article upon that limited liability company had it been duly admitted, filed all reports required by this Article, and paid all penalties imposed by this Article. If a limited liability company fails to be admitted to do business in this State within 60 days after it commences transacting business in Illinois, it is liable for a penalty of $2,000 plus $100 for each month or fraction thereof in which it has continued to transact business in this State without being admitted to do so. The Attorney General shallOfficial source
Verified 2026-10-25
New York corporations: May not maintain an action or special proceeding until authorized and all accrued fees, taxes, penalties and interest have been paid.
Source and quotation
A foreign corporation doing business in this state without authority shall not maintain any action or special proceeding in this state unless and until such corporation has been authorized to do business in this state and it has paid to the state all fees and taxes imposed under the tax law or any related statute, as defined in section eighteen hundred of such law, as well as penalties and interest charges related thereto, accrued against the corporation.Official source
Verified 2026-10-25