Texas business formation and filing fees
Compare the costs of creating an LLC or corporation in Texas, or registering a company formed elsewhere. The filing office is Texas Secretary of State, Corporations Section.
Starting a company in Texas
Domestic LLC filing fee
Texas Form 205 Certificate of Formation for an LLC costs $300, plus a 2.7% statutory credit-card convenience fee when applicable. The form requires a distinguishable name, registered agent/office, initial mailing address for Comptroller correspondence, organizer, and governing information.
Domestic corporation filing fee
Texas Form 201 Certificate of Formation for a for-profit corporation costs $300, plus the 2.7% credit-card convenience fee when applicable. Authorized shares and par/no-par terms are stated in the charter but do not create a separate share-based formation fee in the standard form.
Registering a company formed elsewhere
For state registration, “foreign” can mean a company formed in another U.S. state. These fees are separate from creating a new Texas entity.
Foreign LLC qualification
A foreign LLC registers under Form 304 and the general foreign-entity fee is $750. A foreign entity that transacted business for more than 90 days can owe late registration fees calculated by whole or partial calendar years times the applicable registration fee; the application needs home-jurisdiction evidence and a Texas agent/office.
Foreign corporation qualification
A foreign for-profit corporation's registration fee is generally $750, with the same late-registration exposure for prior unauthorized Texas activity. File the applicable application, home-jurisdiction evidence, registered agent/office, and tax/account information; the entity cannot maintain a Texas action until registered.
Texas processing times
Certificates of formation can be filed online through SOSDirect 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or submitted by mail/courier. Electronic submission is faster, but acceptance depends on completeness and name review; no universal standard approval time is promised.
Expedited filing options
Texas SOSDirect/SOSUpload provides faster electronic delivery, but the reviewed official pages did not expose a universal 2026 same-day or two-hour tier. Confirm current expedite availability, surcharge, and whether the requested document qualifies with the Corporations Section before filing.
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