Step-by-step foreign qualification requirements, fees, and filing instructions for Kentucky LLCs expanding into Florida.
Before filing, verify that your LLC name (or a distinguishable variation) is available in Florida. If your exact name is already taken, you may need to register under a fictitious or assumed name.
Search Florida business names ↗Florida requires a Certificate of Existence from Kentucky to prove your LLC is in good standing. The fee is $10. Available to order online. When Florida is the destination for a foreign qualification, the home-state certificate of existence must be no more than 90 days old.
Order from Kentucky ↗Submit your application along with the Certificate of Existence and the $125 filing fee. See the processing time under Ongoing compliance below. Online filing may be available.
Florida filing portal ↗You must designate a registered agent with a physical address in Florida to accept legal documents on behalf of your LLC. This is required as part of the foreign qualification application.
Northwest files the foreign registration and serves as your registered agent in Florida, which the filing requires. Only need an agent? Northwest's registered agent service alone is $125/year.
Have Northwest register your LLC in Florida ↗Not sure which service fits? Our full Northwest Registered Agent review and Harbor Compliance review cover pricing, renewal terms, and where each one fits.
Registering after you already started doing business in Florida? See the Florida late-registration penalties for the back fees and fines that can apply.
Florida carves 13 activities out by statute. On their own, none of them requires a foreign LLC to register.
Under Fla. Stat. Section 605.0905, all 13 items. IMPORTANT CARVE-BACK: subsection (3) states that owning income-producing real or tangible personal property in Florida DOES constitute transacting business. Passive ownership is exempt under (1)(m) but the moment the property earns income, such as a rental, registration is affirmatively triggered. Subsection (4) disclaims service of process, taxation and regulation under other Florida law.
If the business operates in Kentucky, a Florida LLC still has to register in Kentucky as a foreign LLC. Here is what each route costs in state fees plus one Northwest registered agent per state at $125 a year.
Its address on the filing, first year of registered agent included
A virtual mailbox gives your LLC a separate address in Florida for business mail. Confirm whether the state accepts it for the specific filing field. For banking, ask your bank before buying; it may require your actual operating address.
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Use our free tool to check if you need to register in additional states.
This page provides general information based on publicly available state requirements. It is not legal advice. Verify all fees and requirements with the Florida Secretary of State before filing.