Mississippi Certificate of Authority/Corporations
Mississippi F0002: the certificate of authority for corporations and nonprofits
A foreign corporation obtains its Mississippi certificate of authority on the Application for Certificate of Authority, F0002, for $500, and a foreign nonprofit files the same form for $100. Either way it goes in with a home-state certificate of good standing or existence no more than six months old. We prepare the filing for $199.
The certificate of authority at a glance
- Filing
- Application for Certificate of Authority
- ID
- F0002
- Fee, profit corporation
- $500
- Fee, nonprofit
- $100
- Home paper
- Certificate of good standing or existence, dated within six months
- Agent
- A street address in Mississippi; appointing an agent is F0009 at $25
- Amendment
- F0030, $50
- Withdrawal
- F0015, $25
What the certificate does
A certificate of authority is the state's permission for a corporation formed elsewhere to carry on business in Mississippi. Profit and nonprofit corporations both apply on F0002. Once it is filed, two duties follow for as long as the authority lasts: a yearly report, due April 15 for a profit corporation and May 15 for a nonprofit, and a Mississippi agent reachable at a street office.
What the application requires
Mississippi's guide gives the requirements for every foreign company: basic information about the company, a good standing or existence certificate issued where the company was formed, and an agent who is reachable at a Mississippi street address. The guide limits the certificate's age to six months. We build the rest of F0002 from your answers to the questionnaire and check it against the home certificate before anyone signs.
Fees for the corporation and nonprofit filings
| Filing | ID | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Authority, profit corporation | F0002 | $500 |
| Authority, nonprofit | F0002 | $100 |
| Name reservation | F0017 | $50 |
| Agent or office change | F0010 | $10 |
| Nonprofit status report | F0088 | $25 |
| Amendment | F0030 | $50 |
| Withdrawal | F0015 | $25 |
| Reinstatement | F0022 | $100 |
Resignation of an agent has no fee.
Profit corporations and the yearly report
A profit corporation files its annual report, F0008, each year by April 15, and the fee is $25. The report is filed online. Before it goes in, check that the registered agent and office on record are still right; if either has moved, the $10 statement of change comes first.
Nonprofits and the May report
Each nonprofit corporation on the Secretary of State's rolls files an annual report by May 15, and one that skips it exposes itself to administrative dissolution. We confirm the current fee for a foreign nonprofit's report when you ask. Organizations that solicit contributions also keep a charity registration with the Charities Division, which is a separate filing.
Changing the entity's name or agent
The schedule lists an Application for Amended Certificate of Authority at $50, a statement moving the agent or office at $10, and an agent relocating its own office at $10 per company. The amended certificate covers a new corporate name or another change to the certificate itself; a move of the agent or office needs only the statement. Tell us what changed and we prepare the matching filing.
State fees over the first years
A profit corporation starts at $500 and then owes $25 every April 15. If it later amends its authority, the state charges have reached $550 before reports are counted; if it withdraws instead, leaving brings the total to $525. A nonprofit starts at $100, reports each May 15, and reaches $125 if it withdraws.
Withdrawing
Leaving Mississippi takes the certificate of withdrawal application, F0015, at $25 for a foreign corporation or nonprofit. File any report that is due first. The withdrawal page has more.
Reinstatement
Authority lost to dissolution or revocation is restored on F0022 for $100 in the case of a foreign corporation. Tell us the authority has lapsed when you order, and we prepare the reinstatement rather than a new application.
Why the nonprofit price is lower
The fee schedule gives the nonprofit certificate of authority a price of $100 and the profit corporation certificate $500. Because one form serves both, the entity type you declare on the questionnaire sets the fee we pay to the state. A nonprofit also has a status report on the schedule, F0088, at $25.
How we prepare a corporation or nonprofit filing
You choose profit or nonprofit
That sets the fee.
We test the home certificate
Its date must fall inside six months.
We line up the agent
At a Mississippi street address.
We draw up F0002
From your answers, ready for review and signature.
We send it to the state
Online, with the state fee for your entity type.
Registered agent: first year included, then $149 a year
$199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Corporation questions
Is a nonprofit certificate really cheaper?
Yes. The schedule shows $100 against $500.
Does an S corporation file differently?
Not because of tax status, which is separate from this filing.
Which statute covers corporations?
The Mississippi Business Corporation Act.
Does a licensed profession need more than this filing?
It can. The guide notes that some kinds of business also register with other state agencies or boards.
Our fee plus the state fee
Start my Mississippi filing
- The Mississippi form that matches your entity type
- Your home-state certificate checked against the age limit
- A Mississippi street-address agent, from us or from you
- The filed record sent to you
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
$199
+ the Mississippi fee for your entity
Begin filingThe state portion runs $100 to $500 by entity, and checkout shows it on its own line. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Sources
- Mississippi Secretary of State, business filing fee schedule
- Mississippi Limited Liability Company Act (Secretary of State copy)
- Mississippi Secretary of State, business FAQs
- Mississippi Secretary of State, annual reports
- Mississippi Secretary of State, services and fees schedule
- Start Your Business in Mississippi, registering foreign companies
- Mississippi Secretary of State, new nonprofit annual report requirement
Not sure which Mississippi filing you need?
Pick your entity type and the right one is prepared.