Certificate of authority in Nebraska
Nebraska certificate of authority: how to get it, keep it and end it, by entity type
Online, an LLC pays $100, a corporation $100 and a nonprofit $25. Each entity then reports on its own cycle.
- $100Nebraska fee
- 4LLC, Corporation, Nonprofit, LP or LLP
- 4What you receive
What you receive
- NebraskaFiled applicationEvidence that Nebraska accepted the filing.
- NebraskaAgent entryOur office or yours as Nebraska agent.
- NebraskaForm copyThe completed application for your records.
- NebraskaReport noteWhich year your first biennial report falls in.
Online, a Nebraska certificate of authority costs $100 for a foreign LLC (with $10 added for the certificate), $100 for a foreign corporation and $25 for a foreign nonprofit. At the counter the same filings cost $110, $110 and $30. We work out which application fits your company, assemble the home-state paper and file it for $199.
Because the certificate has a life, this site follows it from start to finish: getting it, keeping it through the biennial reports, what happens when it is revoked, and ending it. Fees are on the cost page.
- LLCs, corporations and nonprofits
- Online and office rates shown
- Nebraska agent available
Included
One paper, three versions
Nebraska issues the certificate of authority to LLCs, corporations and nonprofits on different forms.
Fees by entity
Online it is $100, $100 or $25.
The right certificate
An LLC needs an original certificate of existence. Corporations and nonprofits have an age limit.
Questionnaire to form
Your answers become the official application.
Nebraska office
We can take the Nebraska agent role, or you can pick someone else.
Ask first
If the right form is unclear, write before ordering.
Getting a Nebraska certificate of authority
Identify the entity type
The type decides the form, the fee and the home paper.
Check the name
A written name inquiry is answered as a courtesy; if the name fails, the form has a place for an alternate.
Appoint the agent and office
Use a member of the entity or a designated third party who lives in Nebraska, or a corporation authorized to transact business in Nebraska, with an office identical to the registered office.
Order the home paper
An original certificate of existence for an LLC, or an authenticated certificate under the age limit for a corporation or nonprofit.
Complete and sign
An authorized representative signs for an LLC; an officer signs for a corporation.
Pay and file
Online or in the office, at the rate for your entity.
Nebraska certificate of authority at a glance
- LLC
- Application for Certificate of Authority, Foreign Limited Liability Company
- Corporation
- Application for Certificate of Authority to Transact Business
- Nonprofit
- Application for Certificate of Authority to Transact Business (Non-Profit Corporations)
- Filed with
- Nebraska Secretary of State, Business Services Division
- Online rates
- $100 LLC, $100 corporation, $25 nonprofit
- Report cycle
- LLCs and nonprofits in odd years, corporations in even years
- After revocation
- A foreign LLC applies again; a corporation reinstates by mail
What the certificate of authority is
It is Nebraska's permission for a company formed in another state to carry on business inside Nebraska. The Secretary of State's Business Services Division issues it on an application, and the same office can take it away if the company stops reporting or loses its agent. LLCs, corporations and nonprofits all use the term, but each files a different form with a different home-state attachment, and each follows its own calendar afterward.
The three versions side by side
| Entity | Online fee | Office fee | Home paper | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limited liability company | $100 + $10 | $110 + $10 | Original certificate of existence | Odd years |
| Business corporation | $100 | $110 | Certificate of existence, 60 days | Even years |
| Nonprofit corporation | $25 | $30 | Certificate of good standing, 60 days | Odd years |
Limited partnerships use another form, priced at $110 with $10 for the certificate. A limited liability partnership gets its price when the order is placed, so send a note first.
Who needs one
The certificate is needed from the moment a company transacts business in Nebraska. The LLC Act and the corporation statute each name activities that do not count, and judgment settles the rest. For an LLC one rule runs the other way: owning property in the state that earns income is itself transacting business. The page on whether it is required applies the lists to everyday cases.
Keeping it: the biennial rhythm
No yearly report is asked for. LLCs and nonprofits report in odd years, due April 1 and delinquent after June 16, while corporations send a biennial occupation tax report in even years, due March 1 and delinquent after April 15. The first LLC report falls in the first odd year after the authority is granted.
Losing it: revocation
A company that misses its delinquency date is administratively dissolved or has its authority revoked. What follows depends on the entity. A foreign corporation or nonprofit can apply for reinstatement. A foreign LLC cannot, and has to apply again for a certificate of authority.
Ending it
A company done with Nebraska ends its authority differently by type: LLCs use a notice of cancellation, while corporations and nonprofits use a certificate of withdrawal. Online the fee is $25 either way. The withdrawal page compares the forms.
What the life of an authority costs
Register an LLC online, then cancel online, and Nebraska's charges come to $135. For a corporation, getting the certificate and withdrawing online comes to $125, and for a nonprofit $50. The cost page adds the reports and the changes in between.
The December system change
Nebraska publishes no processing time. The office will move its online filings to a new system in early December, and we prepare the same package either way.
Changes after approval
Amending the certificate, or moving the agent, office or agent's address, costs $25 online and $30 at the counter. Holding a name is $30 for 120 days. An LLC agent's resignation is $30, while a corporation agent resigns for no fee.
Reinstatement after a lapse
A foreign corporation or nonprofit that lapses files an application, a report and $30 by mail or in person, and an entity inactive for over 5 years pays $500 to reinstate late. A foreign LLC has no such route and files a fresh application.
Where we fit
Many companies file on their own, and the page on filing yourself serves them. If you would rather hand it over, tell us the entity type, send the facts and leave the rest: choosing the form, testing the home paper and the agent, and filing. Our charge is $199, and Nebraska's fee is shown on its own line at checkout.
How the three versions differ in practice
An LLC attaches one document and signs once, and the form has nine entries. A corporation lists its officers and directors, attaches a dated certificate and has a signer chosen from a short list of positions. A nonprofit does the same and also states its corporate type and whether it has members. The fees are close for an LLC and a corporation online, and lower for a nonprofit.
What an authorized company can do
The certificate of authority puts the company in good order with Nebraska. A foreign LLC or corporation holding one can sue in a Nebraska court, which an unregistered one cannot. It is also listed as active on the state's public search, the page a bank, landlord or customer will check, and a certificate of good standing can be bought there by card.
Checking the name first
Names are compared with what Nebraska already has on file. A written inquiry is answered, though only as a courtesy, and the decision becomes final when the filing arrives. A refused name can go to the division's counsel for review, or hold it for 120 days at a cost of $30 while the rest of the file is assembled. Written consent from the owner of a close name can also be an option. A filing can go in online, in person at the Secretary of State's office, or by mail.
The papers you will handle
An LLC handles three documents: the application, the original certificate of existence and a payment. A corporation or nonprofit handles four: the application, the officer and director list, the dated home certificate and a payment. Anyone mailing the package adds a cover letter.
Paying, and the system change
Online filings are paid at submission, through eDelivery now and through the new system in early December. After the change a card payment adds a processing charge and an ACH payment adds a smaller one, and a frequent payor account lets regular filers deposit funds in advance. Mailed checks go to the Secretary of State and must be signed.
Where to start
Begin with the entity type, because everything else follows from it. Then send the name inquiry, appoint the agent and order the home paper last. If the company already works in the state, the filing is the next step; if the work starts later, file before the first employee or lease begins.
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.
The cost in two parts
Get my Nebraska authority
Nebraska
$199
+ the Nebraska fee for your entity
- The Nebraska application for your entity type, built from what you tell us
- A check of your home paper against what that application requires
- Your agent and office in Nebraska, from us or chosen by you
- The completed record, returned to you
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
Filed online, Nebraska's charge is $100 for an LLC, $100 for a corporation or $25 for a nonprofit, shown 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.
Questions about Nebraska authority
How much is a Nebraska certificate of authority?
A nonprofit pays $25 online, and an LLC or corporation pays $100.
Does the certificate carry its own charge?
For an LLC the schedule adds $10 for it.
What home paper does Nebraska want?
An original certificate of existence for an LLC, and an authenticated certificate under the age limit for a corporation or nonprofit.
How often are reports due?
Every other year, in odd years for LLCs and nonprofits and even years for corporations.
Can a revoked foreign LLC reinstate?
No. It has to start over with a fresh application.
May the company act as its own agent?
It may not. An individual living in Nebraska, or an entity authorized here, must serve from the registered address.
Who signs?
An authorized representative for an LLC, and the board chair, the president or another officer for a corporation.
How do we leave?
An LLC cancels and a corporation or nonprofit withdraws, for $25 online.
Sources
- Nebraska Secretary of State, forms and fee information
- Nebraska Application for Certificate of Authority, foreign LLC
- Nebraska Secretary of State, annual and biennial reporting
- Nebraska Application for Certificate of Authority to Transact Business, foreign corporation
- Nebraska Application for Certificate of Authority, foreign nonprofit corporation
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 21-156, application for certificate of authority
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 21-2,205, corporation application
- Nebraska Registration of Foreign Limited Partnership
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 21-157, activities not transacting business
- Nebraska Secretary of State, new business information
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 21-125, biennial report
- Nebraska Secretary of State, reinstatement information
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 21-2,213, withdrawal of foreign corporation
- Nebraska Secretary of State, new online business filing system
- Nebraska Secretary of State, name procedures
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 21-162, effect of failure to have a certificate
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 21-2,204, consequences for a foreign corporation
- Nebraska Secretary of State, corporate and business services
Need a Nebraska certificate of authority?
Give us the entity type and we arrange the form, the home paper and the agent.