Entity and corporate filings
Certificate of authority
A state filing that lets a company formed in one state legally do business in another. Often a prerequisite for a state license.
A certificate of authority is the document a state issues that lets an out-of-state entity legally transact business there, a step often called foreign qualification. It is separate from the underlying license that governs your regulated activity.
Regulators frequently want to see that an applicant is properly qualified to do business in the state before they will act on a license application. Lining up foreign qualification early keeps a license filing from stalling on a missing prerequisite.
Related terms
Where this comes up
Certificate of authority is one piece of getting and keeping a business licensed. We handle the filings, bonds, and renewals that surround it across every state where you operate.