Colorado Foreign Registration Filing it yourself
Filing the Colorado foreign entity statement yourself
You can file the Statement of Foreign Entity Authority yourself, online, in one sitting, and the only state charge is $100. The screens come in the order they appear, with what to have in hand and where people stall. Our order button is below as the alternative, for $199.
Is DIY a good idea here?
For a single entity with a clear name and an agent who is ready, yes. Colorado asks for one online statement, with no paper form, no home-state certificate, and a fee that does not change with the entity type. Where people lose time is on the agent and the name. If your individual agent has no Colorado ID, or your true name is already in the database, plan on a longer first session.
Have these ready first
| Item | Why | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Exact legal name and ending | Searched first; must match home record | Home-state certificate or formation document |
| Entity type and state of formation | Section 2 of the statement | Formation document |
| Principal office street address | No P.O. box allowed | Your own records |
| Agent name and Colorado street address | Section 4 | The agent, who must agree |
| Agent ID number | Checked for an individual agent | Colorado license or ID card |
| Date business starts in Colorado | Section 5 | Your plans |
| A card or payment method | Pay the $100 fee online | You |
The screens, in order
Go to Business Organizations
On coloradosos.gov open Business, then Business Organizations, then File a business document.
Create a new record
Choose "File a form to create a NEW record" and then Foreign entity, which opens the Statement of Foreign Entity Authority.
Search the true name
Type the name exactly as the home state spells it and search. If it is available, you can continue under it.
Decide on an assumed name
The next screen asks whether the entity will use an assumed entity name. Answer no unless the true name was unavailable.
Complete the statement
Fill in the form of entity, jurisdiction, principal office, agent and the date business starts.
Add attachments if needed
If you said yes to additional information, a page lets you upload a .txt or PDF file.
Review, then pay
A review page asks you to confirm. Your document is not filed until after payment.
Check the record
Search for the entity and read the Summary page for status, ID number and periodic report month.
Screen by screen: what to watch
The name search. It is the first test, and it is exact. A missing comma or an abbreviation where the home state spells the word out can bring up the wrong result. Copy the name from the certificate of formation or a good standing certificate and paste it.
The assumed name page. The Division calls an assumed entity name uncommon. It applies only when the true name cannot be used in Colorado or lacks a proper ending. It is not a trade name and it is not a DBA, and choosing it by mistake produces a record with a name you did not intend.
The agent section. The street address field is for a physical Colorado location. If the agent is an individual, you will be asked for the ID number exactly as printed on the license. If the agent has no Colorado license, the system sends a passcode by mail to the agent's address, you wait for it, then return to the site and enter it before the filing can go on. The passcode expires after 45 days.
Delayed date. Leave it alone. A delayed effective date is allowed up to 90 days out, and unless you need it, an immediate filing is simpler.
How long it takes
With the name, address and an agent ready, the screens themselves are short. With an agent who needs a mailed passcode, count the days the mail takes.
What the agent check involves
The filing checks a Colorado driver license or ID number for an agent who is an individual aged 18 or over. Without one, the agent requests a passcode by mail; it lapses 45 days after the request, and the address proof carries a date within 90 days. A commercial mailbox or P.O. box cannot be the physical street address, and a different mailing address is entered separately and must also be in Colorado.
Where people get stuck
- An agent who lives in Colorado but has no state ID and has to wait for a passcode.
- A company agent that registered in Colorado once but is no longer in good standing.
- A true name that is taken, which pushes the filing into the assumed name branch.
- Entering a post office box as the principal office street address.
- Choosing "Other" for the entity form when the drop-down already had the right one.
- Leaving the report month unwritten, so the first periodic report arrives as a surprise.
After you file
Your first jobs are small. Write down the entity ID number and the periodic report month from the Summary page. Sign up for email notices so the courtesy reminder reaches someone. Print a certificate of good standing if a bank or a customer will want one: it comes free from the Summary page as a PDF, and it can be issued only while the status is good standing. A report that is missed makes the status noncompliant, and after 60 days without the right form it becomes delinquent. Then put the $25 periodic report in the calendar, and the periodic report page shows how the dates work.
The tutorial and the help screens
The Secretary of State publishes an eLearning tutorial called "Filing a Statement of Foreign Entity Authority", and each field in the online form has a help screen. The help screens match the order of the sections described on our statement page. The form was last revised on 04/11/2025.
Keep a copy of what you filed
When the filing is accepted, save the entity ID number and the Summary page as a PDF, and keep the agent's consent in writing. If you chose an assumed entity name, write down why.
When it makes sense to hand it off
Some owners prefer not to deal with the agent ID check, the name search and the calendar. Others are registering several entities, or are setting up an entity from another country. You still pay Colorado the same $100. The full guide describes what we do at each stage.
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.
Filing it yourself: questions
Can I mail the Colorado statement?
No. The Division lists the paper form as not available, so the statement is filed online only.
Where is the statement filed?
The statement is filed through the Secretary of State's business database. We handle the entry in that database when we prepare your filing.
Can I pay by check?
No. The fee is paid online with the filing, and the document is not filed until after payment.
Can I be my own registered agent?
An individual owner can serve if they hold a Colorado ID or complete the passcode process. An entity formed elsewhere cannot serve until it is itself registered.
What if I make a mistake in the name?
A Statement of Correction for the assumed entity name is $100, and other changes are $10 each.
Our charge and the Colorado fee
- The Statement of Foreign Entity Authority, prepared from your answers
- A name check, so the filing carries a name Colorado will accept
- A Colorado registered agent with a usual place of business: ours, or the one you already use
- The filing, then the approved record and your periodic report month
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
Our charge and the Colorado fee show as two lines at checkout. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Where this comes from
- Colorado Secretary of State, business organizations fee schedule
- Colorado Secretary of State, sample Statement of Foreign Entity Authority (PDF)
- Colorado Secretary of State, business forms list
- Colorado Secretary of State, foreign entity FAQ
- Colorado Secretary of State, registered agent requirements
- Colorado Secretary of State, registered agent FAQ
- Colorado Secretary of State, Statement of Foreign Entity Authority instructions
- Colorado Secretary of State, noncompliance (status) FAQ
Work reaching Colorado?
Tell us the entity and where it was formed. We prepare the statement, check the name and line up the agent.