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Louisiana Certificate of Authority  /  LLC form

Form 972, the LLC application for a Louisiana certificate of authority

Form 972 is the Application of Foreign Limited Liability Company, and a foreign LLC files it to obtain its Louisiana certificate of authority. The filing fee is $185, it runs to 10 numbered items, and the form carries the revision mark 10/26. A member or manager signs, and the registered agent signs an acceptance, each before a notary. We prepare it for $199.

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Form 972 at a glance

Title
Application of Foreign Limited Liability Company
Law
La. R.S. 12:1345
Fee
$185
Signs
a manager, if management is vested in one or more managers, or a member, if management is reserved to the members
Attached
A home-state certificate, 90 days old or less
Send to
Commercial Division, P. O. Box 94125, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125
Visit
8585 Archives Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70809

Group one: who the entity is (items 1 to 3)

Item 1 holds the LLC's name as the home-state certificate has it. Item 2 gives a former name when there is one, and a name change is shown by a certificate of fact from the home state. Item 3 shares a line between the date of organization and the period of duration; leave the duration blank unless the formation documents state one.

Group two: places (items 4 to 8)

Items 4, 5 and 6 are the home-state principal office, the principal business office wherever it is, and the principal business establishment in Louisiana. Items 7 and 8 name the Louisiana registered office and the registered agent with an address. The form asks for complete street addresses throughout this group. Where an individual or company is the agent, the agent's address is the registered office.

Group three: purpose and people (items 9 and 10)

Item 9 describes the business the LLC will transact in Louisiana. The law adds a statement that the home state's law empowers the LLC to do that business, so the description should sit comfortably within the operating agreement. Item 10 is for the members and managers, with their addresses, and an attached addendum takes any extras.

The two boxes above item 1

One pair of check lines distinguishes a business from a nonprofit. A second pair distinguishes an original from an amended application. A first application for a for-profit LLC ticks Business and Original.

The signature and the acceptance

The signing member or manager adds a title and date, and a notary completes the block beneath. Further down, the registered agent accepts the appointment and swears before a notary too. A note on the form adds that Louisiana law has notaries print their name and either a notary number or a bar roll number.

Which revision to use

The Commercial Division reissues forms when its fees move. The page footer of the form shows 10/26. Take the current edition from the Commercial Division's published forms list, because an old copy prints an old fee.

Fees and speed on the transmittal page

The page in front of the form asks for a service level. Standard filing needs no extra fee. Add $35 for the 24-hour tier or $60 for the 2 to 4 hour tier. The page also warns against writing card details on the paper, and a card payment adds $5.

Where applications go wrong

A Form 972 comes back for these reasons:

  • A certificate older than the limit, or a photocopy.
  • A name that departs from the certificate.
  • Only one copy, when two are needed.
  • An agent block with no signature or no notary seal.
  • An item 7 address that is not where the agent works.
  • A name containing one of the engineering or surveying words, with the licensing board not told.

How we prepare Form 972

  1. You supply the facts

    Name, formation date, addresses, managers and the business to be done.

  2. We draft items 1 to 10

    From your certificate and answers.

  3. Two people swear

    The signer and the agent each appear before a notary.

  4. We check dates and copies

    Both sets, a certificate within its age limit, and the payment.

  5. We file

    Sent to the Commercial Division with $185 attached.

Using the amended box

The Amended Application box turns Form 972 into an application for an amended certificate. An LLC that holds a certificate uses it when the name changes or when it intends to do a different kind of business than its application described. The same rules govern the form, its signing and its filing as for an original, and a name change comes with a home-state certificate or certified amendment. We quote the amended filing fee when you order.

Addresses people copy wrongly

Watch for the registered agent's home-state address in item 7, a post office box in a field that wants a street address, and the registered agent's address in item 5 when the LLC has its own premises. Read each label against the address you are about to 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.

Form 972 questions

Does Form 972 need a notary?

Yes, twice: for the signer and for the registered agent.

Does a corporation file Form 972?

No. A corporation files Form 326.

Do I attach my articles of organization?

No. Louisiana asks for a certificate of existence or good standing instead.

We prepare Form 972

Our fee and the state's

Get my Louisiana certificate

+ $185 Louisiana fee

  • The Application for Authority to Transact Business in Louisiana, Foreign Limited Liability Company (Form 972), completed from your answers
  • The registered agent's sworn acceptance, collected and attached with your home-state certificate
  • A Louisiana registered agent and street office, supplied by us or by you
  • The package sent to the Commercial Division, and the filed certificate returned to you
  • Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year

$199

Louisiana

Get my Louisiana certificate

Our fee and Louisiana's $185 appear as separate 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.

Sources

  1. Louisiana Secretary of State, forms and fee schedule
  2. Louisiana Secretary of State fee schedule effective 10/1/26
  3. Louisiana Form 972, application of a foreign limited liability company
  4. La. R.S. 12:1345, application for certificate of authority
  5. La. R.S. 12:1350.1, annual report
  6. Louisiana Form 326, application of a foreign corporation for certificate of authority
  7. Louisiana Form 338, application to withdraw a foreign corporation or limited liability company
  8. Louisiana Form 346, statement of change for a foreign corporation or limited liability company
  9. La. R.S. 12:1350, registered agent and registered office
  10. La. R.S. 12:304, application of a foreign corporation
  11. La. R.S. 12:1348, amended certificate of authority
  12. La. R.S. 12:307, amended corporation certificate

Start your Louisiana application

Give us the entity type and where it was formed, and we begin drafting.

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