California Launches New Corporate Online Tools

SACRAMENTO ━ Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the launch of two additional online tools to help during this COVID -19 physical distancing:

1. A new online tool to allow Corporation Formation online: https://corpbizfile.sos.ca.gov/Registration
2. A new, improved online tool to allow more corporations to file their Statements of Information online: https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/?filing=corp

“The Secretary of State’s latest online business filing tools will help you form your new Corporation and eliminate tens of thousands of paper Statement of Information amendments,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. “These tools also will help keep businesses running and business owners safer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online filings eliminate the need for trips to the post office or the Secretary of State’s office and will help Californians flatten the curve. By creating more easy online filing tools for businesses, we greatly reduce the number of documents requiring manual review by staff. Modernizing our business filing tools creates a more efficient filing process for both business owners and the state.”

Until the launch of this new Statement of Information tool, Statement of Information amendments — filed outside of the corporation’s required filing period in order to update information such as changes to the corporation’s agent of service — could only be filed using paper forms.

The Secretary of State’s office received more than 32,000 of these paper Statement of Information amendments, this is in addition to the over 955,000 required Statements of Information in the 2018-19 fiscal year. This new Statement of Information tool offers corporations a new address reuse feature.

When filling out officers’ and directors’ addresses, you can select an address that was previously used which speeds up time of completion and helps eliminate data entry errors. This new tool also offers a search and select feature for providing a corporate registered agent for service of process.

The Corporation Statement of Information Online tool and the Corporation Formation Online tool are the latest expansion of the Secretary of State’s bizfile California portal.

Tools available through bizfile California:

• LLC Statement of Information Online Submission Tool: https://llcbizfile.sos.ca.gov/si

Since the initialbizfile launch in June 2017, 1,255,589 online LLC Statements of Information filings have been processed. 453,254 processed online in the 2018-19 fiscal year.

• California Business Search Tool: https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/?filing=true

Over 15.19 million Corporation, LLC, and LP records are available for free download.

• How to Start a Business in California: https://www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/starting-business-checklist/
• Online Trademark Submission Tool: https://tmbizfile.sos.ca.gov/Registration/

There have been over 14,368 submissions since the tool was launched January 2018.

• LLC Formation Online Submission Tool: https://llcbizfile.sos.ca.gov/registration

Launched in May 2018, the documents required to form an LLC can now be filed online. Since launch, we have processed 224,477 LLC Formation online submissions.

• Eureka Chatbot: https://www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/bizfile/

Our new artificial intelligence search assistant—launched May 2018—helps customers easily navigate business resources on the Secretary of State’s website. Eureka has already answered over 124,679 questions.

• LLC Terminations Online Submission Tool: https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/?filing=true

Launched in December 2018, the documents required to terminate an LLC can now be filed online. Since launch, we have processed 36,175 LLC Terminations online submissions.

• Corporations Statements of Information Online Submission Tool: https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/?filing=corp

Our new improved tool allowing you to submit all of your statements of information online—launched November 2019—and has already processed over 168,968.

• Corporation Formation Online Submission Tool: https://corpbizfile.sos.ca.gov/Registration

Launched on March 27, 2020, the documents required to form a Corporation can now be filed online.