What Is Foreign Qualification?

The foreign qualification process is quite similar to the business formation process in many states, although the fact that each state creates its own rules and regulations can complicate things a bit. Essentially, foreign qualification is obtained by filing a form usually known as the Certificate of Authority, which grants your business the right to operate in an additional state.

SunDoc Filings Foreign Qualification Service Review

SunDoc Filings is one of the most popular picks for foreign qualification services, for a handful of reasons. Let’s quickly review its pros and cons before we dig into the details.

Pros

• Positive customer reviews
• 100% satisfaction guarantee
• Super-fast service in California

Cons

• No document preparation
• Unimpressive pricing for other services

The SunDoc Filings Foreign Qualification Service Package

SunDoc Filings’ foreign qualification service costs $99 plus your state’s fee. It includes a preliminary name search of your state’s business database, along with the filing of your Certificate of Authority (or similarly named document).

However, in most states, that’s all you get with SunDoc Filings, unlike most of its competitors, who also offer to prepare your documents. For what it’s worth, SunDoc Filings’ website does note that they “can help” with preparing your documents, but there’s no information about how much help or how much it would cost.

For those of you with California businesses though, SunDoc Filings has a unique advantage. Because this company is located in Sacramento, CA, SunDoc Filings representatives visit the Secretary of State’s office in person three times a day, giving this company the fastest turnaround times in the industry.

Overall Pricing and Value:

Unfortunately, due to the fact that it doesn’t offer to prepare your documents as part of its foreign qualification service, SunDoc Filings lacks value compared to many competitors. This is especially true when you consider that MyCompanyWorks hits this same price point while also preparing your Certificate of Authority application.

For domestic business formations, SunDoc Filings is an acceptable but uninspired option. At $79, it has a reasonable price point, but it’s a rather barebones package that doesn’t include many valuable features. For domestic service, ZenBusiness has a free package that’s nearly identical to the SunDoc Filings $79 offer.

Track Record:

SunDoc Filings is a smaller company than largescale operations like LegalZoom or Rocket Lawyer. SunDoc Filings has been around since 1999, and it’s served around 100,000 customers, so this company clearly isn’t inexperienced — it just has a lower volume of customers than some of its major competitors.

This company has an excellent customer feedback reputation. We found nearly 3,000 reviews of its services, and SunDoc Filings still holds down a strong 4.8/5 average rating score, indicating almost universal acclaim from its customers.

Customer Support:

There isn’t anything that really stands out in a good or bad way regarding SunDoc Filings’ customer support. We’re not huge fans of their rather limited hours of availability (8 am to 5 pm ET on weekdays), but they have always responded to our questions with efficient, accurate answers.

That said, SunDoc Filings doesn’t offer the level of customization or personalization that you’ll get with some competitors, and it doesn’t boast the extended availability of companies like ZenBusiness.

Ease of Use:

The entire point of using a foreign qualification service is to make this part of your business run seamlessly with little-to-no effort on your part. SunDoc Filings certainly fits the bill, as it’s simple to place orders, renew services, and navigate its website.

How Does SunDoc Filings Work?

The process of ordering foreign qualification service from SunDoc Filings couldn’t be much simpler. Here’s an overview of what you can expect when you click the “Get Started” button on the SunDoc Filings foreign qualification service page. Keep in mind that the process for foreign qualification can vary from state to state, but in most states, it will look something like this:

• Provide basic background info: First, you’ll need to choose your state and your business entity type. You will also upload your completed Certificate of Authority application in the form of a pdf. Then, you’ll work your way past several upsells, including those for rush processing ($50), a name availability check ($29), a certified copy ($29), a certificate of good standing ($50), registered agent service ($149), and overnight shipping ($39).
• Create your account: Next, you will enter your email and a password to create your SunDoc Filings account. You will also enter your personal name, address, and phone number.
• Review your info and submit payment: Finally, SunDoc Filings gives you an opportunity to take another look at everything you’ve entered and make any necessary changes. You will also enter your credit card information in this step.

What Are SunDoc Filings Customers Saying?

By far the largest collection of customer feedback for SunDoc Filings is found on Trustpilot, where this company has more than 2,900 reviews and a good average rating score of 4.8 out of 5. Clearly, SunDoc Filings has a satisfied customer base, as it’s nearly impossible to track down more than a small handful of negative feedback.

We found quite a few customers talking about how they appreciate SunDoc Filings’ user-friendly services, as well as plenty of comments about how fast its turnaround times are. Overall, there are certainly companies with a larger volume of customer feedback, but we were impressed by the quality of reviews with SunDoc Filings.

Our Final Thoughts

SunDoc Filings earned an honorable mention spot in our list of the best foreign qualification services available. While the fact that it doesn’t offer to prepare your foreign qualification documents certainly holds down SunDoc Filings’ placement in this guide, no other company can get your company qualified to do business in California quicker than SunDoc Filings.

While we realize that each business has its own unique needs and characteristics, we think SunDoc Filings has some unique advantages for companies expanding to California.

Disclaimer: The content on this page is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.