Florida Statutes 607.1501 – Authority of foreign corporation to transact business required; activities not constituting transacting business
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(1) A foreign corporation may not transact business in this state until it obtains a certificate of authority from the department.
(2) The following activities, among others, do not constitute transacting business within the meaning of subsection (1):
(a) Maintaining, defending, mediating, arbitrating, or settling any proceeding.
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 607.1501
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Department: means the Florida Department of State. See Florida Statutes 607.01401
- Foreign: means , with respect to an entity, an entity governed as to its internal affairs by the organic law of a jurisdiction other than this state. See Florida Statutes 607.01401
- Foreign corporation: means an entity incorporated or organized under laws other than the laws of this state which would be a corporation for profit if incorporated under the laws of this state. See Florida Statutes 607.01401
- Interest: means :(a) A share in a corporation for profit;(b) A membership in a nonprofit corporation;(c) A partnership interest in a general partnership, including a limited liability partnership;(d) A partnership interest in a limited partnership, including a limited liability limited partnership;(e) A membership interest in a limited liability company;(f) A share or beneficial interest in a real estate investment trust;(g) A member's interest in a limited cooperative association;(h) A beneficial interest in a statutory trust, business trust, or common law business trust; or(i) A governance interest or distributional interest in another entity. See Florida Statutes 607.01401
- Mail: means the United States mail, facsimile transmissions, and private mail carriers handling nationwide mail services. See Florida Statutes 607.01401
- Membership: means the rights of a member in a domestic or foreign nonprofit corporation. See Florida Statutes 607.01401
- Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
- Personal property: All property that is not real property.
- Proceeding: includes a civil suit, a criminal action, an administrative action, and an investigatory action. See Florida Statutes 607.01401
- Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
- Shares: means the units into which the proprietary interests in a corporation are divided. See Florida Statutes 607.01401
(b) Carrying on any activity concerning the internal affairs of the foreign corporation, including holding meetings of its shareholders or board of directors.(c) Maintaining accounts in financial institutions.(d) Maintaining offices or agencies for the transfer, exchange, and registration of securities of the foreign corporation or maintaining trustees or depositaries with respect to those securities.(e) Selling through independent contractors.(f) Soliciting or obtaining orders, whether by mail or through employees, agents, or otherwise, if the orders require acceptance outside this state before they become contracts.(g) Creating or acquiring indebtedness, mortgages, or security interests in real or personal property.(h) Securing or collecting debts or enforcing mortgages or security interests in property securing the debts, or holding, protecting, or maintaining property so acquired.(i) Transacting business in interstate commerce.(j) Conducting an isolated transaction that is completed within 30 days and that is not one in the course of repeated transactions of a like nature.(k) Owning and controlling a subsidiary corporation incorporated in or limited liability company formed in, or transacting business within, this state; or voting the shares of any such subsidiary corporation or voting the membership interests of any such limited liability company, which it has lawfully acquired.(l) Owning a limited partnership interest in a limited partnership that is transacting business within this state, unless the limited partner manages or controls the partnership or exercises the powers and duties of a general partner.(m) Owning, protecting, and maintaining, without more, real or personal property.
(3) The list of activities in subsection (2) is not an exhaustive list of activities that do not constitute transacting business within the meaning of subsection (1).
(4) This section does not apply in determining the contacts or activities that may subject a foreign corporation to service of process, taxation, or regulation under the law of this state other than this chapter.