Big ventures are best shared with the right partners.

Vineyards in Napa Valley, real estate on the coast, a stake in the next generation of founders. California is where projects take shape that nobody carries alone. Your California Limited Partnership sets out the roles clearly: one partner runs the business, the others contribute capital and trust.

We handle your formation and ongoing support in English. You focus on moving your shared venture forward.

Form our California Limited Partnership now

No trip to the US · Online in 5 days or less · Support 24/7

Choose your path
Formation package, first year included
$6,150
California state fee: Limited Partnership, no markup
$70
California state fee: general partner LLC, no markup
$70
Statement of Information: general partner LLC, no markup
$20
Total first year
$6,310
From the second year
$3,600 per year

plus $800 California tax each for the LP and the general partner LLC, and a $20 Statement of Information every two years

Form a California LP
Included every year: the New Horizons Club, worth $1,299 a year.
Not sure which path fits? Call us: +1 512 647 1128

California by the numbers

Why California
No. 1
State economies
Around $4.3 trillion in GDP, more than any other state.
39.4 million
Residents
The most populous state.
5 days
Online formation
Or less: that is how long the Secretary of State says it takes for online filings.
$800
a year
The minimum tax on California companies, even with no business there; for corporations from the second tax year.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (as of September 2026); U.S. Census Bureau (estimate as of July 1, 2025); California Secretary of State; California Franchise Tax Board.

The package

Everything your Limited Partnership needs is in the package.

In the first year you get every service in the annual package. From the second year on, everything continues with the annual package. Your Limited Partnership is in good order from day one, and it stays that way.

01

Registration and documents

We file your formation online with the California Secretary of State (bizfile Online) and prepare the document set for your path. We pass on the state fees for the Limited Partnership and the general partner LLC without any markup.

  • Certificate of Limited Partnership for the Limited Partnership
  • Formation of the general partner LLC, which manages the business as general partner
  • Partnership Agreement and organizational resolutions
  • Partner register with general partner and limited partners
02

Accounts: Mercury, Wise and a bank in Austin

We submit your Mercury application with you as soon as your documents and EIN are in. You also get euro account details with your own IBAN through Wise and, if you come to Austin, a personal introduction at a traditional US bank.

03

Tax ID and BE-13

We apply for your Employer Identification Number (EIN) with the IRS. And we file the mandatory BE-13 report with the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the filing many founders have never heard of.

04

Registered Agent in California

California requires every Limited Partnership and its general partner LLC to have a Registered Agent with an address in the state. It's included in the package from day one: mail from authorities and courts reaches you by email, and if a letter comes with a deadline, we tell you what to do.

05

Address and phone in Austin

Our Austin address goes on your letterhead and invoices, plus a US phone number with call answering.

06

Annual compliance

Partners' meetings, resolutions and minutes, the partner register, filings and taxes to California for the LP and the general partner LLC, and a calendar with every deadline. You sign, we do the rest.

The six points in detail
07

97 contract templates

Contract templates under US law for the everyday business of your Limited Partnership. From your first customer contract to your first investor.

08

Support in English, as often as you need it

You ask, we answer, as often as you like. The only exceptions are custom documents drafted by the attorneys on the firm's team, and bookkeeping.

Included every year

New Horizons Club

$1,299
Value per year, included in the package

Call In Days

With free consultations.

15 percent off

Two paths, clear prices

One question decides it: who is the limited partner?

A Limited Partnership always has at least two partners: a general partner who manages the business, and at least one limited partner who invests. With us, the general partner is the general partner LLC we form alongside it. The question is who becomes the limited partner.

Path 01 · Part of a group of companies

Your company is the limited partner.

The parent company invests as the limited partner. The general partner is the general partner LLC we form alongside it. Your parent company's documents are added.

Your document set
  • Certificate of Limited Partnership for the Limited Partnership
  • Articles of Organization for the general partner LLC
  • Partnership Agreement with your parent company as limited partner
  • Organizational resolutions of the LP and the general partner LLC
  • Resolutions of your parent company
  • Partner register with general partner and limited partners
$6,150 Formation package, first year included
California state fee: Limited Partnership, at cost
$70
California state fee: general partner LLC, at cost
$70
Statement of Information: general partner LLC, at cost
$20
Total first year
$6,310
Annual package from year two
$3,600 per year

plus $800 California tax each for the LP and the general partner LLC, and a $20 Statement of Information every two years

Choose this path
Path 02 · Not part of a group

You and your partners invest.

You and your partners invest as limited partners. The general partner is the general partner LLC we form alongside it, and you own it.

Your document set
  • Certificate of Limited Partnership for the Limited Partnership
  • Articles of Organization for the general partner LLC
  • Partnership Agreement
  • Organizational resolutions of the LP and the general partner LLC
  • Partner register with general partner and limited partners
$4,900 Formation package, first year included
California state fee: Limited Partnership, at cost
$70
California state fee: general partner LLC, at cost
$70
Statement of Information: general partner LLC, at cost
$20
Total first year
$5,060
Annual package from year two
$3,100 per year

plus $800 California tax each for the LP and the general partner LLC, and a $20 Statement of Information every two years

Choose this path

Your Limited Partnership and its general partner LLC each pay California $800 in tax every year, including the first year and even with no business there: the LLC in the fourth month after formation, the LP with its tax return after year end. We pay on time and pass the cost on at cost. Every two years the general partner LLC's Statement of Information adds $20. Bookkeeping only comes on top if you book it: from $250 a month, starting when business begins.

Not sure which path fits? Book a consultation or call our office: +1 512 647 1128. You can order directly on either path.

How it works

From order to account application, without flying to America.

Everything runs remotely. The timings below reflect our experience, not guarantees.

  1. 1
    Today
    You order

    Pick your path and extras on the order card. You see the total right away.

  2. 2
    Up to 5 days
    Formation in California

    We file with the Secretary of State and prepare your document set. We form the general partner LLC first, then the Limited Partnership.

  3. 3
    Within 90 days
    Statement of Information

    California requires the general partner LLC's Statement of Information within 90 days of formation. We file it; the fee is included in the state fees.

  4. 4
    About 4 business days
    Tax ID (EIN)

    Without a US Social Security number, we apply for the EIN by fax. The IRS quotes about four business days.

  5. 5
    Within 45 days
    BE-13 report

    We file the mandatory report with the Bureau of Economic Analysis on time.

  6. 6
    Once everything is in
    Mercury account

    With your formation documents and IRS letter (CP575 or 147C), we submit the application together with you. Mercury decides after its own review.

According to Mercury, no visit to the US is required. You only travel to Austin if you want an introduction to a traditional US bank. That is optional.

Accounts and credit history

Your US business account, applied for from home.

  • We apply for your business account at Mercury with you as soon as your formation documents and EIN are in hand. According to Mercury, it accepts applications from founders who are not US citizens and do not live in the US.
  • You set up euro account details with your own IBAN at Wise yourself. We guide you through it.
  • As the address where your company operates, give both your own, such as your office at home in Europe. Mercury and Wise do not accept a Registered Agent address for this.
  • If you come to Austin, we introduce you in person to a traditional US bank, free of charge. The bank decides on the account.
Add-on at formation

Credit Builder

$5,900 in the first year

Credit for your company and for you. The strongest business cards also check your personal credit history, so we build both.

  • Everything in US Bank Account Opening: ITIN Express included, US bank account, US residential address with phone line for 12 months, support getting your first credit card
  • Application for the Mercury IO card for your company
  • D-U-N-S number for your company
  • A second business card that reports to the credit bureaus
  • Support until your company has its own credit profile
  • 3 one-on-one calls and a monthly credit call

Annual compliance

The same obligations every year. You sign, we handle the rest.

A California Limited Partnership has obligations that come around every year. We take care of these six, from day one in the formation package and afterwards with the annual package.

01

The annual members' meeting

We set the date and prepare the agenda and resolutions: acknowledging the annual financial statements and ratifying the business the general partner has conducted. In writing or by video, we write the minutes and collect the signatures electronically.

02

Resolutions, minutes and registers

We keep the resolutions and minutes of your Limited Partnership and its general partner LLC, and the partner register with general partner and limited partners. Digital and always up to date.

03

Taxes and Statement of Information

The Limited Partnership pays $800 to the Franchise Tax Board every year, including the first year, with its tax return; if the first tax year begins between 2027 and 2029, the first-year amount is $400. The general partner LLC also pays $800 every year, with the first payment due in the fourth month after formation, and files the Statement of Information within 90 days and then every two years, for a $20 fee. The LP itself files no recurring report with the Secretary of State.

04

Registered Agent and mail

Your California Registered Agent stays in the annual package. Mail from authorities and courts reaches you by email, and we flag the deadlines.

05

One calendar for every deadline

Every deadline with California, the IRS and the Bureau of Economic Analysis goes into your calendar, and we remind you in good time. Since March 2025, FinCEN reporting no longer applies to companies formed in the US, confirmed by a final rule of August 11, 2026. If it comes back, we handle it at no extra charge.

06

Year-round support and resolutions

Unlimited support in English. Need a resolution for a new account, a contract or a loan? We prepare it, within the usual scope and at no extra charge. Custom documents drafted by the attorneys on the firm's team: $450 per matter.

Resolutions and minutes

Your Limited Partnership's memory

When you want to work with a regulated supplier, take out a loan or sell your company, the first thing the other side asks for is your company's resolutions and minutes (the minute book). They show who owns the company, who runs it, who can sign and what was decided when.

If they are missing, they cannot be cleanly recreated after the fact. That is why we keep them from day one. When the moment comes, you just send a link.

BE-13

The mandatory filing many founders have never heard of

If a foreign person directly or indirectly holds at least ten percent of the voting rights, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis requires the BE-13 filing (15 CFR 801.7), even if it never contacts you. The deadline: 45 calendar days from formation.

We file it with every formation, as a short Claim for Exemption where total costs are up to $40 million. Above that, the full form applies, quoted individually.

Template library

97 contracts under US law, ready to fill in.

Templates for everything from your first customer contract to your first investor. The Partnership Agreement, resolutions and minutes of your Limited Partnership are already part of the package.

Once you've paid, log in at mtbonnell.com/vorlagen with the email address you used for your order. No password needed: we send you a code by email. The templates are tailored to your limited partnership, so the contracting party is a limited partnership with a General Partner and Limited Partners. They don't replace advice on your specific situation: where it really matters, the attorneys on the firm's team draft the document.

Sell products or services
26
Business partnerships
11
Buy and sell real estate
11
Contract management
10
Business financing
9
Liability risk management
9
Invoicing and billing
9
Compliance and corporate documents
8
Work with investors
3
General
1
Total
97

Why California

The largest state economy, with clear rules.

California is the most populous state and the largest economy in the US. If you form a company there, know two things up front: every entity pays at least $800 a year, and its management appears in the public record.

Vineyards in a California valley, with a bright house and lanterns in the foreground.
$800

Annual minimum tax

Every California LLC and Limited Partnership pays $800 a year, including the first year and even if it does no business there. If the first tax year begins in 2027, 2028 or 2029, the first-year amount is $400.

Public

Who runs the company

The Certificate of Limited Partnership names the General Partner with its address, and the general partner LLC's Statement of Information names its managers or members.

$160

State fees with no markup

California Secretary of State fees: Limited Partnership $70, general partner LLC $70, first Statement of Information for the general partner LLC $20. We pass them on without markup and list them separately.

Sources: California Secretary of State; California Franchise Tax Board; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (as of September 2026).

Extras

Extras when you need them. Each with its own price.

The packages cover what every Limited Partnership needs. You can add these services on the order card, or later at the same prices.

Go to the order form
Strategy

Tax strategy

$2,000per company

In writing: a clean structure between parent and US subsidiary, or between you and your Limited Partnership. Coordinated with your accountant at home.

Full details
Roadmap

Visa roadmap

$2,000per company

In writing: which route to the USA fits you and your team, prepared with the immigration attorney on the firm's team. Filing and government fees are separate.

Full details
For Europe

European document package

$790one-time

Certificate of Status (Good Standing) and a notarized Certificate of Incumbency, both with apostille and a certified German translation.

Full details
Credit

Credit Builder

$5,900in the first year

Credit for your company and for you. The strongest business cards also check your personal credit history, so we build both.

Full details
Tax strategy and visa roadmap together: in one order, you save $400. $3,600
Ongoing, as needed
Bookkeeping starts, and is billed, when your business starts. You book the tax return when it's due: every January we send you the order link for the previous year.

Bookkeeping

Basic · up to 50 transactions$250 /month
Operating · up to 200$500 /month
Growth · up to 500$1,000 /month
Profit calculation and partnership tax return$1,500

Profit calculation and Form 1065 with each partner's share, filed electronically. For $1,500 we first review your records; the amount is credited toward our fixed-price quote.

Deadlines and foreign partners
If the fiscal year is the calendar year, Form 1065 is due March 15 of the following year. Form 7004 extends the filing deadline by six months. If the partnership earns income from a US business that is allocable to foreign partners, separate filings and withholding apply for those partners.
Payroll
per employee per month, after a one-time setup of $1,600
$60
Sales tax: registration and ongoing returns
per state
$490
Custom resolutions
by the attorney on the firm's team, per matter
$450

Questions

Your questions about forming in California, answered clearly.

Don't see your question?

Our office in Austin answers around the clock, in English.

+1 512 647 1128 Or book a consultation
Which route fits me: part of a corporate group or not?
If a company invests as limited partner, such as your own company, your Limited Partnership belongs to a corporate group. It then also needs resolutions from your parent company. If you invest yourselves, alone or with partners, it is not part of a group. On both paths, the general partner is the general partner LLC from the package.
Who can be general partner and limited partner?
Any individual and any company, of any nationality and living anywhere in the world. A Limited Partnership always has at least two partners: at least one General Partner and at least one Limited Partner. The General Partner runs the business; with us, that's a separate LLC, the general partner LLC, which we form alongside. The Limited Partners invest but don't manage. The public Certificate of Limited Partnership names the General Partner with name and address.
How much capital is required?
California sets no minimum capital. What the General Partner and Limited Partners contribute is set out in your Partnership Agreement.
Do I have to travel to the USA?
Not for the formation; everything is done remotely. You only travel to Austin for the optional introduction at a traditional US bank. With Credit Builder, you travel to the USA once for the bank appointment. Here's how it works.
How long does it take?
For online filings, the California Secretary of State quotes five days or less; that is the route we take. Once the corporation is formed, the EIN, BE-13 and account application follow step by step.
What do we need for identity verification (KYC)?
For the formation: details of the limited partners and of the general partner LLC and its members; in a group, also details of your parent company and its representatives. For Mercury: the formation documents, the IRS EIN letter and your passport; Mercury may also request proof of address. For euro account details, Wise requires photo ID of the owners and proof of the company's address.
What does it cost from the second year?
The annual package: $3,100 a year without a group, $3,600 a year in a group, for the Limited Partnership and its general partner LLC together. State fees come on top at cost: in California that's the annual $800 tax, once each for the LP and the general partner LLC, plus the general partner LLC's Statement of Information every two years for $20. Bookkeeping and tax returns only come on top if you book them.
Do I really need resolutions and minutes?
Yes. They are your Limited Partnership's memory, and anyone who does business with you, lends to you or buys from you will want to see them. We keep them from day one, for the LP and for the general partner LLC. Why they matter.
Can your Limited Partnership get a US bank account even if you live in Europe?
According to Mercury, it accepts applications from founders without US citizenship or US residence if the company is formed in the US, operates or plans to operate there and provides a real business address (no Registered Agent address, no P.O. box). We file the application with you once the documents and EIN are in place; Mercury decides on the account. On top of that, euro account details through Wise and, if you travel to Austin, an introduction at a traditional US bank. More under US banking.
Can my company send employees to its US company?
That is what the L-1 is for, and it is the preferred route: your company at home sends someone who, in the three years before the application, worked for it full time for at least one continuous year, in a managerial role or with specialized knowledge. For a new office in the US, business premises must be secured, and the first approval is valid for no more than one year. The L-1 requires your company and the US company to be legally related; whether a Limited Partnership with your company as Limited Partner meets that depends on the individual case. Which route suits whom is set out in writing in the visa roadmap for $2,000, prepared with the immigration attorney on the firm's team, who also files the petitions.
What does the Limited Partnership mean for my taxes and my company's?
That depends on your situation, which is exactly what the $2,000 tax plan is for: in writing and coordinated with your accountant at home. The Limited Partnership and its general partner LLC each pay California at least $800 a year, even with no business there. US federal taxes apply as well, and for you or your company, the taxes in your home country.
How do I build a credit history in the USA?
With two connected histories: yours and your company's. The strongest business cards also check your personal credit history. That's why we build both. For you: ITIN Express included, a US bank account, a US residential address with a phone line and our guidance to your first credit card; on-time payments on cards that report to the credit bureaus can help build a credit history. For your company: the D-U-N-S number, the Mercury IO card, whose payments Mercury says it reports to Experian, Equifax and Dun & Bradstreet (Mercury decides on the card), and a second business card that reports to the bureaus. We stay with you until your company has its own credit. All about Credit Builder.

Order

Your California Limited Partnership, ready to form.

First choose your route, then the extras you need. You see the total instantly; state fees are shown separately.

1 Your route
2 Formation extras
3 Ongoing, once your business starts

Nothing is due today. You reserve bookkeeping now; it starts, and is billed, when your business starts.

Bookkeeping, billed from business start