A corporation that conducts business activities in any state other than its formation state may be subject to a number of foreign qualification requirements, including registering to do business with the state's corporation filing office, appointing a registered agent, and maintaining a registered office in that state.
Whether or not a corporation needs to foreign qualify depends on the type of business activity it is performing and a particular state's laws.
While states generally do not list the activities that constitute doing business, they will list the ones that do not constitute doing business.
Download the Corporation Compliance Smart Chart to see the activities that are commonly included in the statutory lists of activities that do not constitute doing business for each state.