Arkansas

Foreign registration · no form number

Arkansas Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

To do business in South Dakota, a corporation formed in Arkansas registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Arkansas's Certificate of Good Standing ($25). We file it with the Secretary of State from your Arkansas records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Arkansas vs South Dakota: the paperwork

	Arkansas formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Arkansas Certificate of Good Standing	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$25	$750 at order
How it is handled	Arkansas: online, ready to print right after purchase	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Arkansas Secretary of State, Business and Commercial Services	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sos.arkansas.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Corporation Franchise Tax Report, $150, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	May 1	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Online processing: immediately
Agent	Your Arkansas registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

How Arkansas companies register with South Dakota

Order the Arkansas certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Arkansas separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the Arkansas certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your South Dakota registered agent, next to your Arkansas name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from Arkansas delays the South Dakota filing. Once South Dakota approves it, the Arkansas company can do business there.

South Dakota costs for Arkansas companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Arkansas	$25
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Arkansas certificate included	$974

South Dakota's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Your Arkansas name and South Dakota's rules

If South Dakota's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Arkansas company. South Dakota can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your South Dakota agent and the Arkansas one

Arkansas and South Dakota both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Arkansas; ours takes South Dakota's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: South Dakota and Arkansas

Arkansas wants the Annual Corporation Franchise Tax Report every year ($150); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Arkansas to South Dakota

An LLC formed in Arkansas files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Arkansas's Annual LLC Franchise Tax Report ($150) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

Common questions: Arkansas to South Dakota

Does my Arkansas company need to register in South Dakota?

Yes, once an Arkansas business operates there; South Dakota law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: South Dakota issues one to Arkansas corporations once the filing is approved.

How much does the South Dakota registration cost?

$949 at checkout plus $25 to Arkansas for the Certificate of Good Standing, $974 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Arkansas's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants it ($25), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately; Arkansas's certificate is an instant download, so there is no wait before filing. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for Arkansas and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Arkansas's report ($150) and South Dakota's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

An Arkansas company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

Yes: the Arkansas registered agent stays, and ours covers South Dakota for year one.

Will South Dakota accept my Arkansas name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Arkansas name at home.

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

Yes, but Arkansas keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files South Dakota's Annual Report, and the original keeps Arkansas's Annual Corporation Franchise Tax Report.

Official sources

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