Foreign registration · no form number

Delaware Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

South Dakota registers a corporation from Delaware as a foreign corporation on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Delaware's Certificate of Good Standing ($50). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Delaware records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Delaware vs South Dakota: the paperwork

	Delaware formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Delaware Certificate of Good Standing	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$50	$750 at order
How it is handled	Delaware: through the Division of Corporations request service, sent by first-class mail unless a FedEx or UPS account is supplied	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	corp.delaware.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Franchise Tax Report, $50, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	March 1	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Late yearly filing	$200 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate comes by mail	Online processing: immediately
Agent	Your Delaware registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

From Delaware to South Dakota, step by step

Order the Delaware certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($50) is ordered from Delaware separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. It comes as a short form ($50) or a long form ($175). South Dakota wants the Delaware 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 Delaware name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Allow for the days Delaware takes to send the certificate before the South Dakota filing goes in. Once South Dakota approves it, the Delaware company can do business there.

First-year cost, Delaware to South Dakota

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Delaware	$50
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Delaware certificate included	$999

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

Your Delaware name and South Dakota's rules

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

Your South Dakota agent and the Delaware one

Delaware and South Dakota both call it a registered agent. South Dakota papers come to us; Delaware's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: South Dakota and Delaware

Delaware wants the Annual Franchise Tax Report every year ($50); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Delaware to South Dakota

An LLC formed in Delaware files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($50)). After that come Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($400) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

The other way: South Dakota into Delaware

A corporation formed in South Dakota that registers with Delaware files Delaware's registration (no form number) with $245 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions Delaware owners ask about South Dakota

Does my Delaware company need to register in South Dakota?

Yes, once a Delaware 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 Delaware corporations once the filing is approved.

How much does the South Dakota registration cost?

$949 at checkout plus $50 to Delaware for the Certificate of Good Standing, $999 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Delaware's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants it ($50), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately, plus mail time for Delaware's certificate before filing. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for Delaware and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Delaware's report ($50) and South Dakota's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

A Delaware company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota accept my Delaware name?

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

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC