Illinois Corporation Foreign Registration in Maryland

To do business in Maryland, a corporation formed in Illinois registers there on a paper registration (no form number), with $104.50 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maryland may ask for Illinois's Certificate of Good Standing ($25). We file it with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division from your Illinois records, then serve as your resident agent there for year one.

Illinois vs Maryland: the paperwork

	Illinois formed here	Maryland registering here
Document	Illinois Certificate of Good Standing	Foreign Corporation Qualification (no form number)
State fee	$25	$104.50 at order (filing fee $100 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Illinois: online as an instant PDF, printed from the receipt page or sent by email link	Filed on Maryland's paper form
Required expedite		$50 at order (7 business days)
Office	Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division	Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division
Official page	ilsos.gov	egov.maryland.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05), $75, every year	Form 1 — Business Entity Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return, $300, every year
Due	Before the first day of the entity's anniversary month each year	April 15
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Required expedite processing: 7 business days
Agent	Your Illinois registered agent	Our Maryland resident agent

How Illinois companies register with Maryland

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Maryland resident agent, next to your Illinois name and formation date. If Maryland wants the Illinois certificate, it is ordered first. Once Maryland approves it, the Illinois company can do business there.

Your Illinois name and Maryland's rules

Maryland can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: Maryland and Illinois

Maryland calls it a resident agent; Illinois says registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Illinois; ours takes Maryland's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Maryland and Illinois

Each year your corporation files Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05) ($75) and Maryland's Form 1 — Business Entity Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return ($300). With our $149 resident agent renewal, Illinois plus Maryland comes to $524 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Illinois to Maryland

An LLC formed in Illinois files its own registration with Maryland ($104.50 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Illinois's Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form LLC-50.1) ($75) and Maryland's Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) ($300). See the LLC filing.

Questions Illinois owners ask about Maryland

Does my Illinois company need to register in Maryland?

Yes, once an Illinois business operates there; Maryland registers it as a foreign corporation.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Maryland calls it qualification for Illinois corporations; other states say certificate of authority.

How much does it cost to register an Illinois corporation in Maryland?

$353.50 at checkout, including the $50 required expedite; Maryland may also want Illinois's Certificate of Good Standing, at extra cost.

How long does the Maryland registration take?

7 business days with Maryland's required expedite, plus time for Illinois's certificate if Maryland asks for it.

What are the yearly costs for Illinois and Maryland?

$524 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $75 to Illinois and $300 to Maryland for the yearly reports.

Does Maryland require a registered agent?

Yes: the Illinois registered agent stays, and ours covers Maryland for year one.

Can I form a new Maryland corporation instead?

Yes, but Illinois keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Maryland's periodic report ($300), and the original keeps Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05).

How do I withdraw from Maryland later?

Illinois companies leave by filing an Application for Termination for a Foreign Corporation; until then, Maryland's report stays due alongside Illinois's filings.

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC