Foreign registration · no form number

Illinois Corporation Foreign Registration in North Dakota

To do business in North Dakota, a corporation formed in Illinois registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $145 in state fees. North Dakota may ask for Illinois's Certificate of Good Standing ($25). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Illinois records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Illinois vs North Dakota: the paperwork

	Illinois formed here	North Dakota registering here
Document	Illinois Certificate of Good Standing	Foreign Business Corporation Certificate of Authority Application (no form number)
State fee	$25	$145 at order
How it is handled	Illinois: online as an instant PDF, printed from the receipt page or sent by email link	Filed online with North Dakota
Office	Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services, Limited Liability Division	North Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	ilsos.gov	sos.nd.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05), $75, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	Before the first day of the entity's anniversary month each year	May 15
Agent	Your Illinois registered agent	Our North Dakota registered agent

How Illinois companies register with North Dakota

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your North Dakota registered agent, next to your Illinois name and formation date. If North Dakota wants the Illinois certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your Illinois corporation is registered with North Dakota.

Your Illinois name and North Dakota's rules

North Dakota accepts your Illinois name if it includes company, corporation, incorporated, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them. We check your exact Illinois name against North Dakota's records before filing.

Your North Dakota agent and the Illinois one

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

Staying in good standing in Illinois and North Dakota

Each year your corporation files Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05) ($75) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Illinois plus North Dakota comes to $249 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Illinois to North Dakota

An LLC formed in Illinois files its own registration with North Dakota ($135 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Illinois's Limited Liability Company Annual Report (Form LLC-50.1) ($75) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($50). See the LLC filing.

Questions Illinois owners ask about North Dakota

Does my Illinois company need to register in North Dakota?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: North Dakota issues one to Illinois corporations once the filing is approved.

How much does the North Dakota registration cost?

$344 at checkout; North Dakota may also want Illinois's Certificate of Good Standing, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Illinois and North Dakota?

$249 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $75 to Illinois and $25 to North Dakota for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Dakota?

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

Does North Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will North Dakota accept my Illinois name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes company, corporation, incorporated, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them.

Can I form a new North Dakota corporation instead?

Yes, but Illinois keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Dakota's Annual Report ($25), and the original keeps Illinois's Annual Report (Form BCA 14.05).

Official sources

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