Foreign registration · no form number

Iowa Corporation Foreign Registration in North Dakota

A corporation formed in Iowa that wants to do business in North Dakota files an online registration (no form number), with $145 in state fees. North Dakota may ask for Iowa's Certificate of Existence ($5). We file it with the Secretary of State from your Iowa records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Iowa and North Dakota side by side

	Iowa formed here	North Dakota registering here
Document	Iowa Certificate of Existence	Foreign Business Corporation Certificate of Authority Application (no form number)
State fee	$5	$145 at order
How it is handled	Iowa: online as a printable PDF right after payment	Filed online with North Dakota
Office	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services	North Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sos.iowa.gov	sos.nd.gov
Yearly filing	Biennial Report, $60, every two years	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	April 1 of even-numbered years	May 15
Agent	Your Iowa registered agent	Our North Dakota registered agent

How Iowa companies register with North Dakota

We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your North Dakota registered agent, with your Iowa name and formation date. If North Dakota wants the Iowa certificate, it is ordered first. Once North Dakota approves it, the Iowa company can do business there.

Your Iowa name and North Dakota's rules

North Dakota accepts your Iowa name if it includes company, corporation, incorporated, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them. We search North Dakota's records for Iowa's name on file before anything is filed.

Your North Dakota agent and the Iowa one

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

Staying in good standing in Iowa and North Dakota

Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($60); North Dakota wants the Annual Report every year ($25). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Iowa to North Dakota

An LLC formed in Iowa files its own registration with North Dakota ($135 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($5)). After that come Iowa's Biennial Report ($30) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($50). See the LLC filing.

The other way: North Dakota into Iowa

A corporation formed in North Dakota that registers with Iowa files Form 635_0110A with $100 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: Iowa to North Dakota

Does my Iowa company need to register in North Dakota?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does it cost to register an Iowa corporation in North Dakota?

$344 at checkout; North Dakota may also want Iowa's Certificate of Existence, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Iowa and North Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Iowa's report ($60, every two years) and North Dakota's report ($25).

What if I don't register with North Dakota?

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

Does North Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will North Dakota accept my Iowa 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 Iowa keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Dakota's Annual Report ($25), and the original keeps Iowa's Biennial Report.

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC