Foreign registration · no form number

Kentucky Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

A corporation formed in Kentucky that wants to do business in South Dakota files an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Kentucky's Certificate of Existence ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Kentucky records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Kentucky and South Dakota each ask for

	Kentucky formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Kentucky Certificate of Existence	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$10	$750 at order
How it is handled	Kentucky: online as a printable certificate, or by mail or fax	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	web.sos.ky.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $15, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	On or before June 30	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Agent	Your Kentucky registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

From Kentucky to South Dakota, step by step

Order the Kentucky certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from Kentucky separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the Kentucky 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 Kentucky name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Kentucky's certificate is in hand, South Dakota's filing goes in. Once South Dakota approves it, the Kentucky company can do business there.

First-year cost, Kentucky to South Dakota

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Existence, paid to Kentucky	$10
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Kentucky certificate included	$959

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

Will your Kentucky name work for South Dakota?

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

Agents: South Dakota and Kentucky

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

Yearly filings: South Dakota and Kentucky

Kentucky wants the Annual Report every year ($15); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Kentucky to South Dakota

An LLC formed in Kentucky files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10)). After that come Kentucky's Annual Report ($15) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

Registering a South Dakota company in Kentucky

A corporation formed in South Dakota that registers with Kentucky files Form FBE with $90 in state fees; no South Dakota certificate is needed. See that filing.

Questions Kentucky owners ask about South Dakota

Does my Kentucky company need to register in South Dakota?

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

How much does it cost to register a Kentucky corporation in South Dakota?

$949 at checkout plus $10 to Kentucky for the Certificate of Existence, $959 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Kentucky's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants Kentucky's Certificate of Existence ($10), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately, once Kentucky's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for Kentucky and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Kentucky's report ($15) and South Dakota's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

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

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota accept my Kentucky name?

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

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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