Maryland

Foreign registration · no form number

Maryland Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

South Dakota registers a corporation from Maryland as a foreign corporation on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Maryland's Certificate of Status ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Maryland records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Maryland and South Dakota side by side

	Maryland formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Maryland Certificate of Status	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$20	$750 at order
How it is handled	Maryland: online through Maryland Business Express, emailed right away	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	businessexpress.maryland.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Periodic report, $300, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	April 15	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Online processing: immediately
Agent	Your Maryland resident agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

How Maryland companies register with South Dakota

Order the Maryland certificate
The Certificate of Status ($20) is ordered from Maryland separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the Maryland 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 Maryland name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Maryland issues the certificate instantly, so the South Dakota filing can go in the same day. Once South Dakota approves it, the Maryland company can do business there.

South Dakota costs for Maryland companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Status, paid to Maryland	$20
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Maryland certificate included	$969

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

Your Maryland name and South Dakota's rules

If another South Dakota company uses the Maryland name, an alternate name is allowed. South Dakota can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: South Dakota and Maryland

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

Staying in good standing in Maryland and South Dakota

Maryland wants a periodic report every year ($300); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Maryland to South Dakota

An LLC formed in Maryland files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Status ($20)). After that come Maryland's Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) ($300) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

The other way: South Dakota into Maryland

A corporation formed in South Dakota that registers with Maryland files Maryland's registration (no form number) with $104.50 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. See that filing.

Common questions: Maryland to South Dakota

Does my Maryland company need to register in South Dakota?

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

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

$949 at checkout plus $20 to Maryland for the Certificate of Status, $969 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Maryland's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants Maryland's Certificate of Status ($20), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately; Maryland's certificate is an instant download, so there is no wait before filing. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for Maryland and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Maryland's report ($300) and South Dakota's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

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

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

Yes: the Maryland resident agent stays, and ours covers South Dakota for year one.

Will South Dakota accept my Maryland name?

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

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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