Foreign registration · no form number

Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in Delaware

A corporation formed in Massachusetts that wants to do business in Delaware files a registration (no form number), with $245 in state fees. Delaware may ask for Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($12). We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations using your Massachusetts records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Massachusetts and Delaware side by side

	Massachusetts formed here	Delaware registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Qualification Certificate of a Foreign Corporation (no form number)
State fee	$12	$245 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with Delaware
Paid expedite		24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	corp.delaware.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Foreign Corporation Annual Report, $125, every year
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year	June 30
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$125 late fee
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Delaware registered agent

How Massachusetts companies register with Delaware

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

Your Massachusetts name and Delaware's rules

Delaware can hold a name for 120 days for $75 before you file.

Your Delaware agent and the Massachusetts one

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

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and Delaware

Each year your corporation files Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Delaware's Foreign Corporation Annual Report ($125). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus Delaware comes to $399 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Delaware

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files its own registration with Delaware ($200 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($300). See the LLC filing.

Common questions: Massachusetts to Delaware

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Delaware?

Yes, once a Massachusetts business operates there; Delaware registers it as a foreign corporation.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Delaware calls it qualification for Massachusetts corporations; other states say certificate of authority.

How much does it cost to register a Massachusetts corporation in Delaware?

$444 at checkout; Delaware may also want Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Delaware?

$399 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $125 to Massachusetts and $125 to Delaware for the yearly reports.

Does Delaware require a registered agent?

Yes: the Massachusetts resident agent stays, and ours covers Delaware for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Delaware corporation instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Delaware's Annual Franchise Tax Report ($50), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Delaware later?

Massachusetts companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal of Foreign Corporation; until then, Delaware's report stays due alongside Massachusetts's filings.

How do I get a Massachusetts certificate of good standing?

Massachusetts issues the Certificate of Good Standing online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate ($12). It comes as a short form ($7) or a long form ($12).

Official sources

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