Foreign registration · Form FBE

Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in Kentucky

To do business in Kentucky, a corporation formed in Massachusetts registers there on Form FBE, with $90 in state fees. Kentucky asks nothing of Massachusetts here, not even the Certificate of Good Standing. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings from your Massachusetts records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Massachusetts and Kentucky side by side

	Massachusetts formed here	Kentucky registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing (not needed here)	Form FBE, Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity)
State fee	$12	$90 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with Kentucky
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	web.sos.ky.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Annual Report, $15, every year
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year	On or before June 30
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Kentucky registered agent

From Massachusetts to Kentucky, step by step

We prepare and file Form FBE
It names us as your Kentucky registered agent, with your Massachusetts name and formation date. Nothing has to come from Massachusetts first, so the Kentucky filing can go in right away. Once Kentucky approves it, the Massachusetts company can do business there.

Your Massachusetts name and Kentucky's rules

We search Kentucky's records for Massachusetts's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: Kentucky and Massachusetts

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

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and Kentucky

Each year your corporation files Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus Kentucky comes to $289 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Kentucky

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files Form FBE with Kentucky ($90 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). See the LLC filing.

Common questions: Massachusetts to Kentucky

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Kentucky?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: Kentucky issues one to Massachusetts corporations once the form is approved.

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

$289 at checkout, with nothing to pay Massachusetts.

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

No, Kentucky takes Form FBE without it.

How long does the Kentucky registration take?

Kentucky's standard processing takes up to 3 business days; nothing comes from Massachusetts first.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Kentucky?

$289 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $125 to Massachusetts and $15 to Kentucky for the yearly reports.

Does Kentucky require a registered agent?

Yes: the Massachusetts resident agent stays, and ours covers Kentucky for year one.

Can I form a new Kentucky corporation instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Kentucky later?

Massachusetts companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal (Foreign Business Entity); until then, Kentucky's report stays due alongside Massachusetts's filings.

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC