Foreign registration · Form 326

Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in Louisiana

Louisiana registers a corporation from Massachusetts as a foreign corporation on Form 326, with $160 in state fees. Louisiana may ask for Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($12). We file it with the Secretary of State, Commercial Division using your Massachusetts records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Massachusetts and Louisiana each ask for

	Massachusetts formed here	Louisiana registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Form 326, Application of Foreign Corporation for Certificate of Authority
State fee	$12	$160 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with Louisiana
Paid expedite		24-hour $35, 2 to 4 hour $60
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	sos.la.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Annual Report, $30, every year
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year	On or before the anniversary of the date authority to do business was issued
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Louisiana registered agent

How Massachusetts companies register with Louisiana

We prepare and file Form 326
It lists us as your Louisiana registered agent, next to your Massachusetts name and formation date. If Louisiana wants the Massachusetts certificate, it is ordered first. Once Louisiana approves it, the Massachusetts company can do business there.

Your Massachusetts name and Louisiana's rules

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

Your Louisiana agent and the Massachusetts one

Louisiana calls it a registered agent; Massachusetts says resident agent. Louisiana papers come to us; Massachusetts's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and Louisiana

Each year your corporation files Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Louisiana's Annual Report ($30). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus Louisiana comes to $304 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Louisiana

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files Form 972 with Louisiana ($190 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Louisiana's Annual Report ($35). See the LLC filing.

Common questions: Massachusetts to Louisiana

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Louisiana?

Yes, once a Massachusetts business operates there; Louisiana law lists 10 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

$359 at checkout; Louisiana may also want Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Louisiana?

$304 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $125 to Massachusetts and $30 to Louisiana for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Louisiana?

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

Does Louisiana require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Louisiana corporation instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Louisiana's Annual Report ($30), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Annual Report.

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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