Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in Maryland

Maryland registers a corporation from Massachusetts as a foreign corporation on a paper registration (no form number), with $104.50 in state fees and a $50 required expedite. Maryland may ask for Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($12). We file it with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division using your Massachusetts records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

Massachusetts vs Maryland: the paperwork

	Massachusetts formed here	Maryland registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Foreign Corporation Qualification (no form number)
State fee	$12	$104.50 at order (filing fee $100 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed on Maryland's paper form
Required expedite		$50 at order (7 business days)
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	egov.maryland.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Form 1 — Business Entity Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return, $300, every year
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year	April 15
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Maryland resident agent

From Massachusetts to Maryland, step by step

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

Will your Massachusetts name work for Maryland?

Maryland can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: Maryland and Massachusetts

Massachusetts and Maryland both call it a resident agent. Maryland papers come to us; Massachusetts's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Maryland and Massachusetts

Each year your corporation files Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Maryland's Form 1 — Business Entity Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return ($300). With our $149 resident agent renewal, Massachusetts plus Maryland comes to $574 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Maryland

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files its own registration with Maryland ($104.50 in state fees and the $50 required expedite, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Maryland's Business Entity Annual Report (Form 1) ($300). See the LLC filing.

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about Maryland

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Maryland?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the Maryland registration cost?

$353.50 at checkout, including the $50 required expedite; Maryland may also want Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing, at extra cost.

How long does the Maryland registration take?

7 business days with Maryland's required expedite, plus time for Massachusetts's certificate if Maryland asks for it.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Maryland?

$574 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $125 to Massachusetts and $300 to Maryland for the yearly reports.

Does Maryland require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Maryland corporation instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Maryland's periodic report ($300), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Maryland later?

Massachusetts companies leave by filing an Application for Termination for a Foreign Corporation; until then, Maryland's report stays due alongside Massachusetts's filings.

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC