Foreign registration · Form 40

Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in New Hampshire

To do business in New Hampshire, a corporation formed in Massachusetts registers there on Form 40, with $102 in state fees. New Hampshire may ask for Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($12). We file it with the Secretary of State, Corporation Division using your Massachusetts records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Massachusetts vs New Hampshire: the paperwork

	Massachusetts formed here	New Hampshire registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Form 40, Application for Certificate of Authority for Profit Foreign Corporation
State fee	$12	$102 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 with New Hampshire
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	New Hampshire Secretary of State, Corporation Division
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	sos.nh.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Annual Report, $100, every year
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year	April 1
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our New Hampshire registered agent

How Massachusetts companies register with New Hampshire

We prepare and file Form 40
It names us as your New Hampshire registered agent, with your Massachusetts name and formation date. If New Hampshire wants the Massachusetts certificate, it is ordered first. After approval, your Massachusetts corporation is registered with New Hampshire.

Your Massachusetts name and New Hampshire's rules

We check your exact Massachusetts name against New Hampshire's records before filing.

Agents: New Hampshire and Massachusetts

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

Yearly filings: New Hampshire and Massachusetts

Each year your corporation files Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and New Hampshire's Annual Report ($100). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus New Hampshire comes to $374 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to New Hampshire

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files Form FLLC-1 with New Hampshire ($102 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and New Hampshire's Annual Report ($100). See the LLC filing.

Common questions: Massachusetts to New Hampshire

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in New Hampshire?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

$301 at checkout; New Hampshire may also want Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and New Hampshire?

$374 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $125 to Massachusetts and $100 to New Hampshire for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with New Hampshire?

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

Does New Hampshire require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new New Hampshire corporation instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files New Hampshire's Annual Report ($100), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from New Hampshire later?

Massachusetts companies leave by filing an Application for Certificate of Withdrawal of a For-Profit Foreign Corporation; until then, New Hampshire's report stays due alongside Massachusetts's filings.

Official sources

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