Foreign registration · no form number

Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in North Dakota

To do business in North Dakota, a corporation formed in Massachusetts registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $145 in state fees. North Dakota may ask for Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($12). We file it with the Secretary of State from your Massachusetts records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Massachusetts and North Dakota side by side

	Massachusetts formed here	North Dakota registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Foreign Business Corporation Certificate of Authority Application (no form number)
State fee	$12	$145 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed online with North Dakota
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	North Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	sos.nd.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year	May 15
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$20 late fee
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our North Dakota registered agent

From Massachusetts to North Dakota, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your North Dakota registered agent, with your Massachusetts name and formation date. If North Dakota wants the Massachusetts certificate, it is ordered first. Once North Dakota approves it, the Massachusetts company can do business there.

Will your Massachusetts name work for North Dakota?

North Dakota accepts your Massachusetts name if it includes company, corporation, incorporated, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them. We search North Dakota's records for Massachusetts's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: North Dakota and Massachusetts

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

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and North Dakota

Each year your corporation files Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($25). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus North Dakota comes to $299 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to North Dakota

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files its own registration with North Dakota ($135 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($50). See the LLC filing.

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about North Dakota

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in North Dakota?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: North Dakota issues one to Massachusetts corporations once the filing is approved.

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

$344 at checkout; North Dakota may also want Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and North Dakota?

$299 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $125 to Massachusetts and $25 to North Dakota for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Dakota?

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

Does North Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will North Dakota accept my Massachusetts name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes company, corporation, incorporated, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them.

Can I form a new North Dakota corporation instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Dakota's Annual Report ($25), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Annual Report.

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC