Foreign registration · Form DSCB:15-412

Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in Pennsylvania

To do business in Pennsylvania, a corporation formed in Massachusetts registers there on Form DSCB:15-412, with $250 in state fees. Pennsylvania asks nothing of Massachusetts here, not even the Certificate of Good Standing. We file it with the Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations from your Massachusetts records, then serve as your registered office there for year one.

Massachusetts vs Pennsylvania: the paperwork

	Massachusetts formed here	Pennsylvania registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing (not needed here)	Form DSCB:15-412, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$12	$250 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 Pennsylvania
Paid expedite		same-day $100, 3-hour $300, 1-hour $1,000
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	pa.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Annual Report, $7, every year
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year	June 30
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Pennsylvania registered office

How Massachusetts companies register with Pennsylvania

We prepare and file Form DSCB:15-412
It names us as your Pennsylvania registered office, with your Massachusetts name and formation date. No Massachusetts paperwork holds up the Pennsylvania filing. After approval, your Massachusetts corporation is registered with Pennsylvania.

Your Massachusetts name and Pennsylvania's rules

Pennsylvania accepts your Massachusetts name if it includes the word corporation, company, incorporated or limited, an abbreviation, the word association, fund or syndicate, or words of like import used in the home state. We check your exact Massachusetts name against Pennsylvania's records before filing.

Agents: Pennsylvania and Massachusetts

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

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania

Each year your corporation files Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). With our $149 registered office renewal, Massachusetts plus Pennsylvania comes to $281 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Pennsylvania

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files Form DSCB:15-412 with Pennsylvania ($250 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). See the LLC filing.

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about Pennsylvania

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Pennsylvania?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

Pennsylvania calls it registration for Massachusetts corporations; other states say certificate of authority.

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

$449 at checkout, with nothing to pay Massachusetts.

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

No, Pennsylvania takes Form DSCB:15-412 without it.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Pennsylvania?

$281 a year: our $149 registered office renewal, $125 to Massachusetts and $7 to Pennsylvania for the yearly reports.

Does Pennsylvania require a registered agent?

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

Will Pennsylvania accept my Massachusetts name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the word corporation, company, incorporated or limited, an abbreviation, the word association, fund or syndicate, or words of like import used in the home state.

Can I form a new Pennsylvania corporation instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Pennsylvania later?

Massachusetts companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal of Foreign Registration; until then, Pennsylvania's report stays due alongside Massachusetts's filings.

Official sources

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