Foreign registration · no form number

Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

To do business in South Dakota, a corporation formed in Massachusetts registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($12). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Massachusetts records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Massachusetts vs South Dakota: the paperwork

	Massachusetts formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$12	$750 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 South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

From Massachusetts to South Dakota, step by step

Order the Massachusetts certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($12) is ordered from Massachusetts separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. It comes as a short form ($7) or a long form ($12). South Dakota wants the Massachusetts certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your South Dakota registered agent, next to your Massachusetts name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The Massachusetts certificate comes first; then the South Dakota filing goes in. After approval, your Massachusetts corporation is registered with South Dakota.

South Dakota costs for Massachusetts companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Massachusetts	$12
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Massachusetts certificate included	$961

South Dakota's paid expedite is optional and not in the total.

Your Massachusetts name and South Dakota's rules

If another South Dakota company uses the Massachusetts name, an alternate name is allowed. South Dakota can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: South Dakota and Massachusetts

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

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and South Dakota

Massachusetts wants the Annual Report every year ($125); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to South Dakota

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about South Dakota

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in South Dakota?

Yes, once a Massachusetts business operates there; South Dakota law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

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

$949 at checkout plus $12 to Massachusetts for the Certificate of Good Standing, $961 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants it ($12), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately, once Massachusetts's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Massachusetts's report ($125) and South Dakota's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

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

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota accept my Massachusetts name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Massachusetts name at home.

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files South Dakota's Annual Report, and the original keeps Massachusetts's Annual Report.

Official sources

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