Foreign registration · no form number

Massachusetts Corporation Foreign Registration in Washington

To do business in Washington, a corporation formed in Massachusetts registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $200 in state fees. Washington also wants Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($12), dated within 60 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division using your Massachusetts records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Massachusetts and Washington each ask for

	Massachusetts formed here	Washington registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Foreign Registration Statement (Profit types) (no form number)
State fee	$12	$200 at order (filing fee $180 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 online with Washington
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	sos.wa.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $125, every year	Annual Report, $70, every year
Due	Within 2.5 months after the close of the corporation's fiscal year	Last day of the month of WA certificate of authority
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$25 late fee
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Washington registered agent

How Massachusetts companies register with Washington

Order the Massachusetts certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($12) is ordered from Massachusetts separately; it is not part of our Washington order. It comes as a short form ($7) or a long form ($12). Washington accepts it within 60 days of Massachusetts's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Washington registered agent, next to your Massachusetts name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The Massachusetts certificate comes first; then the Washington filing goes in. Once Washington approves it, the Massachusetts company can do business there.

First-year cost, Massachusetts to Washington

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$200
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Massachusetts	$12
Our service, with a year of Washington registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Massachusetts certificate included	$411

Your Massachusetts name and Washington's rules

Washington can hold a name for $30 before you file.

Agents: Washington and Massachusetts

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

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and Washington

Each year your corporation files Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Washington's Annual Report ($70). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus Washington comes to $344 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Washington

An LLC formed in Massachusetts files its own registration with Washington ($200 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Washington's Annual Report ($70). See the LLC filing.

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about Washington

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Washington?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the Washington registration cost?

$399 at checkout plus $12 to Massachusetts for the Certificate of Good Standing, $411 in all (checkout is $200 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Washington wants it ($12), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Washington?

$344 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $125 to Massachusetts and $70 to Washington for the yearly reports.

Does Washington require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Washington corporation instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Washington's Annual Report ($70), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Washington later?

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

Official sources

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