Foreign registration · no form number

Michigan Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

South Dakota registers a corporation from Michigan as a foreign corporation on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Michigan's Certificate of Good Standing ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Michigan records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Michigan and South Dakota side by side

	Michigan formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Michigan Certificate of Good Standing	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$10	$750 at order
How it is handled	Michigan: online, emailed to the MiLogin for Business account	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations Division	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	michigan.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, Form CSCL/CD-2500, $25, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	May 15	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Late yearly filing	$10 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Michigan resident agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

From Michigan to South Dakota, step by step

Order the Michigan certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($10) is ordered from Michigan separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the Michigan 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 Michigan name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Michigan's certificate is in hand, South Dakota's filing goes in. After approval, your Michigan corporation is registered with South Dakota.

South Dakota costs for Michigan companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Michigan	$10
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Michigan certificate included	$959

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

Your Michigan name and South Dakota's rules

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

Your South Dakota agent and the Michigan one

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

Yearly filings: South Dakota and Michigan

Michigan wants the Annual Report, Form CSCL/CD-2500 every year ($25); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Michigan to South Dakota

An LLC formed in Michigan files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($10)). After that come Michigan's Annual Statement ($25) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

The other way: South Dakota into Michigan

A corporation formed in South Dakota that registers with Michigan files Form CSCL/CD 560 with $60 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions Michigan owners ask about South Dakota

Does my Michigan company need to register in South Dakota?

Yes, once a Michigan 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 Michigan corporations once the filing is approved.

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

$949 at checkout plus $10 to Michigan for the Certificate of Good Standing, $959 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Michigan's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants it ($10), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

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

What are the yearly costs for Michigan and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Michigan's report ($25) and South Dakota's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

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

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota accept my Michigan name?

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

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

Yes, but Michigan keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files South Dakota's Annual Report, and the original keeps Michigan's Annual Report, Form CSCL/CD-2500.

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC