Foreign registration · no form number

Montana Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

A corporation formed in Montana that wants to do business in South Dakota files an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Montana's Certificate of Existence ($5). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Montana records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Montana and South Dakota side by side

	Montana formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Montana Certificate of Existence	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$5	$750 at order
How it is handled	Montana: online	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	biz.sosmt.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, no fee, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	April 15	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Late yearly filing	$15 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Montana registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

From Montana to South Dakota, step by step

Order the Montana certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($5) is ordered from Montana separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the Montana 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 Montana name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The Montana certificate comes first; then the South Dakota filing goes in. Once South Dakota approves it, the Montana company can do business there.

South Dakota costs for Montana companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Existence, paid to Montana	$5
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Montana certificate included	$954

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

Your Montana name and South Dakota's rules

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

Agents: South Dakota and Montana

Montana and South Dakota both call it a registered agent. South Dakota papers come to us; Montana's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in Montana and South Dakota

Montana wants the Annual Report every year (no fee); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Montana to South Dakota

An LLC formed in Montana files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($5)). After that come Montana's Annual Report ($20) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

The other way: South Dakota into Montana

A corporation formed in South Dakota that registers with Montana files Montana's registration (no form number) with $70 in state fees. See that filing.

Common questions: Montana to South Dakota

Does my Montana company need to register in South Dakota?

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

How much does the South Dakota registration cost?

$949 at checkout plus $5 to Montana for the Certificate of Existence, $954 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Montana's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants Montana's Certificate of Existence ($5), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

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

What are the yearly costs for Montana and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Montana's report (no fee) and South Dakota's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

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

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

Yes: the Montana registered agent stays, and ours covers South Dakota for year one.

Will South Dakota accept my Montana name?

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

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC