Foreign registration · Form FBE

North Dakota Corporation Foreign Registration in Kentucky

To do business in Kentucky, a corporation formed in North Dakota registers there on Form FBE, with $90 in state fees. Kentucky needs nothing from North Dakota: no Certificate of Good Standing. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings from your North Dakota records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

North Dakota and Kentucky side by side

	North Dakota formed here	Kentucky registering here
Document	North Dakota Certificate of Good Standing (not needed here)	Form FBE, Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity)
State fee	$20	$90 at order
How it is handled	North Dakota: online	Filed with Kentucky
Office	North Dakota Secretary of State	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings
Official page	firststop.sos.nd.gov	web.sos.ky.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $25, every year	Annual Report, $15, every year
Due	August 1	On or before June 30
Agent	Your North Dakota registered agent	Our Kentucky registered agent

From North Dakota to Kentucky, step by step

We prepare and file Form FBE
It lists us as your Kentucky registered agent, next to your North Dakota name and formation date. No North Dakota paperwork holds up the Kentucky filing. After approval, your North Dakota corporation is registered with Kentucky.

Will your North Dakota name work for Kentucky?

We check your exact North Dakota name against Kentucky's records before filing.

Your Kentucky agent and the North Dakota one

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

Yearly filings: Kentucky and North Dakota

Each year your corporation files North Dakota's Annual Report ($25) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). With our $149 registered agent renewal, North Dakota plus Kentucky comes to $189 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, North Dakota to Kentucky

An LLC formed in North Dakota files Form FBE with Kentucky ($90 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come North Dakota's Annual Report ($50) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Kentucky company in North Dakota

A corporation formed in Kentucky that registers with North Dakota files North Dakota's registration (no form number) with $145 in state fees. See that filing.

Questions North Dakota owners ask about Kentucky

Does my North Dakota company need to register in Kentucky?

Yes, once a North Dakota business operates there; Kentucky registers it as a foreign corporation.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: Kentucky issues one to North Dakota corporations once the form is approved.

How much does the Kentucky registration cost?

$289 at checkout, with nothing to pay North Dakota.

Do I need North Dakota's certificate of good standing?

No, Kentucky takes Form FBE without it.

How long does the Kentucky registration take?

Kentucky's standard processing takes up to 3 business days; nothing comes from North Dakota first.

What are the yearly costs for North Dakota and Kentucky?

$189 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $25 to North Dakota and $15 to Kentucky for the yearly reports.

Does Kentucky require a registered agent?

Yes: the North Dakota registered agent stays, and ours covers Kentucky for year one.

Can I form a new Kentucky corporation instead?

Yes, but North Dakota keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15), and the original keeps North Dakota's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Kentucky later?

North Dakota companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal (Foreign Business Entity); until then, Kentucky's report stays due alongside North Dakota's filings.

Official sources

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