Foreign registration · Form DSCB:15-412

North Dakota Corporation Foreign Registration in Pennsylvania

To do business in Pennsylvania, a corporation formed in North Dakota registers there on Form DSCB:15-412, with $250 in state fees. Pennsylvania needs nothing from North Dakota: no Certificate of Good Standing. We file it with the Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations from your North Dakota records, then serve as your registered office there for year one.

North Dakota vs Pennsylvania: the paperwork

	North Dakota formed here	Pennsylvania registering here
Document	North Dakota Certificate of Good Standing (not needed here)	Form DSCB:15-412, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$20	$250 at order
How it is handled	North Dakota: online	Filed online with Pennsylvania
Paid expedite		same-day $100, 3-hour $300, 1-hour $1,000
Office	North Dakota Secretary of State	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
Official page	firststop.sos.nd.gov	pa.gov
Name endings	company, corporation, incorporated, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them	the word corporation, company, incorporated or limited, an abbreviation, the word association, fund or syndicate, or words of like import used in the home state
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $25, every year	Annual Report, $7, every year
Due	August 1	June 30
Agent	Your North Dakota registered agent	Our Pennsylvania registered office

How North Dakota companies register with Pennsylvania

We prepare and file Form DSCB:15-412
It lists us as your Pennsylvania registered office, next to your North Dakota name and formation date. No North Dakota paperwork holds up the Pennsylvania filing. Once Pennsylvania approves it, the North Dakota company can do business there.

Your North Dakota name and Pennsylvania's rules

Pennsylvania accepts your North Dakota name if it includes the word corporation, company, incorporated or limited, an abbreviation, the word association, fund or syndicate, or words of like import used in the home state. North Dakota's list (company, corporation, incorporated, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them) is not the same, but an ending such as “company” works in both states. We search Pennsylvania's records for North Dakota's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: Pennsylvania and North Dakota

Pennsylvania calls it a registered office; North Dakota says registered agent. Pennsylvania papers come to us; North Dakota's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Pennsylvania and North Dakota

Each year your corporation files North Dakota's Annual Report ($25) and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). With our $149 registered office renewal, North Dakota plus Pennsylvania comes to $181 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, North Dakota to Pennsylvania

An LLC formed in North Dakota files Form DSCB:15-412 with Pennsylvania ($250 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come North Dakota's Annual Report ($50) and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Pennsylvania company in North Dakota

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

Common questions: North Dakota to Pennsylvania

Does my North Dakota company need to register in Pennsylvania?

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

Pennsylvania calls it registration for North Dakota corporations; other states say certificate of authority.

How much does it cost to register a North Dakota corporation in Pennsylvania?

$449 at checkout, with nothing to pay North Dakota.

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

No, Pennsylvania takes Form DSCB:15-412 without it.

What are the yearly costs for North Dakota and Pennsylvania?

$181 a year: our $149 registered office renewal, $25 to North Dakota and $7 to Pennsylvania for the yearly reports.

Does Pennsylvania require a registered agent?

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

Will Pennsylvania accept my North Dakota name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the word corporation, company, incorporated or limited, an abbreviation, the word association, fund or syndicate, or words of like import used in the home state; “company” works in both states.

Can I form a new Pennsylvania corporation instead?

Yes, but North Dakota keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7), and the original keeps North Dakota's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Pennsylvania later?

North Dakota companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal of Foreign Registration; until then, Pennsylvania's report stays due alongside North Dakota's filings.

Official sources

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