Foreign registration · no form number

North Dakota Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

To do business in South Dakota, a corporation formed in North Dakota registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants North Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State from your North Dakota records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

North Dakota vs South Dakota: the paperwork

	North Dakota formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	North Dakota Certificate of Good Standing	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$20	$750 at order
How it is handled	North Dakota: online	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	North Dakota Secretary of State	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	firststop.sos.nd.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $25, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	August 1	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Late yearly filing	$20 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your North Dakota registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

From North Dakota to South Dakota, step by step

Order the North Dakota certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($20) is ordered from North Dakota separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the North Dakota 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 North Dakota name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The North Dakota certificate comes first; then the South Dakota filing goes in. After approval, your North Dakota corporation is registered with South Dakota.

First-year cost, North Dakota to South Dakota

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to North Dakota	$20
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, North Dakota certificate included	$969

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

Your North Dakota name and South Dakota's rules

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

Your South Dakota agent and the North Dakota one

North Dakota and South Dakota both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for North Dakota; ours takes South Dakota's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: South Dakota and North Dakota

North Dakota wants the Annual Report every year ($25); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, North Dakota to South Dakota

An LLC formed in North Dakota files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($20)). After that come North Dakota's Annual Report ($50) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

The other way: South Dakota into North Dakota

A corporation formed in South Dakota 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 South Dakota

Does my North Dakota company need to register in South Dakota?

Yes, once a North Dakota 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 North Dakota corporations once the filing is approved.

How much does the South Dakota registration cost?

$949 at checkout plus $20 to North Dakota for the Certificate of Good Standing, $969 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

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

Yes: South Dakota wants it ($20), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

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

What are the yearly costs for North Dakota and South Dakota?

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

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

A North Dakota company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota accept my North Dakota name?

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

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC