Foreign registration · no form number

Pennsylvania Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

To do business in South Dakota, a corporation formed in Pennsylvania registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate ($40). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Pennsylvania records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Pennsylvania and South Dakota each ask for

	Pennsylvania formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Pennsylvania Subsistence Certificate	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$40	$750 at order
How it is handled	Pennsylvania: online through Business Filing Services, or by mail on the copy and certificate request form	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	file.dos.pa.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $7, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	June 30	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Agent	Your Pennsylvania registered office	Our South Dakota registered agent

How Pennsylvania companies register with South Dakota

Order the Pennsylvania certificate
The Subsistence Certificate ($40) is ordered from Pennsylvania separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the Pennsylvania certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your South Dakota registered agent, with your Pennsylvania name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Pennsylvania certificate comes first; then the South Dakota filing goes in. Once South Dakota approves it, the Pennsylvania company can do business there.

South Dakota costs for Pennsylvania companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Subsistence Certificate, paid to Pennsylvania	$40
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Pennsylvania certificate included	$989

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

Will your Pennsylvania name work for South Dakota?

If South Dakota's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Pennsylvania company. South Dakota can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Your South Dakota agent and the Pennsylvania one

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

Staying in good standing in Pennsylvania and South Dakota

Pennsylvania wants the Annual Report every year ($7); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Pennsylvania to South Dakota

An LLC formed in Pennsylvania files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Subsistence Certificate ($40)). After that come Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

Registering a South Dakota company in Pennsylvania

A corporation formed in South Dakota that registers with Pennsylvania files Form DSCB:15-412 with $250 in state fees; no South Dakota certificate is needed. See that filing.

Questions Pennsylvania owners ask about South Dakota

Does my Pennsylvania company need to register in South Dakota?

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

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

$949 at checkout plus $40 to Pennsylvania for the Subsistence Certificate, $989 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Pennsylvania's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants Pennsylvania's Subsistence Certificate ($40), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

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

What are the yearly costs for Pennsylvania and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Pennsylvania's report ($7) and South Dakota's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

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

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

Yes: the Pennsylvania registered office stays, and ours covers South Dakota for year one.

Will South Dakota accept my Pennsylvania name?

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

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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