Rhode Island

Foreign registration · no form number

Rhode Island Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

A corporation formed in Rhode Island that wants to do business in South Dakota files an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Rhode Island's Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Rhode Island records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Rhode Island and South Dakota each ask for

	Rhode Island formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Rhode Island Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$22	$750 at order
How it is handled	Rhode Island: online in about two business days, the same day in person, or in 5 to 7 business days by mail	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sos.ri.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630), $50, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	May 1	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate takes a few days	Online processing: immediately
Agent	Your Rhode Island resident agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

How Rhode Island companies register with South Dakota

Order the Rhode Island certificate
The Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) is ordered from Rhode Island separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. It comes as a short form ($22) or a long form ($30). South Dakota wants the Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Allow for the days Rhode Island takes to send the certificate before the South Dakota filing goes in. Once South Dakota approves it, the Rhode Island company can do business there.

First-year cost, Rhode Island to South Dakota

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Rhode Island	$22
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Rhode Island certificate included	$971

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

Will your Rhode Island name work for South Dakota?

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

Agents: South Dakota and Rhode Island

South Dakota calls it a registered agent; Rhode Island says resident agent. Your current resident agent stays for Rhode Island; ours takes South Dakota's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Rhode Island and South Dakota

Rhode Island wants the Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) every year ($50); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Rhode Island to South Dakota

An LLC formed in Rhode Island files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22)). After that come Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

The other way: South Dakota into Rhode Island

A corporation formed in South Dakota that registers with Rhode Island files Form 150 with $319 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20). See that filing.

Common questions: Rhode Island to South Dakota

Does my Rhode Island company need to register in South Dakota?

Yes, once a Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island corporations once the filing is approved.

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

$949 at checkout plus $22 to Rhode Island for the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, $971 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Rhode Island's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants it ($22), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately, plus a few days for Rhode Island's certificate before filing. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for Rhode Island and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Rhode Island's report ($50) and South Dakota's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

A Rhode Island company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

Yes: the Rhode Island resident agent stays, and ours covers South Dakota for year one.

Will South Dakota accept my Rhode Island name?

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

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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