Foreign registration · no form number

South Dakota Corporation Foreign Registration in Montana

To do business in Montana, a corporation formed in South Dakota registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $70 in state fees. Montana may ask for South Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services using your South Dakota records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

South Dakota and Montana side by side

	South Dakota formed here	Montana registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence	Certificate of Authority (no form number)
State fee	$20	$70 at order
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed online with Montana
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	help.sosmt.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, no fee, every year
Due	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year (form opens that day	April 15
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$15 late fee
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our Montana registered agent

From South Dakota to Montana, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Montana registered agent, next to your South Dakota name and formation date. If Montana wants the South Dakota certificate, it is ordered first. Once Montana approves it, the South Dakota company can do business there.

Will your South Dakota name work for Montana?

We check your exact South Dakota name against Montana's records before filing.

Agents: Montana and South Dakota

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

Yearly filings: Montana and South Dakota

South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year; Montana wants the Annual Report every year (no fee). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, South Dakota to Montana

An LLC formed in South Dakota files its own registration with Montana ($70 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come South Dakota's Annual Report ($55) and Montana's Annual Report ($20). See the LLC filing.

Registering a Montana company in South Dakota

A corporation formed in Montana that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($5). See that filing.

Common questions: South Dakota to Montana

Does my South Dakota company need to register in Montana?

Yes, once a South Dakota business operates there; Montana registers it as a foreign corporation.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes: Montana issues one to South Dakota corporations once the filing is approved.

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

$269 at checkout; Montana may also want South Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, at extra cost.

What are the yearly costs for South Dakota and Montana?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), South Dakota's report (fee set by the state) and Montana's report (no fee).

Does Montana require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Montana corporation instead?

Yes, but South Dakota keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Montana's Annual Report (no fee), and the original keeps South Dakota's Annual Report.

What does a Montana company file to register in South Dakota?

It files South Dakota's registration with $750 in state fees, plus Montana's good standing certificate.

How do I get a South Dakota certificate of good standing?

South Dakota issues the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence online ($20).

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC