Foreign registration · no form number

South Dakota Corporation Foreign Registration in North Dakota

A corporation formed in South Dakota that wants to do business in North Dakota files an online registration (no form number), with $145 in state fees. North Dakota may ask for South Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State using your South Dakota records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

South Dakota vs North Dakota: the paperwork

	South Dakota formed here	North Dakota registering here
Document	South Dakota Certificate of Good Standing/Existence	Foreign Business Corporation Certificate of Authority Application (no form number)
State fee	$20	$145 at order
How it is handled	South Dakota: online	Filed online with North Dakota
Office	South Dakota Secretary of State	North Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sosenterprise.sd.gov	sos.nd.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year	Annual Report, $25, every year
Due	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year (form opens that day	May 15
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$20 late fee
Agent	Your South Dakota registered agent	Our North Dakota registered agent

From South Dakota to North Dakota, step by step

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

Your South Dakota name and North Dakota's rules

North Dakota accepts your South Dakota name if it includes company, corporation, incorporated, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them. We search North Dakota's records for South Dakota's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: North Dakota and South Dakota

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

Staying in good standing in South Dakota and North Dakota

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

LLC or corporation, South Dakota to North Dakota

An LLC formed in South Dakota files its own registration with North Dakota ($135 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20)). After that come South Dakota's Annual Report ($55) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($50). See the LLC filing.

Registering a North Dakota company in South Dakota

A corporation formed in North Dakota that registers with South Dakota files South Dakota's registration (no form number) with $750 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($20). See that filing.

Questions South Dakota owners ask about North Dakota

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

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

Is this a certificate of authority?

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

How much does the North Dakota registration cost?

$344 at checkout; North Dakota may also want South Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing/Existence, at extra cost.

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

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

What if I don't register with North Dakota?

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

Does North Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will North Dakota accept my South Dakota name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes company, corporation, incorporated, limited, or an abbreviation of one of them.

Can I form a new North Dakota corporation instead?

Yes, but South Dakota keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Dakota's Annual Report ($25), and the original keeps South Dakota's Annual Report.

Official sources

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The same move for an LLC