Foreign registration · no form number

Virginia Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

To do business in South Dakota, a corporation formed in Virginia registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Virginia's Certificate of Good Standing ($6). We file it with the Secretary of State from your Virginia records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

What Virginia and South Dakota each ask for

	Virginia formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Virginia Certificate of Good Standing	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$6	$750 at order
How it is handled	Virginia: online as an instant PDF from the Clerk's Information System	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	scc.virginia.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee, $50, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due		By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Late yearly filing	$10 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Online processing: immediately
Agent	Your Virginia registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

From Virginia to South Dakota, step by step

Order the Virginia certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($6) is ordered from Virginia separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the Virginia 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 Virginia name and formation date, with the certificate attached. With the certificate issued on the spot, nothing from Virginia delays the South Dakota filing. Once South Dakota approves it, the Virginia company can do business there.

South Dakota costs for Virginia companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Virginia	$6
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Virginia certificate included	$955

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

Your Virginia name and South Dakota's rules

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

Agents: South Dakota and Virginia

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

Staying in good standing in Virginia and South Dakota

Virginia wants the Annual Report + Annual Registration Fee every year ($50); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Virginia to South Dakota

An LLC formed in Virginia files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Fact of Existence/Registration ($6)). After that come Virginia's Annual Registration Fee ($50) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

Common questions: Virginia to South Dakota

Does my Virginia company need to register in South Dakota?

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

How much does the South Dakota registration cost?

$949 at checkout plus $6 to Virginia for the Certificate of Good Standing, $955 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Virginia's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants it ($6), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately; Virginia's certificate is an instant download, so there is no wait before filing. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for Virginia and South Dakota?

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

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

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

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota accept my Virginia name?

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

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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