Foreign registration · no form number

Washington Corporation Foreign Registration in South Dakota

South Dakota registers a corporation from Washington as a foreign corporation on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Washington's Certificate of Existence ($20). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Washington records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Washington and South Dakota each ask for

	Washington formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Washington Certificate of Existence	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Corporation) (no form number)
State fee	$20	$750 at order
How it is handled	Washington: online as an instant Express download, also emailed	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Washington Secretary of State, Corporations & Charities Division	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	ccfs.sos.wa.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $70, every year	Annual Report, fee set by the state, every year
Due	Last day of the entity's anniversary month	By the first day of the registration anniversary month each year
Late yearly filing	$25 late fee	$50 late fee
Turnaround	Certificate issued instantly online	Online processing: immediately
Agent	Your Washington registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

How Washington companies register with South Dakota

Order the Washington certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($20) is ordered from Washington separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the Washington 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 Washington name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Washington issues the certificate instantly, so the South Dakota filing can go in the same day. After approval, your Washington corporation is registered with South Dakota.

South Dakota costs for Washington companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Existence, paid to Washington	$20
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Washington certificate included	$969

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

Your Washington name and South Dakota's rules

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

Your South Dakota agent and the Washington one

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

Yearly filings: South Dakota and Washington

Washington wants the Annual Report every year ($70); South Dakota wants the Annual Report every year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Washington to South Dakota

An LLC formed in Washington files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($20)). After that come Washington's Annual Report ($70) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). See the LLC filing.

Registering a South Dakota company in Washington

A corporation formed in South Dakota that registers with Washington files Washington's registration (no form number) with $200 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Questions Washington owners ask about South Dakota

Does my Washington company need to register in South Dakota?

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

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

$949 at checkout plus $20 to Washington for the Certificate of Existence, $969 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Washington's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants Washington's Certificate of Existence ($20), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

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

What are the yearly costs for Washington and South Dakota?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Washington's report ($70) and South Dakota's report (fee set by the state).

What if I don't register with South Dakota?

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

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota accept my Washington name?

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

Can I form a new South Dakota corporation instead?

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

Official sources

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