Foreign registration · no form number

Connecticut LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

To do business in Massachusetts, an LLC formed in Connecticut registers there on a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also asks for Connecticut's Certificate of Legal Existence ($50), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division using your Connecticut records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

Connecticut vs Massachusetts: the paperwork

	Connecticut formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	Connecticut Certificate of Legal Existence	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$50	$520 at order (filing fee $500 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Connecticut: online, with an express version, or by mail	Filed on Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	Connecticut Secretary of the State, Business Services Division	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	business.ct.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $80, every year	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due	On or before March 31	On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your Connecticut registered agent	Our Massachusetts resident agent

From Connecticut to Massachusetts, step by step

Order the Connecticut certificate
The Certificate of Legal Existence ($50) is ordered from Connecticut separately; it is not part of our Massachusetts order. It comes as a short form ($50) or a long form ($100). Massachusetts counts 90 days from the day Connecticut issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Massachusetts resident agent, next to your Connecticut name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Connecticut's certificate is in hand, Massachusetts's filing goes in. Once Massachusetts approves it, the Connecticut company can do business there.

First-year cost, Connecticut to Massachusetts

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$520
Certificate of Legal Existence, paid to Connecticut	$50
Our service, with a year of Massachusetts resident agent service	$199
First-year total, Connecticut certificate included	$769

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

Will your Connecticut name work for Massachusetts?

Massachusetts can hold a name for $30 before you file.

Your Massachusetts agent and the Connecticut one

Massachusetts calls it a resident agent; Connecticut says registered agent. Massachusetts papers come to us; Connecticut's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in Connecticut and Massachusetts

Each year your LLC files Connecticut's Annual Report ($80) and Massachusetts's Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($500). With our $149 resident agent renewal, Connecticut plus Massachusetts comes to $729 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

The other way: Massachusetts into Connecticut

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that registers with Connecticut files Connecticut's registration (no form number) with $120 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Connecticut owners ask about Massachusetts

Does my Connecticut company need to register in Massachusetts?

Yes, once a Connecticut business operates there; Massachusetts registers it as a foreign LLC.

How much does it cost to register a Connecticut LLC in Massachusetts?

$719 at checkout plus $50 to Connecticut for the Certificate of Legal Existence, $769 in all (checkout is $520 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Connecticut's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Massachusetts wants Connecticut's Certificate of Legal Existence ($50), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Connecticut and Massachusetts?

$729 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $80 to Connecticut and $500 to Massachusetts for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

A Connecticut company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Massachusetts can add a civil penalty of up to $500.

Does Massachusetts require a registered agent?

Yes: the Connecticut registered agent stays, and ours covers Massachusetts for year one.

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

Yes, but Connecticut keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520), and the original keeps Connecticut's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

Connecticut companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal ($100); until then, Massachusetts's report stays due alongside Connecticut's filings.

Official sources

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