Foreign registration · no form number

Iowa LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

To do business in Massachusetts, an LLC formed in Iowa registers there on a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also wants Iowa's Certificate of Existence ($5), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division from your Iowa records, then serve as your resident agent there for year one.

What Iowa and Massachusetts each ask for

	Iowa formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	Iowa Certificate of Existence	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$5	$520 at order (filing fee $500 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Iowa: online as a printable PDF right after payment	Filed on Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	sos.iowa.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Biennial Report, $30, every two years	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due	April 1 of odd-numbered years	On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your Iowa registered agent	Our Massachusetts resident agent

From Iowa to Massachusetts, step by step

Order the Iowa certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($5) is ordered from Iowa separately; it is not part of our Massachusetts order. Ordered from Iowa on filing day, it easily meets Massachusetts's limit of 90 days.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Massachusetts resident agent, next to your Iowa name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Iowa issues the certificate instantly, so the Massachusetts filing can go in the same day. After approval, your Iowa LLC is registered with Massachusetts.

Massachusetts costs for Iowa companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$520
Certificate of Existence, paid to Iowa	$5
Our service, with a year of Massachusetts resident agent service	$199
First-year total, Iowa certificate included	$724

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

Your Iowa name and Massachusetts's rules

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

Your Massachusetts agent and the Iowa one

Massachusetts calls it a resident agent; Iowa says registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Iowa; ours takes Massachusetts's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Massachusetts and Iowa

Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($30); Massachusetts wants the Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year ($500). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

Registering a Massachusetts company in Iowa

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that registers with Iowa files Form 635_0010 with $100 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Iowa owners ask about Massachusetts

Does my Iowa company need to register in Massachusetts?

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

How much does the Massachusetts registration cost?

$719 at checkout plus $5 to Iowa for the Certificate of Existence, $724 in all (checkout is $520 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Iowa's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Massachusetts wants Iowa's Certificate of Existence ($5), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Iowa and Massachusetts?

Our resident agent renewal ($149 a year), Iowa's report ($30, every two years) and Massachusetts's report ($500).

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

An Iowa 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 Iowa registered agent stays, and ours covers Massachusetts for year one.

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

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

Official sources

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