Foreign registration · no form number

Iowa LLC Foreign Registration in Montana

To do business in Montana, an LLC formed in Iowa registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $70 in state fees. Montana asks nothing of Iowa here, not even the Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services from your Iowa records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Iowa vs Montana: the paperwork

	Iowa formed here	Montana registering here
Document	Iowa Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Certificate of Authority (no form number)
State fee	$5	$70 at order
How it is handled	Iowa: online as a printable PDF right after payment	Filed online with Montana
Office	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	sos.iowa.gov	help.sosmt.gov
Yearly filing	Biennial Report, $30, every two years	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due	April 1 of odd-numbered years	April 15
Agent	Your Iowa registered agent	Our Montana registered agent

How Iowa companies register with Montana

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Montana registered agent, next to your Iowa name and formation date. Nothing has to come from Iowa first, so the Montana filing can go in right away. After approval, your Iowa LLC is registered with Montana.

Your Iowa name and Montana's rules

We search Montana's records for Iowa's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Montana agent and the Iowa one

Iowa and Montana both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Iowa; ours takes Montana's papers and notices.

Yearly filings: Montana and Iowa

Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($30); Montana wants the Annual Report every year ($20). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Iowa to Montana

A corporation formed in Iowa files its own registration with Montana ($70 in state fees, the same). After that come Iowa's Biennial Report ($60) and Montana's Annual Report (no fee). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Montana into Iowa

An LLC formed in Montana that registers with Iowa files Form 635_0010 with $100 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($5) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Iowa owners ask about Montana

Does my Iowa company need to register in Montana?

Yes, once an Iowa business operates there; Montana does not count a one-off deal finished within 30 days.

How much does it cost to register an Iowa LLC in Montana?

$269 at checkout, with nothing to pay Iowa.

Do I need Iowa's certificate of good standing?

No, Montana takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for Iowa and Montana?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Iowa's report ($30, every two years) and Montana's report ($20).

What if I don't register with Montana?

An Iowa company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Montana can add a penalty of $5 a day, up to $1,000 a year.

Does Montana require a registered agent?

Yes: the Iowa registered agent stays, and ours covers Montana for year one.

Can I form a new Montana LLC instead?

Yes, but Iowa keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Montana's Annual Report ($20), and the original keeps Iowa's Biennial Report.

How do I withdraw from Montana later?

Iowa companies leave by filing an Application for Certificate of Withdrawal (foreign limited liability company); until then, Montana's report stays due alongside Iowa's filings.

Official sources

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