Foreign registration · Form DSCB:15-412

Iowa LLC Foreign Registration in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania registers an LLC from Iowa as a foreign LLC on Form DSCB:15-412, with $250 in state fees. Pennsylvania asks nothing of Iowa here, not even the Certificate of Existence. We file it with the Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations using your Iowa records and act as your registered office there for the first year.

Iowa vs Pennsylvania: the paperwork

	Iowa formed here	Pennsylvania registering here
Document	Iowa Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Form DSCB:15-412, Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$5	$250 at order
How it is handled	Iowa: online as a printable PDF right after payment	Filed with Pennsylvania
Paid expedite		same-day $100, 3-hour $300, 1-hour $1,000
Office	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services	Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
Official page	sos.iowa.gov	pa.gov
Yearly filing	Biennial Report, $30, every two years	Annual Report, $7, every year
Due	April 1 of odd-numbered years	September 30
Agent	Your Iowa registered agent	Our Pennsylvania registered office

How Iowa companies register with Pennsylvania

We prepare and file Form DSCB:15-412
It lists us as your Pennsylvania registered office, next to your Iowa name and formation date. No Iowa paperwork holds up the Pennsylvania filing. Once Pennsylvania approves it, the Iowa company can do business there.

Your Iowa name and Pennsylvania's rules

Pennsylvania accepts your Iowa name if it includes the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state. We search Pennsylvania's records for Iowa's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: Pennsylvania and Iowa

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

Staying in good standing in Iowa and Pennsylvania

Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($30); Pennsylvania wants the Annual Report every year ($7). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Iowa to Pennsylvania

A corporation formed in Iowa files Form DSCB:15-412 with Pennsylvania ($250 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Iowa's Biennial Report ($60) and Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Pennsylvania into Iowa

An LLC formed in Pennsylvania that registers with Iowa files Form 635_0010 with $100 in state fees, plus the Subsistence Certificate ($40) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Iowa to Pennsylvania

Does my Iowa company need to register in Pennsylvania?

Yes, once an Iowa business operates there; Pennsylvania law lists 12 activities that do not count on their own.

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

$449 at checkout, with nothing to pay Iowa.

Do I need Iowa's certificate of good standing?

No, Pennsylvania takes Form DSCB:15-412 without it.

What are the yearly costs for Iowa and Pennsylvania?

Our registered office renewal ($149 a year), Iowa's report ($30, every two years) and Pennsylvania's report ($7).

What if I don't register with Pennsylvania?

An Iowa company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does Pennsylvania require a registered agent?

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

Will Pennsylvania accept my Iowa name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the term company, limited or limited liability company, an abbreviation of one of those terms, or words of like import used in the home state.

Can I form a new Pennsylvania LLC instead?

Yes, but Iowa keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Pennsylvania's Annual Report ($7), and the original keeps Iowa's Biennial Report.

How do I withdraw from Pennsylvania later?

Iowa companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal of Foreign Registration; until then, Pennsylvania's report stays due alongside Iowa's filings.

Official sources

People also search

LLC into Pennsylvania, by home state (48)

Iowa into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation