Rhode Island

Foreign registration · Form 450

Iowa LLC Foreign Registration in Rhode Island

To do business in Rhode Island, an LLC formed in Iowa registers there on Form 450, with $156 in state fees. Rhode Island also asks for Iowa's Certificate of Existence ($5), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of State, Business Services Division from your Iowa records, then serve as your resident agent there for year one.

What Iowa and Rhode Island each ask for

	Iowa formed here	Rhode Island registering here
Document	Iowa Certificate of Existence	Form 450, Application for Registration for a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$5	$156 at order (filing fee $150 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Iowa: online as a printable PDF right after payment	Filed with Rhode Island
Office	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division
Official page	sos.iowa.gov	docs.sos.ri.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Biennial Report, $30, every two years	Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632), $50, every year
Due	April 1 of odd-numbered years	May 1
Agent	Your Iowa registered agent	Our Rhode Island resident agent

From Iowa to Rhode Island, step by step

Order the Iowa certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($5) is ordered from Iowa separately; it is not part of our Rhode Island order. An instant Iowa certificate reaches Rhode Island only hours old, well inside the limit of 60 days.
We prepare and file Form 450
It lists us as your Rhode Island resident agent, next to your Iowa name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Iowa issues the certificate instantly, so the Rhode Island filing can go in the same day. Once Rhode Island approves it, the Iowa company can do business there.

Rhode Island costs for Iowa companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$156
Certificate of Existence, paid to Iowa	$5
Our service, with a year of Rhode Island resident agent service	$199
First-year total, Iowa certificate included	$360

Your Iowa name and Rhode Island's rules

If another Rhode Island company uses the Iowa name, an alternate name is allowed. Rhode Island can hold a name for 120 days for $50 before you file.

Your Rhode Island agent and the Iowa one

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

Yearly filings: Rhode Island and Iowa

Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($30); Rhode Island wants the Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) every year ($50). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Iowa to Rhode Island

A corporation formed in Iowa files Form 150 with Rhode Island ($319 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($5)). After that come Iowa's Biennial Report ($60) and Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) ($50). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Rhode Island into Iowa

An LLC formed in Rhode Island that registers with Iowa files Form 635_0010 with $100 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Iowa owners ask about Rhode Island

Does my Iowa company need to register in Rhode Island?

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

How much does the Rhode Island registration cost?

$355 at checkout plus $5 to Iowa for the Certificate of Existence, $360 in all (checkout is $156 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Iowa's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Rhode Island wants Iowa's Certificate of Existence ($5), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Iowa and Rhode Island?

Our resident agent renewal ($149 a year), Iowa's report ($30, every two years) and Rhode Island's report ($50).

What if I don't register with Rhode Island?

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

Does Rhode Island require a registered agent?

Yes: the Iowa registered agent stays, and ours covers Rhode Island for year one, with a street address there.

Will Rhode Island accept my Iowa name?

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

Can I form a new Rhode Island LLC instead?

Yes, but Iowa keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50), and the original keeps Iowa's Biennial Report.

How do I withdraw from Rhode Island later?

Iowa companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation; until then, Rhode Island's report stays due alongside Iowa's filings.

Official sources

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