Foreign registration · no form number

Kentucky LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

An LLC formed in Kentucky that wants to do business in Massachusetts files a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also wants Kentucky's Certificate of Existence ($10), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division from your Kentucky records, then serve as your resident agent there for year one.

What Kentucky and Massachusetts each ask for

	Kentucky formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	Kentucky Certificate of Existence	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$10	$520 at order (filing fee $500 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Kentucky: online as a printable certificate, or by mail or fax	Filed on Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	web.sos.ky.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $15, every year	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due	On or before June 30	On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your Kentucky registered agent	Our Massachusetts resident agent

From Kentucky to Massachusetts, step by step

Order the Kentucky certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from Kentucky separately; it is not part of our Massachusetts order. Massachusetts counts 90 days from the day Kentucky issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Massachusetts resident agent, with your Kentucky name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Kentucky's certificate is in hand, Massachusetts's filing goes in. After approval, your Kentucky LLC is registered with Massachusetts.

First-year cost, Kentucky to Massachusetts

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$520
Certificate of Existence, paid to Kentucky	$10
Our service, with a year of Massachusetts resident agent service	$199
First-year total, Kentucky certificate included	$729

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

Your Kentucky name and Massachusetts's rules

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

Agents: Massachusetts and Kentucky

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

Staying in good standing in Kentucky and Massachusetts

Each year your LLC files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15) and Massachusetts's Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($500). With our $149 resident agent renewal, Kentucky plus Massachusetts comes to $664 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

The other way: Massachusetts into Kentucky

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that registers with Kentucky files Form FBE with $90 in state fees; no Massachusetts certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Kentucky to Massachusetts

Does my Kentucky company need to register in Massachusetts?

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

How much does the Massachusetts registration cost?

$719 at checkout plus $10 to Kentucky for the Certificate of Existence, $729 in all (checkout is $520 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Kentucky's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Massachusetts wants Kentucky's Certificate of Existence ($10), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Kentucky and Massachusetts?

$664 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $15 to Kentucky and $500 to Massachusetts for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

A Kentucky 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 Kentucky registered agent stays, and ours covers Massachusetts for year one.

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

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

Official sources

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