Foreign registration · no form number

Kentucky LLC Foreign Registration in Montana

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

What Kentucky and Montana each ask for

	Kentucky formed here	Montana registering here
Document	Kentucky Certificate of Existence (not needed here)	Certificate of Authority (no form number)
State fee	$10	$70 at order
How it is handled	Kentucky: online as a printable certificate, or by mail or fax	Filed online with Montana
Office	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	web.sos.ky.gov	help.sosmt.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $15, every year	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due	On or before June 30	April 15
Agent	Your Kentucky registered agent	Our Montana registered agent

From Kentucky to Montana, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Montana registered agent, next to your Kentucky name and formation date. Nothing has to come from Kentucky first, so the Montana filing can go in right away. Once Montana approves it, the Kentucky company can do business there.

Your Kentucky name and Montana's rules

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

Your Montana agent and the Kentucky one

Kentucky and Montana both call it a registered agent. Montana papers come to us; Kentucky's agent is unchanged.

Yearly filings: Montana and Kentucky

Each year your LLC files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15) and Montana's Annual Report ($20). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Kentucky plus Montana comes to $184 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Kentucky to Montana

A corporation formed in Kentucky files its own registration with Montana ($70 in state fees, the same). After that come Kentucky's Annual Report ($15) and Montana's Annual Report (no fee). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Montana into Kentucky

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

Questions Kentucky owners ask about Montana

Does my Kentucky company need to register in Montana?

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

How much does it cost to register a Kentucky LLC in Montana?

$269 at checkout, with nothing to pay Kentucky.

Do I need Kentucky's certificate of good standing?

No, Montana takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for Kentucky and Montana?

$184 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $15 to Kentucky and $20 to Montana for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Montana?

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

Can I form a new Montana LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Montana later?

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

Official sources

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