Foreign registration · no form number

Kentucky LLC Foreign Registration in North Dakota

To do business in North Dakota, an LLC formed in Kentucky registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $135 in state fees. North Dakota also wants Kentucky's Certificate of Existence ($10). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Kentucky records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Kentucky and North Dakota side by side

	Kentucky formed here	North Dakota registering here
Document	Kentucky Certificate of Existence	Foreign Business Limited Liability Company Certificate of Authority Application (no form number)
State fee	$10	$135 at order
How it is handled	Kentucky: online as a printable certificate, or by mail or fax	Filed online with North Dakota
Office	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings	North Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	web.sos.ky.gov	sos.nd.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $15, every year	Annual Report, $50, every year
Due	On or before June 30	November 15
Agent	Your Kentucky registered agent	Our North Dakota registered agent

How Kentucky companies register with North Dakota

Order the Kentucky certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($10) is ordered from Kentucky separately; it is not part of our North Dakota order. North Dakota wants the Kentucky certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your North Dakota registered agent, with your Kentucky name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Kentucky's certificate is in hand, North Dakota's filing goes in. Once North Dakota approves it, the Kentucky company can do business there.

North Dakota costs for Kentucky companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$135
Certificate of Existence, paid to Kentucky	$10
Our service, with a year of North Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Kentucky certificate included	$344

Your Kentucky name and North Dakota's rules

North Dakota accepts your Kentucky name if it includes the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C.. If the Kentucky name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. We search North Dakota's records for Kentucky's name on file before anything is filed.

Agents: North Dakota and Kentucky

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

Yearly filings: North Dakota and Kentucky

Each year your LLC files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($50). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Kentucky plus North Dakota comes to $214 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Kentucky to North Dakota

A corporation formed in Kentucky files its own registration with North Dakota ($145 in state fees). After that come Kentucky's Annual Report ($15) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

Registering a North Dakota company in Kentucky

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

Questions Kentucky owners ask about North Dakota

Does my Kentucky company need to register in North Dakota?

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

How much does the North Dakota registration cost?

$334 at checkout plus $10 to Kentucky for the Certificate of Existence, $344 in all (checkout is $135 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Kentucky's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Dakota wants Kentucky's Certificate of Existence ($10), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Kentucky and North Dakota?

$214 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $15 to Kentucky and $50 to North Dakota for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Dakota?

North Dakota can charge a Kentucky company a civil penalty of up to $5,000.

Does North Dakota require a registered agent?

Yes: the Kentucky registered agent stays, and ours covers North Dakota for year one.

Will North Dakota accept my Kentucky name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C..

Can I form a new North Dakota LLC instead?

Yes, but Kentucky keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Dakota's Annual Report ($50), and the original keeps Kentucky's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from North Dakota later?

Kentucky companies leave by filing an Application for withdrawal of a foreign limited liability company; until then, North Dakota's report stays due alongside Kentucky's filings.

Official sources

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