Foreign registration · no form number

Louisiana LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

To do business in Massachusetts, an LLC formed in Louisiana registers there on a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also wants Louisiana's Certificate of Good Standing ($25), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division using your Louisiana records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

Louisiana vs Massachusetts: the paperwork

	Louisiana formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	Louisiana Certificate of Good Standing	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$25	$520 at order (filing fee $500 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Louisiana: online or by mail	Filed on Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	sos.la.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $40, every year	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due	On or before the anniversary date of organization	On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your Louisiana registered agent	Our Massachusetts resident agent

How Louisiana companies register with Massachusetts

Order the Louisiana certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Louisiana separately; it is not part of our Massachusetts order. Massachusetts accepts it within 90 days of Louisiana's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Massachusetts resident agent, next to your Louisiana name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Louisiana's certificate is in hand, Massachusetts's filing goes in. Once Massachusetts approves it, the Louisiana company can do business there.

First-year cost, Louisiana to Massachusetts

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$520
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Louisiana	$25
Our service, with a year of Massachusetts resident agent service	$199
First-year total, Louisiana certificate included	$744

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

Your Louisiana name and Massachusetts's rules

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

Agents: Massachusetts and Louisiana

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

Yearly filings: Massachusetts and Louisiana

Each year your LLC files Louisiana's Annual Report ($40) and Massachusetts's Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($500). With our $149 resident agent renewal, Louisiana plus Massachusetts comes to $689 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

The other way: Massachusetts into Louisiana

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that registers with Louisiana files Form 972 with $190 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Louisiana owners ask about Massachusetts

Does my Louisiana company need to register in Massachusetts?

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

How much does it cost to register a Louisiana LLC in Massachusetts?

$719 at checkout plus $25 to Louisiana for the Certificate of Good Standing, $744 in all (checkout is $520 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Louisiana's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Massachusetts wants it ($25), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Louisiana and Massachusetts?

$689 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $40 to Louisiana and $500 to Massachusetts for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

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

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

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

Official sources

People also search

LLC into Massachusetts, by home state (48)

Louisiana into other states (47)