Foreign registration · no form number

Louisiana LLC Foreign Registration in South Dakota

To do business in South Dakota, an LLC formed in Louisiana registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Louisiana's Certificate of Good Standing ($25). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Louisiana records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Louisiana and South Dakota each ask for

	Louisiana formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Louisiana Certificate of Good Standing	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign LLC) (no form number)
State fee	$25	$750 at order
How it is handled	Louisiana: online or by mail	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sos.la.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $40, every year	Annual Report, $55, every year
Due	On or before the anniversary date of organization	During the entity's anniversary month each year
Agent	Your Louisiana registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

How Louisiana companies register with South Dakota

Order the Louisiana certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Louisiana separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the Louisiana certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your South Dakota registered agent, with your Louisiana name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Louisiana's certificate is in hand, South Dakota's filing goes in. Once South Dakota approves it, the Louisiana company can do business there.

First-year cost, Louisiana to South Dakota

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Louisiana	$25
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Louisiana certificate included	$974

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

Your Louisiana name and South Dakota's rules

South Dakota accepts your Louisiana name if it includes 'limited liability company', 'limited company', or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC (limited may be written Ltd. and company Co.). If the Louisiana name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. If South Dakota's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Louisiana company. South Dakota can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: South Dakota and Louisiana

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

Staying in good standing in Louisiana and South Dakota

Each year your LLC files Louisiana's Annual Report ($40) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Louisiana plus South Dakota comes to $244 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Louisiana to South Dakota

A corporation formed in Louisiana files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25)). After that come Louisiana's Annual Report ($30) and South Dakota's Annual Report. See the corporation filing.

The other way: South Dakota into Louisiana

An LLC formed in South Dakota that registers with Louisiana files Form 972 with $190 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing/Existence ($20) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Louisiana to South Dakota

Does my Louisiana company need to register in South Dakota?

Yes, once a Louisiana business operates there; South Dakota law lists 10 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the South Dakota registration cost?

$949 at checkout plus $25 to Louisiana for the Certificate of Good Standing, $974 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Louisiana's certificate of good standing?

Yes: South Dakota wants it ($25), current at filing.

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately, once Louisiana's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for Louisiana and South Dakota?

$244 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $40 to Louisiana and $55 to South Dakota for the yearly reports.

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

Yes: the Louisiana registered agent stays, and ours covers South Dakota for year one.

Will South Dakota accept my Louisiana name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Louisiana name at home. South Dakota names must include 'limited liability company', 'limited company', or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC (limited may be written Ltd. and company Co.).

Can I form a new South Dakota LLC instead?

Yes, but Louisiana keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files South Dakota's Annual Report ($55), and the original keeps Louisiana's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from South Dakota later?

Louisiana companies leave by filing a Notice of Cancellation of Certificate of Authority, Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, South Dakota's report stays due alongside Louisiana's filings.

Official sources

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