Foreign registration · no form number

Massachusetts LLC Foreign Registration in Delaware

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that wants to do business in Delaware files a registration (no form number), with $200 in state fees. Delaware also asks for Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($25), no older than 180 days. We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations from your Massachusetts records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Massachusetts and Delaware side by side

	Massachusetts formed here	Delaware registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (no form number)
State fee	$25	$200 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with Delaware
Paid expedite		24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	corp.delaware.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $520, every year	Annual LLC Tax, $300, every year
Due	On or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Delaware registered agent

From Massachusetts to Delaware, step by step

Order the Massachusetts certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Massachusetts separately; it is not part of our Delaware order. It comes as a short form ($12) or a long form ($25). Delaware counts 180 days from the day Massachusetts issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Delaware registered agent, with your Massachusetts name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Massachusetts's certificate is in hand, Delaware's filing goes in. Once Delaware approves it, the Massachusetts company can do business there.

Delaware costs for Massachusetts companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$200
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Massachusetts	$25
Our service, with a year of Delaware registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Massachusetts certificate included	$424

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

Your Massachusetts name and Delaware's rules

Delaware can hold a name for 120 days for $75 before you file.

Your Delaware agent and the Massachusetts one

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

Yearly filings: Delaware and Massachusetts

Each year your LLC files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($300). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus Delaware comes to $969 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Delaware

A corporation formed in Massachusetts files its own registration with Delaware ($245 in state fees). After that come Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Delaware's Foreign Corporation Annual Report ($125). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Delaware into Massachusetts

An LLC formed in Delaware that registers with Massachusetts files Massachusetts's registration (no form number) with $520 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($50) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about Delaware

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Delaware?

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

How much does the Delaware registration cost?

$399 at checkout plus $25 to Massachusetts for the Certificate of Good Standing, $424 in all (checkout is $200 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Delaware wants it ($25), no more than 180 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Delaware?

$969 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $520 to Massachusetts and $300 to Delaware for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Delaware?

A Massachusetts company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Delaware can add up to $200 for each year or part of a year.

Does Delaware require a registered agent?

Yes: the Massachusetts resident agent stays, and ours covers Delaware for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Delaware LLC instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($400), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Delaware later?

Massachusetts companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, Delaware's report stays due alongside Massachusetts's filings.

Official sources

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