Foreign registration · Form 635_0010

Massachusetts LLC Foreign Registration in Iowa

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that wants to do business in Iowa files Form 635_0010, with $100 in state fees. Iowa also wants Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($25), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services using your Massachusetts records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Massachusetts vs Iowa: the paperwork

	Massachusetts formed here	Iowa registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Form 635_0010, Limited Liability Company Foreign Registration Statement
State fee	$25	$100 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with Iowa
Paid expedite		5-business-day $15, 2-business-day $50
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Iowa Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	sos.iowa.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $520, every year	Biennial Report, $30, every two years
Due	On or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization	April 1 of odd-numbered years
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Iowa registered agent

From Massachusetts to Iowa, step by step

Order the Massachusetts certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Massachusetts separately; it is not part of our Iowa order. It comes as a short form ($12) or a long form ($25). Iowa accepts it within 90 days of Massachusetts's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 635_0010
It names us as your Iowa registered agent, with your Massachusetts name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Massachusetts certificate comes first; then the Iowa filing goes in. After approval, your Massachusetts LLC is registered with Iowa.

First-year cost, Massachusetts to Iowa

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$100
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Massachusetts	$25
Our service, with a year of Iowa registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Massachusetts certificate included	$324

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

Your Massachusetts name and Iowa's rules

If Iowa's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Massachusetts company. We search Iowa's records for Massachusetts's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Iowa agent and the Massachusetts one

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

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and Iowa

Massachusetts wants the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year ($520); Iowa wants the Biennial Report every two years ($30). The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Iowa

A corporation formed in Massachusetts files Form 635_0110A with Iowa ($100 in state fees, the same). After that come Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Iowa's Biennial Report ($60). See the corporation filing.

Registering an Iowa company in Massachusetts

An LLC formed in Iowa that registers with Massachusetts files Massachusetts's registration (no form number) with $520 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($5) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about Iowa

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Iowa?

Yes, once a Massachusetts business operates there; Iowa law lists 11 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Iowa registration cost?

$299 at checkout plus $25 to Massachusetts for the Certificate of Good Standing, $324 in all (checkout is $100 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Iowa?

Our registered agent renewal ($149 a year), Massachusetts's report ($520) and Iowa's report ($30, every two years).

What if I don't register with Iowa?

A Massachusetts company cannot sue in court there until it registers.

Does Iowa require a registered agent?

Yes: the Massachusetts resident agent stays, and ours covers Iowa for year one.

Will Iowa accept my Massachusetts name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Massachusetts name at home.

Can I form a new Iowa LLC instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Iowa's Biennial Report ($30), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Iowa later?

Massachusetts companies leave by filing a Statement of Withdrawal ($10); until then, Iowa's report stays due alongside Massachusetts's filings.

Official sources

People also search

LLC into Iowa, by home state (48)

Massachusetts into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation