Foreign registration · Form FBE

Massachusetts LLC Foreign Registration in Kentucky

To do business in Kentucky, an LLC formed in Massachusetts registers there on Form FBE, with $90 in state fees. Kentucky asks nothing of Massachusetts here, not even the Certificate of Good Standing. We file it with the Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings from your Massachusetts records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Massachusetts and Kentucky side by side

	Massachusetts formed here	Kentucky registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing (not needed here)	Form FBE, Certificate of Authority (Foreign Business Entity)
State fee	$25	$90 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with Kentucky
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Kentucky Secretary of State, Division of Business Filings
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	web.sos.ky.gov
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $520, every year	Annual Report, $15, every year
Due	On or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization	On or before June 30
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Kentucky registered agent

How Massachusetts companies register with Kentucky

We prepare and file Form FBE
It lists us as your Kentucky registered agent, next to your Massachusetts name and formation date. Nothing has to come from Massachusetts first, so the Kentucky filing can go in right away. After approval, your Massachusetts LLC is registered with Kentucky.

Will your Massachusetts name work for Kentucky?

We check your exact Massachusetts name against Kentucky's records before filing.

Your Kentucky agent and the Massachusetts one

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

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and Kentucky

Each year your LLC files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus Kentucky comes to $684 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Kentucky

A corporation formed in Massachusetts files Form FBE with Kentucky ($90 in state fees, the same; no home-state certificate is needed). After that come Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Kentucky's Annual Report ($15). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Kentucky into Massachusetts

An LLC formed in Kentucky that registers with Massachusetts files Massachusetts's registration (no form number) with $520 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($10) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Common questions: Massachusetts to Kentucky

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Kentucky?

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

How much does the Kentucky registration cost?

$289 at checkout, with nothing to pay Massachusetts.

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

No, Kentucky takes Form FBE without it.

How long does the Kentucky registration take?

Kentucky's standard processing takes up to 3 business days; nothing comes from Massachusetts first.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Kentucky?

$684 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $520 to Massachusetts and $15 to Kentucky for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Kentucky?

A Massachusetts company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Kentucky can add a penalty of $2 a day.

Does Kentucky require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Kentucky LLC instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Kentucky's Annual Report ($15), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Kentucky later?

Massachusetts companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal (Foreign Business Entity) ($40); until then, Kentucky's report stays due alongside Massachusetts's filings.

Official sources

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