Foreign registration · Form 972

Massachusetts LLC Foreign Registration in Louisiana

Louisiana registers an LLC from Massachusetts as a foreign LLC on Form 972, with $190 in state fees. Louisiana also asks for Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($25), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of State, Commercial Division using your Massachusetts records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Massachusetts and Louisiana each ask for

	Massachusetts formed here	Louisiana registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Form 972, Application of Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$25	$190 at order (filing fee $185 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with Louisiana
Paid expedite		24-hour $35, 2 to 4 hour $60
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Louisiana Secretary of State, Commercial Division
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	sos.la.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $520, every year	Annual Report, $35, every year
Due	On or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization	On or before the anniversary date of registration in Louisiana
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Louisiana registered agent

How Massachusetts companies register with Louisiana

Order the Massachusetts certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Massachusetts separately; it is not part of our Louisiana order. It comes as a short form ($12) or a long form ($25). Louisiana accepts it within 90 days of Massachusetts's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 972
It lists us as your Louisiana registered agent, next to your Massachusetts name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Massachusetts's certificate is in hand, Louisiana's filing goes in. After approval, your Massachusetts LLC is registered with Louisiana.

Louisiana costs for Massachusetts companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$190
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Massachusetts	$25
Our service, with a year of Louisiana registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Massachusetts certificate included	$414

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

Will your Massachusetts name work for Louisiana?

We search Louisiana's records for Massachusetts's name on file before anything is filed.

Your Louisiana agent and the Massachusetts one

Louisiana calls it a registered agent; Massachusetts says resident agent. Louisiana papers come to us; Massachusetts's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and Louisiana

Each year your LLC files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Louisiana's Annual Report ($35). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus Louisiana comes to $704 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Louisiana

A corporation formed in Massachusetts files Form 326 with Louisiana ($160 in state fees). After that come Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Louisiana's Annual Report ($30). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Louisiana into Massachusetts

An LLC formed in Louisiana that registers with Massachusetts files Massachusetts's registration (no form number) with $520 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about Louisiana

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Louisiana?

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

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

$389 at checkout plus $25 to Massachusetts for the Certificate of Good Standing, $414 in all (checkout is $190 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Louisiana?

$704 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $520 to Massachusetts and $35 to Louisiana for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Louisiana?

A Massachusetts company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Louisiana can add a civil penalty of up to $1,000.

Does Louisiana require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Louisiana LLC instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Louisiana's Annual Report ($40), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

What does a Louisiana company file to register in Massachusetts?

It files Massachusetts's registration with $520 in state fees, plus Louisiana's good standing certificate.

Official sources

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