Foreign registration · no form number

Massachusetts LLC Foreign Registration in North Dakota

North Dakota registers an LLC from Massachusetts as a foreign LLC on an online registration (no form number), with $135 in state fees. North Dakota also wants Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($25). We file it with the Secretary of State from your Massachusetts records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

Massachusetts vs North Dakota: the paperwork

	Massachusetts formed here	North Dakota registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Foreign Business Limited Liability Company Certificate of Authority Application (no form number)
State fee	$25	$135 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed online with North Dakota
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	North Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	sos.nd.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $520, every year	Annual Report, $50, every year
Due	On or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization	November 15
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our North Dakota registered agent

From Massachusetts to North Dakota, step by step

Order the Massachusetts certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Massachusetts separately; it is not part of our North Dakota order. It comes as a short form ($12) or a long form ($25). North Dakota wants the Massachusetts certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your North Dakota registered agent, with your Massachusetts name and formation date and the certificate attached. Once Massachusetts's certificate is in hand, North Dakota's filing goes in. After approval, your Massachusetts LLC is registered with North Dakota.

First-year cost, Massachusetts to North Dakota

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$135
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Massachusetts	$25
Our service, with a year of North Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Massachusetts certificate included	$359

Your Massachusetts name and North Dakota's rules

North Dakota accepts your Massachusetts name if it includes the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C.. If the Massachusetts name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. We check your exact Massachusetts name against North Dakota's records before filing.

Your North Dakota agent and the Massachusetts one

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

Yearly filings: North Dakota and Massachusetts

Each year your LLC files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($50). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus North Dakota comes to $719 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to North Dakota

A corporation formed in Massachusetts files its own registration with North Dakota ($145 in state fees). After that come Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: North Dakota into Massachusetts

An LLC formed in North Dakota that registers with Massachusetts files Massachusetts's registration (no form number) with $520 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($20) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about North Dakota

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in North Dakota?

Yes, once a Massachusetts business operates there; North Dakota does not count a one-off deal finished within 30 days.

How much does the North Dakota registration cost?

$334 at checkout plus $25 to Massachusetts for the Certificate of Good Standing, $359 in all (checkout is $135 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

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

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and North Dakota?

$719 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $520 to Massachusetts and $50 to North Dakota for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Dakota?

North Dakota can charge a Massachusetts company a civil penalty of up to $5,000.

Does North Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will North Dakota accept my Massachusetts name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C..

Can I form a new North Dakota LLC instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Dakota's Annual Report ($50), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from North Dakota later?

Massachusetts companies leave by filing an Application for withdrawal of a foreign limited liability company; until then, North Dakota's report stays due alongside Massachusetts's filings.

Official sources

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