Ohio

Foreign registration · Form 617

Massachusetts LLC Foreign Registration in Ohio

Ohio registers an LLC from Massachusetts as a foreign LLC on Form 617, with $99 in state fees. Ohio needs nothing from Massachusetts: no Certificate of Good Standing. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services using your Massachusetts records and act as your statutory agent there for the first year.

Massachusetts vs Ohio: the paperwork

	Massachusetts formed here	Ohio registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing (not needed here)	Form 617, Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$25	$99 at order
How it is handled	Massachusetts: online, by mail or in person, delivered by mail or email depending on the certificate	Filed with Ohio
Paid expedite		2-business-day $100, 1-business-day $200
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Ohio Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	ohiosos.gov
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $520, every year	No annual report
Due	On or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Ohio statutory agent

How Massachusetts companies register with Ohio

We prepare and file Form 617
It lists us as your Ohio statutory agent, next to your Massachusetts name and formation date. No Massachusetts paperwork holds up the Ohio filing. After approval, your Massachusetts LLC is registered with Ohio.

Your Massachusetts name and Ohio's rules

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

Your Ohio agent and the Massachusetts one

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

Yearly filings: Ohio and Massachusetts

Massachusetts wants the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year ($520); Ohio has no annual report for LLCs. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Ohio

A corporation formed in Massachusetts files Form 530A with Ohio ($99 in state fees, the same). See the corporation filing.

Registering an Ohio company in Massachusetts

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

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about Ohio

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Ohio?

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

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

$298 at checkout, with nothing to pay Massachusetts.

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

No, Ohio takes Form 617 without it.

How long does the Ohio registration take?

Ohio's standard processing takes 3 to 7 business days; nothing comes from Massachusetts first. Paid expedite: 2-business-day $100, 1-business-day $200.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Ohio?

Our statutory agent renewal ($149 a year), Massachusetts's report ($520) and no Ohio yearly report.

What if I don't register with Ohio?

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

Does Ohio require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Ohio LLC instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one has no Ohio yearly report, and the original keeps Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Ohio later?

Massachusetts companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, both the Ohio registration and Massachusetts's filings stay in place.

Official sources

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