Rhode Island

Foreign registration · Form 450

Massachusetts LLC Foreign Registration in Rhode Island

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that wants to do business in Rhode Island files Form 450, with $156 in state fees. Rhode Island also asks for Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($25), no older than 60 days. We file it with the Department of State, Business Services Division from your Massachusetts records, then serve as your resident agent there for year one.

Massachusetts and Rhode Island side by side

	Massachusetts formed here	Rhode Island registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Form 450, Application for Registration for a Foreign Limited Liability Company
State fee	$25	$156 at order (filing fee $150 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 Rhode Island
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	docs.sos.ri.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 60 days
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $520, every year	Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632), $50, every year
Due	On or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization	May 1
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our Rhode Island resident agent

From Massachusetts to Rhode Island, step by step

Order the Massachusetts certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Massachusetts separately; it is not part of our Rhode Island order. It comes as a short form ($12) or a long form ($25). Rhode Island counts 60 days from the day Massachusetts issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file Form 450
It lists us as your Rhode Island resident agent, next to your Massachusetts name and formation date, with the certificate attached. The Massachusetts certificate comes first; then the Rhode Island filing goes in. Once Rhode Island approves it, the Massachusetts company can do business there.

Rhode Island costs for Massachusetts companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$156
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Massachusetts	$25
Our service, with a year of Rhode Island resident agent service	$199
First-year total, Massachusetts certificate included	$380

Will your Massachusetts name work for Rhode Island?

If another Rhode Island company uses the Massachusetts name, an alternate name is allowed. Rhode Island can hold a name for 120 days for $50 before you file.

Agents: Rhode Island and Massachusetts

Massachusetts and Rhode Island both call it a resident agent. Your current resident agent stays for Massachusetts; ours takes Rhode Island's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and Rhode Island

Each year your LLC files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50). With our $149 resident agent renewal, Massachusetts plus Rhode Island comes to $719 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to Rhode Island

A corporation formed in Massachusetts files Form 150 with Rhode Island ($319 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($12)). After that come Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) ($50). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Rhode Island into Massachusetts

An LLC formed in Rhode Island that registers with Massachusetts files Massachusetts's registration (no form number) with $520 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) dated within 90 days. See that filing.

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about Rhode Island

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in Rhode Island?

Yes, once a Massachusetts business operates there; Rhode Island law lists 12 activities that do not count on their own.

How much does the Rhode Island registration cost?

$355 at checkout plus $25 to Massachusetts for the Certificate of Good Standing, $380 in all (checkout is $156 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Rhode Island wants it ($25), no more than 60 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and Rhode Island?

$719 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $520 to Massachusetts and $50 to Rhode Island for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Rhode Island?

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

Does Rhode Island require a registered agent?

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

Will Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island LLC instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Rhode Island later?

Massachusetts companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation; until then, Rhode Island's report stays due alongside Massachusetts's filings.

Official sources

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