Foreign registration · no form number

Massachusetts LLC Foreign Registration in South Dakota

South Dakota registers an LLC from Massachusetts as a foreign LLC on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South Dakota also wants Massachusetts's Certificate of Good Standing ($25). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Massachusetts records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

Massachusetts vs South Dakota: the paperwork

	Massachusetts formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Massachusetts Certificate of Good Standing	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign LLC) (no form number)
State fee	$25	$750 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 South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	sec.state.ma.us	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $520, every year	Annual Report, $55, every year
Due	On or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization	During the entity's anniversary month each year
Agent	Your Massachusetts resident agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

How Massachusetts companies register with South Dakota

Order the Massachusetts certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($25) is ordered from Massachusetts separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. It comes as a short form ($12) or a long form ($25). South 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 South Dakota registered agent, with your Massachusetts name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Massachusetts certificate comes first; then the South Dakota filing goes in. After approval, your Massachusetts LLC is registered with South Dakota.

South Dakota costs for Massachusetts companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Massachusetts	$25
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Massachusetts certificate included	$974

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

Your Massachusetts name and South Dakota's rules

South Dakota accepts your Massachusetts name if it includes 'limited liability company', 'limited company', or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC (limited may be written Ltd. and company Co.). If the Massachusetts name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. If another South Dakota company uses the Massachusetts name, an alternate name is allowed. South Dakota can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: South Dakota and Massachusetts

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

Staying in good standing in Massachusetts and South Dakota

Each year your LLC files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Massachusetts plus South Dakota comes to $724 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Massachusetts to South Dakota

A corporation formed in Massachusetts files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($12)). After that come Massachusetts's Annual Report ($125) and South Dakota's Annual Report. See the corporation filing.

The other way: South Dakota into Massachusetts

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

Questions Massachusetts owners ask about South Dakota

Does my Massachusetts company need to register in South Dakota?

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

How much does the South Dakota registration cost?

$949 at checkout plus $25 to Massachusetts for the Certificate of Good Standing, $974 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Massachusetts's certificate of good standing?

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

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

South Dakota approves online filings immediately, once Massachusetts's certificate is in hand. Paid expedite: $50.

What are the yearly costs for Massachusetts and South Dakota?

$724 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $520 to Massachusetts and $55 to South Dakota for the yearly reports.

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota 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. South Dakota names must include 'limited liability company', 'limited company', or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., LLC, L.C. or LC (limited may be written Ltd. and company Co.).

Can I form a new South Dakota LLC instead?

Yes, but Massachusetts keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files South Dakota's Annual Report ($55), and the original keeps Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from South Dakota later?

Massachusetts companies leave by filing a Notice of Cancellation of Certificate of Authority, Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, South Dakota's report stays due alongside Massachusetts's filings.

Official sources

People also search

LLC into South Dakota, by home state (48)

Massachusetts into other states (47)

The same move for a corporation