$199 + state feeFirst-year registered agent includedAll 50 states

Start my filing

Registering somewhere else?

Entity

Foreign LLC certificate of authority

Montana Foreign LLC Certificate of Authority

An LLC formed in another state registers with Montana on the Certificate of Authority. The $70 filing fee goes to Montana; our $199 covers preparing and filing it plus the first year of Montana registered agent service, for $269 at checkout. Montana does not ask for a home-state certificate with this filing.

Our service$199
Montana state fee$70
Total$269
Choose your home state

Montana LLC certificate of authority at a glance

Filing
Certificate of Authority (no form number)
State fee
$70 filing fee
Total with us
$269, first year of Montana registered agent service included
Home-state certificate
Not required
Montana yearly filing
Annual Report, $20, every year
Filed with
Montana Secretary of State, Business Services

What the Montana filing asks for

For the filing, Montana needs:

  • The exact name of your LLC as formed
  • The state it was formed in and its date of formation
  • A Montana registered agent with a street address there; we fill in ours
  • A principal office address

LLC into Montana, by home state

Every home state pays the same $269 at checkout for Montana.

Formed inHome-state certificateFirst year
AlabamaNot needed$269
AlaskaNot needed$269
ArizonaNot needed$269
ArkansasNot needed$269
CaliforniaNot needed$269
ColoradoNot needed$269
ConnecticutNot needed$269
DelawareNot needed$269
FloridaNot needed$269
GeorgiaNot needed$269
HawaiiNot needed$269
IdahoNot needed$269
IllinoisNot needed$269
IndianaNot needed$269
IowaNot needed$269
KansasNot needed$269
KentuckyNot needed$269
LouisianaNot needed$269
MaineNot needed$269
MarylandNot needed$269
MassachusettsNot needed$269
MichiganNot needed$269
MinnesotaNot needed$269
MississippiNot needed$269
MissouriNot needed$269
NebraskaNot needed$269
NevadaNot needed$269
New HampshireNot needed$269
New JerseyNot needed$269
New MexicoNot needed$269
New YorkNot needed$269
North CarolinaNot needed$269
North DakotaNot needed$269
OhioNot needed$269
OklahomaNot needed$269
OregonNot needed$269
PennsylvaniaNot needed$269
Rhode IslandNot needed$269
South CarolinaNot needed$269
South DakotaNot needed$269
TennesseeNot needed$269
TexasNot needed$269
UtahNot needed$269
VermontNot needed$269
VirginiaNot needed$269
WashingtonNot needed$269
West VirginiaNot needed$269
WisconsinNot needed$269
WyomingNot needed$269

When Montana expects an LLC to register

Montana sets out what does not count as doing business in MCA 35-8-1001(2). A one-off transaction completed within 30 days, and not one of a series, does not count either. An office, staff, or regular sales and contracts there are what typically lead to registration.

If you do business in Montana without registering

An unregistered LLC doing business there cannot start a lawsuit in Montana courts until it registers. Its contracts stay valid, and it can still defend a case brought against it. Montana penalties for unregistered business: $5 a day, up to $1,000 a year. The Montana attorney general can ask a court to stop the LLC doing business there until it registers.

Montana registered agent rule

Montana requires every registered foreign LLC to keep a registered agent there. The agent must agree to serve before Montana accepts the appointment. A resigning agent stays responsible for 31 days after filing the resignation. Our $199 includes the first year of Montana registered agent service, then $149 a year.

Montana yearly filings

Once registered, your LLC files the Montana Annual Report every year, at $20, due April 15. The Montana filing window opens January 1 and closes April 15. Filing it late adds $15. From year two, keeping the Montana registration costs $169 a year with our registered agent service.

How long Montana takes

We file it online with the Montana Secretary of State.

Leaving Montana later

If your LLC stops doing business there, it ends the registration by filing an Application for Certificate of Withdrawal (foreign limited liability company). Until that is filed, Montana's yearly filing stays due.

Montana foreign LLC questions

Do I have to register my LLC in Montana?

Yes, if it was formed in another state and does business there. A one-off deal finished within 30 days does not count. An office, staff or regular sales there usually mean registering.

How much does foreign LLC registration in Montana cost?

$269 at checkout: the $70 filing fee plus our $199, which includes the first year of registered agent service.

Does Montana need a certificate from my home state?

No, Montana does not ask for one with this filing.

What does it cost each year to stay registered in Montana?

$169 a year: $20 for the Annual Report and $149 for our registered agent service. The home state's own yearly filing stays separate.

What if I don't register with Montana?

Your LLC cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Montana can add a penalty of $5 a day, up to $1,000 a year.

Do I need a registered agent in Montana?

Yes. Montana requires one for every LLC registered there from another state. Ours is included for the first year, then $149 a year.

How do I withdraw from Montana later?

File an Application for Certificate of Withdrawal (foreign limited liability company) with the Montana Secretary of State.

Can I form a new Montana LLC instead?

It is possible, but that is a separate company that files Montana's Annual Report ($20), while the original keeps its home-state filings. Registering keeps one company in both states.

Is the Montana filing the same for a corporation?

No: corporations file their own registration ($70 in state fees, the same fee), and LLCs file this one.

Is this a certificate of authority?

Yes. Montana issues a certificate of authority once the filing is approved.

Official Montana sources