Foreign registration · no form number

Montana LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

To do business in Massachusetts, an LLC formed in Montana registers there on a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also asks for Montana's Certificate of Existence ($5), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division from your Montana records, then serve as your resident agent there for year one.

Montana vs Massachusetts: the paperwork

	Montana formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	Montana Certificate of Existence	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$5	$520 at order (filing fee $500 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	Montana: online	Filed on Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	biz.sosmt.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $20, every year	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due	April 15	On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your Montana registered agent	Our Massachusetts resident agent

How Montana companies register with Massachusetts

Order the Montana certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($5) is ordered from Montana separately; it is not part of our Massachusetts order. Massachusetts counts 90 days from the day Montana issues it, so the order goes in shortly before filing.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Massachusetts resident agent, next to your Montana name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Montana's certificate is in hand, Massachusetts's filing goes in. Once Massachusetts approves it, the Montana company can do business there.

Massachusetts costs for Montana companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$520
Certificate of Existence, paid to Montana	$5
Our service, with a year of Massachusetts resident agent service	$199
First-year total, Montana certificate included	$724

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

Will your Montana name work for Massachusetts?

Massachusetts can hold a name for $30 before you file.

Agents: Massachusetts and Montana

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

Staying in good standing in Montana and Massachusetts

Each year your LLC files Montana's Annual Report ($20) and Massachusetts's Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($500). With our $149 resident agent renewal, Montana plus Massachusetts comes to $669 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

The other way: Massachusetts into Montana

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that registers with Montana files Montana's registration (no form number) with $70 in state fees; no Massachusetts certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Montana to Massachusetts

Does my Montana company need to register in Massachusetts?

Yes, once a Montana business operates there; Massachusetts registers it as a foreign LLC.

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

$719 at checkout plus $5 to Montana for the Certificate of Existence, $724 in all (checkout is $520 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Montana's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Massachusetts wants Montana's Certificate of Existence ($5), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Montana and Massachusetts?

$669 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $20 to Montana and $500 to Massachusetts for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

A Montana company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Massachusetts can add a civil penalty of up to $500.

Does Massachusetts require a registered agent?

Yes: the Montana registered agent stays, and ours covers Massachusetts for year one.

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

Yes, but Montana keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520), and the original keeps Montana's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

Montana companies leave by filing a Certificate of Withdrawal ($100); until then, Massachusetts's report stays due alongside Montana's filings.

Official sources

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