Foreign registration · no form number

Montana LLC Foreign Registration in North Dakota

To do business in North Dakota, an LLC formed in Montana registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $135 in state fees. North Dakota also wants Montana's Certificate of Existence ($5). We file it with the Secretary of State using your Montana records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

What Montana and North Dakota each ask for

	Montana formed here	North Dakota registering here
Document	Montana Certificate of Existence	Foreign Business Limited Liability Company Certificate of Authority Application (no form number)
State fee	$5	$135 at order
How it is handled	Montana: online	Filed online with North Dakota
Office	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services	North Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	biz.sosmt.gov	sos.nd.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $20, every year	Annual Report, $50, every year
Due	April 15	November 15
Late yearly filing	$15 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Montana registered agent	Our North Dakota registered agent

From Montana to North Dakota, step by step

Order the Montana certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($5) is ordered from Montana separately; it is not part of our North Dakota order. North Dakota wants the Montana certificate current, so it is ordered close to the filing date.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your North Dakota registered agent, next to your Montana name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Once Montana's certificate is in hand, North Dakota's filing goes in. After approval, your Montana LLC is registered with North Dakota.

North Dakota costs for Montana companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$135
Certificate of Existence, paid to Montana	$5
Our service, with a year of North Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Montana certificate included	$339

Your Montana name and North Dakota's rules

North Dakota accepts your Montana name if it includes the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C.. If the Montana name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. We search North Dakota's records for Montana's name on file before anything is filed.

Your North Dakota agent and the Montana one

Montana and North Dakota both call it a registered agent. Your current registered agent stays for Montana; ours takes North Dakota's papers and notices.

Staying in good standing in Montana and North Dakota

Each year your LLC files Montana's Annual Report ($20) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($50). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Montana plus North Dakota comes to $219 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Montana to North Dakota

A corporation formed in Montana files its own registration with North Dakota ($145 in state fees). After that come Montana's Annual Report (no fee) and North Dakota's Annual Report ($25). See the corporation filing.

The other way: North Dakota into Montana

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

Common questions: Montana to North Dakota

Does my Montana company need to register in North Dakota?

Yes, once a Montana business operates there; North Dakota does not count a one-off deal finished within 30 days.

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

$334 at checkout plus $5 to Montana for the Certificate of Existence, $339 in all (checkout is $135 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Montana's certificate of good standing?

Yes: North Dakota wants Montana's Certificate of Existence ($5), current at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Montana and North Dakota?

$219 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $20 to Montana and $50 to North Dakota for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with North Dakota?

North Dakota can charge a Montana company a civil penalty of up to $5,000.

Does North Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will North Dakota accept my Montana name?

Yes, if no company there already uses it and it includes the words limited liability company, or LLC or L.L.C..

Can I form a new North Dakota LLC instead?

Yes, but Montana keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files North Dakota's Annual Report ($50), and the original keeps Montana's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from North Dakota later?

Montana companies leave by filing an Application for withdrawal of a foreign limited liability company; until then, North Dakota's report stays due alongside Montana's filings.

Official sources

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