Foreign registration · no form number

Montana LLC Foreign Registration in South Dakota

To do business in South Dakota, an LLC formed in Montana registers there on an online registration (no form number), with $750 in state fees. South 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.

Montana and South Dakota side by side

	Montana formed here	South Dakota registering here
Document	Montana Certificate of Existence	Application for Certificate of Authority (Foreign LLC) (no form number)
State fee	$5	$750 at order
How it is handled	Montana: online	Filed online with South Dakota
Paid expedite		$50
Office	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services	South Dakota Secretary of State
Official page	biz.sosmt.gov	sdsos.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Must be current
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $20, every year	Annual Report, $55, every year
Due	April 15	During the entity's anniversary month each year
Late yearly filing	$15 late fee	$50 late fee
Agent	Your Montana registered agent	Our South Dakota registered agent

How Montana companies register with South Dakota

Order the Montana certificate
The Certificate of Existence ($5) is ordered from Montana separately; it is not part of our South Dakota order. South Dakota wants the Montana 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 Montana name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Montana certificate comes first; then the South Dakota filing goes in. After approval, your Montana LLC is registered with South Dakota.

First-year cost, Montana to South Dakota

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$750
Certificate of Existence, paid to Montana	$5
Our service, with a year of South Dakota registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Montana certificate included	$954

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

Will your Montana name work for South Dakota?

South Dakota accepts your Montana 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 Montana name already ends in LLC, it meets the rule. If South Dakota's records show it taken, you can use an alternate name for the Montana company. South Dakota can hold a name for $25 before you file.

Agents: South Dakota and Montana

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

Yearly filings: South Dakota and Montana

Each year your LLC files Montana's Annual Report ($20) and South Dakota's Annual Report ($55). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Montana plus South Dakota comes to $224 a year. The new registration does not replace any home-state filing.

LLC or corporation, Montana to South Dakota

A corporation formed in Montana files its own registration with South Dakota ($750 in state fees, the same, plus the Certificate of Existence ($5)). After that come Montana's Annual Report (no fee) and South Dakota's Annual Report. See the corporation filing.

Registering a South Dakota company in Montana

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

Questions Montana owners ask about South Dakota

Does my Montana company need to register in South Dakota?

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

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

$949 at checkout plus $5 to Montana for the Certificate of Existence, $954 in all (checkout is $750 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Montana's certificate of good standing?

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

How long does the South Dakota registration take?

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

What are the yearly costs for Montana and South Dakota?

$224 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $20 to Montana and $55 to South Dakota for the yearly reports.

Does South Dakota require a registered agent?

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

Will South Dakota accept my Montana name?

Yes, if no company there has it; if one does, it uses an alternate name there and keeps its Montana 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 Montana keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files South Dakota's Annual Report ($55), and the original keeps Montana's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from South Dakota later?

Montana 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 Montana's filings.

Official sources

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