Foreign registration · no form number

North Dakota LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

An LLC formed in North Dakota that wants to do business in Massachusetts files a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also wants North Dakota's Certificate of Good Standing ($20), dated within 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division using your North Dakota records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

What North Dakota and Massachusetts each ask for

	North Dakota formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	North Dakota Certificate of Good Standing	Foreign Limited Liability Company Application for Registration (no form number)
State fee	$20	$520 at order (filing fee $500 plus charges collected at filing)
How it is handled	North Dakota: online	Filed on Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	North Dakota Secretary of State	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	firststop.sos.nd.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $50, every year	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due	November 15	On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your North Dakota registered agent	Our Massachusetts resident agent

How North Dakota companies register with Massachusetts

Order the North Dakota certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($20) is ordered from North Dakota separately; it is not part of our Massachusetts order. Massachusetts accepts it within 90 days of North Dakota's issue date, so it is ordered shortly before filing.
We prepare and file the registration
It names us as your Massachusetts resident agent, with your North Dakota name and formation date and the certificate attached. The North Dakota certificate comes first; then the Massachusetts filing goes in. Once Massachusetts approves it, the North Dakota company can do business there.

First-year cost, North Dakota to Massachusetts

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$520
Certificate of Good Standing, paid to North Dakota	$20
Our service, with a year of Massachusetts resident agent service	$199
First-year total, North Dakota certificate included	$739

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

Your North Dakota name and Massachusetts's rules

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

Agents: Massachusetts and North Dakota

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

Yearly filings: Massachusetts and North Dakota

Each year your LLC files North Dakota's Annual Report ($50) and Massachusetts's Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($500). With our $149 resident agent renewal, North Dakota plus Massachusetts comes to $699 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

Registering a Massachusetts company in North Dakota

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that registers with North Dakota files North Dakota's registration (no form number) with $135 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($25). See that filing.

Questions North Dakota owners ask about Massachusetts

Does my North Dakota company need to register in Massachusetts?

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

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

$719 at checkout plus $20 to North Dakota for the Certificate of Good Standing, $739 in all (checkout is $520 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need North Dakota's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Massachusetts wants it ($20), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for North Dakota and Massachusetts?

$699 a year: our $149 resident agent renewal, $50 to North Dakota and $500 to Massachusetts for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

A North Dakota 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 North Dakota registered agent stays, and ours covers Massachusetts for year one.

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

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

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

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

Official sources

People also search

LLC into Massachusetts, by home state (48)

North Dakota into other states (47)