Foreign registration · no form number

North Dakota LLC Foreign Registration in Montana

An LLC formed in North Dakota that wants to do business in Montana files an online registration (no form number), with $70 in state fees. Montana asks nothing of North Dakota here, not even the Certificate of Good Standing. We file it with the Secretary of State, Business Services using your North Dakota records and act as your registered agent there for the first year.

North Dakota vs Montana: the paperwork

	North Dakota formed here	Montana registering here
Document	North Dakota Certificate of Good Standing (not needed here)	Certificate of Authority (no form number)
State fee	$20	$70 at order
How it is handled	North Dakota: online	Filed online with Montana
Office	North Dakota Secretary of State	Montana Secretary of State, Business Services
Official page	firststop.sos.nd.gov	help.sosmt.gov
Yearly filing	Annual Report, $50, every year	Annual Report, $20, every year
Due	November 15	April 15
Late yearly filing	$50 late fee	$15 late fee
Agent	Your North Dakota registered agent	Our Montana registered agent

From North Dakota to Montana, step by step

We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Montana registered agent, next to your North Dakota name and formation date. No North Dakota paperwork holds up the Montana filing. Once Montana approves it, the North Dakota company can do business there.

Will your North Dakota name work for Montana?

We check your exact North Dakota name against Montana's records before filing.

Your Montana agent and the North Dakota one

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

Staying in good standing in North Dakota and Montana

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

LLC or corporation, North Dakota to Montana

A corporation formed in North Dakota files its own registration with Montana ($70 in state fees, the same). After that come North Dakota's Annual Report ($25) and Montana's Annual Report (no fee). See the corporation filing.

Registering a Montana company in North Dakota

An LLC formed in Montana that registers with North Dakota files North Dakota's registration (no form number) with $135 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Existence ($5). See that filing.

Common questions: North Dakota to Montana

Does my North Dakota company need to register in Montana?

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

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

$269 at checkout, with nothing to pay North Dakota.

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

No, Montana takes the registration without it.

What are the yearly costs for North Dakota and Montana?

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

What if I don't register with Montana?

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

Does Montana require a registered agent?

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

Can I form a new Montana LLC instead?

Yes, but North Dakota keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Montana's Annual Report ($20), and the original keeps North Dakota's Annual Report.

How do I withdraw from Montana later?

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

Official sources

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