Ohio

Foreign registration · no form number

Ohio LLC Foreign Registration in Massachusetts

Massachusetts registers an LLC from Ohio as a foreign LLC on a paper registration (no form number), with $520 in state fees. Massachusetts also asks for Ohio's Certificate of Good Standing ($5), no older than 90 days. We file it with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division using your Ohio records and act as your resident agent there for the first year.

Ohio and Massachusetts side by side

	Ohio formed here	Massachusetts registering here
Document	Ohio Certificate of Good Standing	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	Ohio: online or by mail	Filed on Massachusetts's paper form
Paid expedite		$20
Office	Ohio Secretary of State, Business Services	Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Official page	cogs.ohiosos.gov	sec.state.ma.us
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 90 days
Yearly filing	No annual report	Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500, every year
Due		On or before the anniversary date of registration to do business in Massachusetts
Agent	Your Ohio statutory agent	Our Massachusetts resident agent

How Ohio companies register with Massachusetts

Order the Ohio certificate
The Certificate of Good Standing ($5) is ordered from Ohio separately; it is not part of our Massachusetts order. Massachusetts accepts it within 90 days of Ohio'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 Ohio name and formation date and the certificate attached. The Ohio certificate comes first; then the Massachusetts filing goes in. After approval, your Ohio LLC is registered with Massachusetts.

First-year cost, Ohio to Massachusetts

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

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

Your Ohio name and Massachusetts's rules

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

Your Massachusetts agent and the Ohio one

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

Staying in good standing in Ohio and Massachusetts

Ohio has no annual report for LLCs; Massachusetts wants the Foreign Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year ($500). Both states' filings stay current side by side.

The other way: Massachusetts into Ohio

An LLC formed in Massachusetts that registers with Ohio files Form 617 with $99 in state fees; no Massachusetts certificate is needed. See that filing.

Common questions: Ohio to Massachusetts

Does my Ohio company need to register in Massachusetts?

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

How much does it cost to register an Ohio LLC in Massachusetts?

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

Do I need Ohio's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Massachusetts wants it ($5), no more than 90 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Ohio and Massachusetts?

Our resident agent renewal ($149 a year), no Ohio yearly report and Massachusetts's report ($500).

What if I don't register with Massachusetts?

An Ohio 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 Ohio statutory agent stays, and ours covers Massachusetts for year one.

Can I form a new Massachusetts LLC instead?

Yes, but Ohio keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Massachusetts's Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($520), and Ohio has no yearly report for the original.

How do I withdraw from Massachusetts later?

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

Official sources

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