Rhode Island

Foreign registration · no form number

Rhode Island LLC Foreign Registration in Delaware

To do business in Delaware, an LLC formed in Rhode Island registers there on a registration (no form number), with $200 in state fees. Delaware also wants Rhode Island's Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22), dated within 180 days. We file it with the Department of State, Division of Corporations from your Rhode Island records, then serve as your registered agent there for year one.

What Rhode Island and Delaware each ask for

	Rhode Island formed here	Delaware registering here
Document	Rhode Island Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing	Certificate of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company (no form number)
State fee	$22	$200 at order
How it is handled	Rhode Island: online in about two business days, the same day in person, or in 5 to 7 business days by mail	Filed with Delaware
Paid expedite		24-hour $50, same-day $100, 2-hour $500, 1-hour $1,000
Office	Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division	Delaware Department of State, Division of Corporations
Official page	sos.ri.gov	corp.delaware.gov
Age rule	Dated when issued	Accepted if dated within 180 days
Yearly filing	Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632), $50, every year	Annual LLC Tax, $300, every year
Due	May 1
Agent	Your Rhode Island resident agent	Our Delaware registered agent

From Rhode Island to Delaware, step by step

Order the Rhode Island certificate
The Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing ($22) is ordered from Rhode Island separately; it is not part of our Delaware order. It comes as a short form ($22) or a long form ($30). With Rhode Island taking days and Delaware counting 180 days from issue, the order is timed for both.
We prepare and file the registration
It lists us as your Delaware registered agent, next to your Rhode Island name and formation date, with the certificate attached. Allow for the days Rhode Island takes to send the certificate before the Delaware filing goes in. After approval, your Rhode Island LLC is registered with Delaware.

Delaware costs for Rhode Island companies

Item	Amount
State fees, paid at order	$200
Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, paid to Rhode Island	$22
Our service, with a year of Delaware registered agent service	$199
First-year total, Rhode Island certificate included	$421

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

Will your Rhode Island name work for Delaware?

Delaware can hold a name for 120 days for $75 before you file.

Your Delaware agent and the Rhode Island one

Delaware calls it a registered agent; Rhode Island says resident agent. Delaware papers come to us; Rhode Island's agent is unchanged.

Staying in good standing in Rhode Island and Delaware

Each year your LLC files Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Limited Liability Company (Form 632) ($50) and Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($300). With our $149 registered agent renewal, Rhode Island plus Delaware comes to $499 a year. Both states' filings stay current side by side.

LLC or corporation, Rhode Island to Delaware

A corporation formed in Rhode Island files its own registration with Delaware ($245 in state fees). After that come Rhode Island's Annual Report for a Corporation (Form 630) ($50) and Delaware's Foreign Corporation Annual Report ($125). See the corporation filing.

The other way: Delaware into Rhode Island

An LLC formed in Delaware that registers with Rhode Island files Form 450 with $156 in state fees, plus the Certificate of Good Standing ($50) dated within 60 days. See that filing.

Questions Rhode Island owners ask about Delaware

Does my Rhode Island company need to register in Delaware?

Yes, once a Rhode Island business operates there; Delaware registers it as a foreign LLC.

How much does the Delaware registration cost?

$399 at checkout plus $22 to Rhode Island for the Certificate of Status / Certificate of Good Standing, $421 in all (checkout is $200 in state fees plus our $199).

Do I need Rhode Island's certificate of good standing?

Yes: Delaware wants it ($22), no more than 180 days old at filing.

What are the yearly costs for Rhode Island and Delaware?

$499 a year: our $149 registered agent renewal, $50 to Rhode Island and $300 to Delaware for the yearly reports.

What if I don't register with Delaware?

A Rhode Island company cannot sue in court there until it registers, and Delaware can add up to $200 for each year or part of a year.

Does Delaware require a registered agent?

Yes: the Rhode Island resident agent stays, and ours covers Delaware for year one, with a street address there.

Can I form a new Delaware LLC instead?

Yes, but Rhode Island keeps the original, so you run two companies: the new one files Delaware's Annual LLC Tax ($400), and the original keeps Rhode Island's yearly report.

How do I withdraw from Delaware later?

Rhode Island companies leave by filing a Certificate of Cancellation of Registration of a Foreign Limited Liability Company; until then, Delaware's report stays due alongside Rhode Island's filings.

Official sources

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